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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Childminder Vs Nursery

22 replies

lilymolly · 23/08/2006 21:19

I have dd who will be 1 when I return to work next year. I work as a rep and as such can start and finsh when I like, or some days can even skive! but never know until few days before hand where and when I will be working. I have enrolled her in nursery for 3 days and with MIL/Mother the other 2 days. I am after opinions on child minder vs nursery.
What is better for child?
How flexible are child minders on a weekly basis. i.e whould they be happy not knowing which days of the week I would need them (but would still be paid for set number of hours)
Good and bad experience of both.
Thanks

OP posts:
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smeeinit · 23/08/2006 22:49

in my experience having worked in nurserys for several years and now a childminder,you get a much better level of care with a cm as opposed to a nursery,and they can,depending on the cm and area,be much more flexible and cheaper than nursery.
i dont have a high view of nurserys im afraid after working in them. altough i stress this is my own personal opinion and im sure others have a higher view than mine!

Tommy · 23/08/2006 23:02

not having used either, you may not want my opinion but a friend of mine uses a childminder on a flexible basis. her DH works funny hours which means that every 4th week he has off (or somthing like that) so she doesn't always need the childminder IYSWIM. She pays a higher hourly rate to the CM but chooses the hours that she needs - e.g. one week the CM will have them 3 full days but the next week it might be only 1 day and the next week no days.

From what I gather about CMs, you need to ask around - I think I would be more inclined to use a CM - if I found one that I really liked - rather than a nursery.

lilymolly · 24/08/2006 08:57

bump

OP posts:
HappyMumof2 · 24/08/2006 09:04

Message withdrawn

smeeinit · 24/08/2006 09:30

just to add to happy mums post....make sure you get a ofsted registered cm,i cant believe how many people are not registered and call themselves cms.
also as hmo2 says i 2 would never contemplate leaving my child in a nursery,altough at 14 and 16 dont know if any nursery would have them anyway!!

lazycow · 24/08/2006 09:46

I used a nursey when ds was 11 months old for 2 days a week for a month and though it seemed fine I decided in the end to change to a childminder as I wanted ds to be in a family environment. He is now 21 moths old and is very happy there. I also specifically chose a childminder who did not have lots of children to look after as I wanted as much of a one to one as was possible for him until he got nearer to 2-3 years old.

I am very happy with my childminder. She is flexible when I need her to be though you do need to be organised and for many childminders you need to provide food for your child.

You may have less flexibility than with a nursery on pick up and drop off as you need to get your child there in plenty of time if she has to do a school run and if you miss that then you need to wait until she has returned.

With my CM I can't drop DS between 8.45-9.10am or between 2.45-3.10pm on school days. Other than that it is fine to drop off late and pick up early as long as she knows in advance.

blueshoes · 24/08/2006 10:24

I am one for nurseries - but take the time to visit it and make sure it is a good one and you feel comfortable leaving your dd there. At about 1 year, the most important thing for me then was that the nursery was prepared to be flexible with dd's routine and they were - they rocked her to sleep, spoon-fed her, cuddled her for as long as she needed.

I have no experience with childminders so can't say anything except I imagine it would depend on the quality of the cm (as it would with a nursery).

I could not recommend dd's nursery enough. The advantages of a nursery over a cm - always open on the contracted days, no need to worry about cm falling ill. More than one carer around at a time, for support as well as to make sure nothing too untoward can take place behind closed doors - my dd was very fractious as a baby so I was worried on that front. Loads of age-appropriate activities, which becomes increasingly important as your dd matures.

The ladies who work in dd's nursery are absolutely lovely and have formed a strong bond with her. On days dd is reluctant to attend (and there will be those days), I just remind her of her carers and what she can tell/show them, and she feels better about going in. Dd loved having so many other children around as well. She has lots of friends now at 2.10.

Tiggerish · 24/08/2006 10:37

i agree with blueshoes on this one. Both my dcs go to nursery and it is fab. They really love it!

dd (15 months) has been going for 3 days a week since January. from 1st Sept I am going back to work full time and she will go to a childminder for the other 2 days. I personally think that full-time nursery at this age is a bit too intense.

Jackmummy · 24/08/2006 11:52

I am a nursery nurse, with experience of working in nurserys, and a registered childminder.
For a child under one I would say a childminder.
But for a one year old I would concider both.
As mentioned before, it really depends on the quality of the nursery and the childminder.
I would look at both and ultimately go with your gut feeling.
Either way I would look for someone who has/had children of there own. My main complaint with nurseries is that they can be staffed by rather young girls. As good as they are I do believe that motherhood changes people.
It also depends on your child. Does she thrive on being in a group or prefer more 1-1 attention.
I hope this helps in some way.

loopylou0612 · 24/08/2006 12:08

Another point of view from a nursery nurse! I did all my training for my qualifications once I had dd and was fortunate enough to land a position in a specialised baby unit, where I could bring dd with me. This is still the case now, dh doesn't feel comfortable with me working and dd in another setting, so we have to go together which is ok, but not on the clingy days when I've got work to do!

You need to weigh up the pros and cons of cms and nurseries and pay visits to both.

I prefer the idea of nursery for my dd, interaction with other children in an age/stage appropriate environment, more carers for support etc. You know that nurseries are OFSTED registered and that the staff are CRB checked. You also know that they hold relevant qualifications or are training towards relevant qualifications. You know the environment is appropriate for young children.

On the other side of the coin, however, you do not always know if this is the case with cms. That's not to say that cm's don't have all of these things. I think you just know what you're getting with nurseries.

You should get in touch with your local children's information service for a list of all childcare providers in your area and take it from there. Consider all your options, to make sure you mkae the right decision. You can also ask them for a list of questions to ask when visiting propsective settings. Most CIS places give questions to ask or you might find something on the OFSTED site.

That's another point, visit their site and read up on all prospective settings as this will give you an idea as to the standard of care and education that you can expect, either from a cm or a nursery.

Good luck!

franyfroo · 24/08/2006 14:06

my son went to a day nursery for one day a week when he was 18months until we moved and he was nearly 4. now 13 he still remembers having peas forced into his mouth and being shouted at when he didnt swallow them fast enough. he told me at the time but when i mentioned it they just laughed and said he never was made to eat stuff he didnt like and i just thought he was being silly! always felt bad about it and would not touch a nursery with a barge poll......having said that, some of the minders i have met on my travels (courses, tod groups etc) i wouldnt give house room either. i am a cm, and i am not saying im perfect but just be very very careful about who and what you choose. and always take things you child tells you seriously. check all their registrations and ask them to do you a diary of aciviities, meals etc on a weekly/daily basis. make sure you have plenty of settling in time, i much prefer the parent who comes in and has a cuppa a few times and then leaves child for a few hours and then days etc. until all concerned are happy. hope last bit makes sense. good luck

waggledancer · 24/08/2006 15:02

Another vote for cm here. I checked out both nurseries and childminders when i went back to work and opted for cm when my local nurseries didn't feel right. I visited 6 minders before i found the one we are with and she is fantastic. I knew she was our minder from our first phone call, and she has an outstanding ofsted report. Ds2 does loads with her and is very happy. Most important thing is to trust your gut instincts i think.

beckybrastraps · 24/08/2006 15:13

Ds started at a nursery at 14mo. It wasn't my plan to go back to work, but the nursery was wonderful. He loved it. It was run by a very experienced manager, and had a good mix of older and younger staff. The attitudes to behaviour and discipline were compatible with ours, and the facilities were brilliant. They spent as much time as possible outdoors, which I feel my dd misses out on as she is at home with me.

I don't think you can give a sweeping judgement, CM vs nursery. There are so many variables. You have to choose the option which is most in sympathy with your own ideas. For my son, where we live, and at the age he was, that was a day nursery. For you it may be different.

dmo · 24/08/2006 21:01

i too have been a nursery nurse for 13yrs and am now a c/m (3yrs)
i wouldnt send mine to a nursery as i have seen first hand how they treat the children
saying that i also have seen first hand how some c/m treat the children and thats at groups neaver mind behind closed doors
today i was at the park and a lady came up to me and asked if i was Donna it which i replayed yes and she had been doing research on me/asking round etc and wants me to have her dd, this makes me proud to do what i do now

justamum · 24/08/2006 23:12

I am feeling a bit bitter at the moment as my childminder has put her fees up to a level I can't afford so I am having to scrabble around to find alternatives after paying 6 mnths of retainers whilst on maternity leave. However, i still think for babies under 1 or fulltimers under 2 that a cm setting is best, it allows them to do the normal things like go to the supermarket/ park/ school runs/ into town etc. Maybe a lot of people would think of that as being negative but they learn a lot about life that way. I am lucky though that until now my cm has been exemplary and welcomed my ds into her family totally and I am so gutted that my dc's won't be going there as ds is always talking about her and her children even now. i think I am going to end up with ds 2.6 in a nursery and dd (18wks) with a cm for the short term until the nusery has a baby place. I don't mind the idea of nurseries so much now I will only be doing 3 short days a week

franyfroo · 25/08/2006 07:31

justamum, couldnt you discuss your worries with cm. i would always try to sort my fees (within reason) to suit if a person was genuinly finding it hard. I am a bit soft, as people often tell me but if the child likes me and i like child and parents then thats good enough for me.

lilymolly · 25/08/2006 10:11

Thanks for all advice- I liked the idea of structured routine and play with nursery, but do cm do the same? What should a good CM being doing all day with a 1 year old?

OP posts:
waggledancer · 25/08/2006 14:08

My childminder has 3 children under 4yrs in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, of whom my son is her youngest at 16months. She has a room of her house designated for minding and keeps her toys in there. My son will have a mix of suoervised play, reading, playing in the garden or at the park, cookery as appropriate or playgroups in the morning. After lunch they take her 3yr old mindee to school, and then they shop if things are needed. My ds takes an afternoon nap and they pick up her other mindees from school. My childminder doesn't have a tv in her minding area so no cbeebies except with me. This summer they have been out every day to parks for picnics etc.

I feel he does lots of similar things to when he is home, with the added benefit of older children to play with in a small setting.

ThePrisoner · 25/08/2006 18:34

Can I please point out that registered childminders will also be registered via Ofsted, and will have had to have had a CRB check (as with nurseries), and must also have a first-aid certificate.

cbeee31 · 09/11/2011 23:00

for 0 to 2 year olds,honestly l saw a menu in one of nurseries l visited they feed rice crispies to a 7month , a pizza for lunch?l will choose a childminder because a baby needs a lot of cuddles ,attention and a routine ,play, make baby laugh, baby play,tickle and a familiar face,assurance not sharing toys because babies put everything in their mouths end up with endless cold and trust a child who feels safe is a happy child. most childminders take their mindees to playgroups once or twice a week l meet a lot of childminders in our playgroup ,and have day out once a week,my child is 2months and will choose a childminder l have been visiting , when my child is talking around 2 years old will choose nursery then my child can play mix with other kids and can tell me if got upset or likes it

froggies · 09/11/2011 23:29

I am a childminder, and have used both cm's and nurseries for my kids (15,6&3). There are pluses and minuses to both. Good nurseries can offer an excellent standard of care, my 3 yr old goes to the college crèche 1 day a week while I am in class, and she loves it. Her confidence has definatly increased since she has started there. she gets plenty of social interaction with my minded kids and playgroups during the rest of the week, but it was always with me, having one day a week with someone else has stood her in good stead for starting her provided nursey place after Christmas. DC1 was with a childminder from a very early age full time (I had a posh job then!) until he was 8. He actually had a few different ones as we moved around a bit, and I would advise that you are careful in your choice, not all are good!

redglow · 09/11/2011 23:29

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