Want poncey organic childminder-your thoughts?

[Fillyjonk]

I want some childcare. Am looking at various options.

A childminder really appeals. But also, am fussy, as you will see below.

I want:

fresh, vegetarian food. No frigging angel delight. No trans fats. Home baking with butter not marg is great. Am not fussy re sugar.

And I don't want anyone telling my kids to "finish whats on their plate" or "try everything".

Daily walking. And not to some huge soft play place where the CM sits with a coffee and chats to other CM and ignores the kids (this is what happens at the local soft play and it is really putting me off using any local CMs, tbh).

No dogs or smoking

Lots of reading and no tv

No overt attempt to teach reading or anything

Oh and I only want maybe 3 mornings a week, but have a lot of flexibiliyt as to which. A weekend day would also be fine.

Ok basically I am a ponce and a yummy mummy. But I am prepared to pay for this. I need some childcare right now and Cardiff has bllx all choice, all the nurseries are pretty much the same.

I kind of just want to know if CMs like this exist. Basially I want someone else to be a yummy mummy to my kids. I will pay for this. Is this possible? Are any of you guys such CMs? (this will give me hope)

oh ffs greeny, hush

Oh AND

I dunno how much I would pay, but round here is about £3 ph I think and that is a fricking joke, IMO, a well trained professional should be entitled to more than that. Though I accept that CMs do often have several kids at one time.

there are special HB and CTB rules for CMs to take account of a. their low pay and b. their importance to society.

Message withdrawn

CM are self employed for all purposes and there are special rules only in that the amount of 'profit' they get to keep. nannies are employees so the employer is reposnible for deducting tax/ni etc.
both are professionals and CM get regular inspections although nannies can get ofsted tpe 'appproved childcare' status and are then checked up annually. the choice is often availability/price etc. in my area there simply aren't CM available - so most people use nannies/nurseries and pay a high cost. makes it hard to afford to work.
child care is simply too expensive, not meaning that childcarers get too much money but the state doesn't make a big enough contribution.

Ska - I agree with you completely. I simply can't afford to work with my two, and I am only in Kent nevermind if I was in London or had to go back to work in London. I would be gone 12 hours!

It's not the childcarers fault, I agree there needs to be some support from the government.

This is why I feel so badly taking peoples money! I remember from myself how expensive just one was before/after school.

there is quite a lot of support from the government in working tax credit, though that is a nightmare tbh.

I don't think childminders are expensive, compared to the service they provide

however I would pay more for stuff that will clearly cost them more to provide eg fresh food, or be perhaps more onerous on them, eg keeping the tv off.

and actually, it does irk me when people don't recognise that CMs are professionals running a business. And here I am saying, look, I reckon there's a gap in the market.

for recognising the important job us cms do.
thank you.
so many people look at us as glorified babysitters without a "real" job.

oh lol but you are now

will one of you please move to Cardiff and get poncey?

I'll buy the filter coffee...

Am I mad? I pay £5/hr for a babysitter. I take the view that looking after my baby is a far more important job than stacking shelves at Tesco, and should be paid accordingly

skibump your not mad!! i charge £5.50p/h for babysitting,but £4.25p/h for cming.
b.sitting is more as it takes up the evenings! which are precious to every working person!

filly i dont think im poncey enough for you!
altho i do go to london for my haircuts!
but i do live in greater london so its not like im going from dorset!!
i travel 30+ miles to get my nails done every 2 weeks too,does that make me poncey?!!!!!

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lol

ok so we now need to set up a complex triangle involving dorset, cardiff and gurnsey

but have just realised its ok cos...

aviatrix is a pilot!

wayhey!

now aviatrix I take it there is proper coffee served on your plane there?

Message withdrawn

i am virtually all organic. hate tv but do use it for cbeebies. out in all weather even snow. dont like any coffee unless has alcohol and cream on top! cant afford to get hair done in london but i do go to tony and guy,

I had organic lentils and vegetables for my dinner last night. And I am drinking organic peppermint tea as I type, and my coffee is always organic too (except when I go to soft play - but I do play with the children there!!) I also go out for walks in all weather. But not in Cardiff, although my dd is at uni nearby (not sure that this counts really).

My mindees bring their own food anyway - sending your own would ensure that your child only has what you want them to have.

yeah, see I can't be doing with sending in my own stuff

my vision is of a great communal meal table, chidren and adults alike eating the food of their labours.

FJ, I just wanted to say that my CM meets some but not all of these criteria - notably the food ones, and they do have some TV - but I have despite myself realised that she's delivered a really, really good standard of childcare.

I'm not saying you have to compromise, but I am saying that it's been quite an education - and a salutory one - for me.

Communal table ??? You mean eating with the children as well!!! I think you are asking tooooo much now!

"I am really genuinely puzzled as to why there are so few lentilly CM."

It's because child minders are usually paid v badly for working v hard so it doesn't attract many lentil weavers. They wouldn't be able to afford the best puy lentils washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice for increased iron absorbtion if they were getting £2.50 an hour.

lol

the communal table has to be wood hewn, possibly by the kids

no I absolutely agree that fantastic childcare can occur without good food but...

I'm perhaps in a good situation. I need only a few hours a week so can afford to chose, really between various types of care.

I do want a childminder but really don't want to compromise on food. So I won't

actually communal food is massively massively important to me , tbh.

and scummy, thats my feeling BUT

if lentilly ones are prepared to pay more...why is no one offering the service?
lentil weavers do use nurseries you know. Me, for example, til fairly recently.

I am a cm and as you only want morning thats not a bad list of requirements.

Food - ok no problems but perhaps you could supply LO's food if you are worried.

Daily walking - again no problem do it anyway

No TV - again no problem, as a cm the tv only goes on occasionally and then its at the request of mindees never my idea! we use it as a treat and watch a particular programme *which I often record and skim through first to try to tie it into someting we are doing.

Lots of reading - my fave

No dog/smoking- again no problems

Cardiff - no sorry I am not in cardiff.
But it is possible to find a childminder who will accomodate you. Happy searching