help cm's - what should i do??

[ladyoflincoln]

i am a newly reg childminder and i currently look after mindee 1 (14 months) on a tuesday & thursday 8-6. late april, i have mindee 2 (also 14 months) coming for 12 weeks. his mum is having an operation that needs 12 weeks recovery time. some weeks he will be full time, other weeks maybe only a couple of days.

now i have a person wanting a full time place for a 6mnth old baby, beginging late april.

this would mean on a tuesday and thursday i could potentially have two 16 month olds and a baby to care for! i don't really want to say no to the baby because mindee 2 is only with me for 12 weeks..

should i:

a) look into employing an assistant on tuesday and thursday for those 12 weeks?

b) say no to the baby wanting a full time space?

c) take on the baby and prepare myself for two days a week of severe stress for those 12 weeks?

d) any other suggestions???

Please help, sorry it is so long winded!

You won't have time for a quick wee, you will have to learn to just "hold on"!!!

All my mindees come with their own lunch so no lengthy preparation required by me. However, I try to prepare my own lunch before any mindees arrive (only salad, sandwiches or whatever) - even with this early preparation, I have frequently been seen waiting at the school gates tucking into a bit of cucumber and tomato because I ran out of time to actually eat at lunchtime.

My mindees usually use at least 3 nappies each during the day. I put out 3 nappies for each child (and write the child's initial on each one so I don't get confused!!) - it means that I can keep tabs on who has or hasn't been changed. You only need to worry when you still have 3 nappies left at the end of the day with the same initial on!

Message withdrawn

That triple 3 wheeler is very good value. I recently looked at one on ebay but there's no way it would fit through my front gate, nevermind the door!!

There is someone at my son's school with a triple mountain buggy and it's HUGE! And it costs about 3 times more than the one you've seen on ebay!!

Last year when I needed to transport 3 children I used a backpack. I also used a sling during the really hot period. It wasn't pleasant but the baby seemed fine. A packpack would probably be better for the baby (if she can sit up yet) as they're not as tight fitting.

One of my charges turned 2 yesterday and he loves the buggy board, although, he's only been on it twice but it's great for fairly short trips.

thankyou to everyone for their advice & top tips!

unfortunately i don't think i will have to worry about transporting 3 little ones after all, as the mum of 6mnth old has changed her mind about going back to work..

aw BUGGER!..we spend so much time deliberating about what to do, then they dont bother!..happend to me too...hope you get something better really soon