Childminders- tell me about your resources and your homes!

[Snap8TheCat]

I'm having one of those moments! My children are growing up and I'm sick of childminding stuff taking over my house!

Advice on another thread about my house has been to declutter and thin out the toys. As childminders go, I don't think I have that much but we do have a tiny house so I don't have a dedicated playroom though it is all contained in the dining room which is a walk through to the kitchen.

I care for 5 early years and 6 schoolies all part time.

So in total I have 15 boxes of kallax full of toys, an ikea toy kitchen, a vtech table, a reading corner, ikea table and 4 chairs, a plastic drawer unit of art and craft and a kallax in my hall for the mindees belongings. I also have a tuff spot and syns but obviously that can be folded away.

Does that sound like too much? Remembering I have a small house, would you reduce it?

A playhouse in the garden could home the kitchen? Nb am not a childminder so no idea if on the right track!

(Looking up v tech table to see if ikea table could double up)

Thank you, I don't have a playhouse in the garden (we did but no one would go in it in case they saw a spider ) and it's wooden so would it rot out there?

The vtech table is an activity table for the younger ones. It's musical and has buttons and lights.

Hmmm no I see the point of the v tech table. So keep that.

Prune the toys down. Rotate (invest in a shed or garden store?)

Ahahahahah spiders. Kids eh!

Haha yes it drove me mad!

I busy writing a list of everything in the boxes to see if there's anything duplicated.

Any cms about?

Do you need a small kids table? Can't they just use regular dining table that's already there?

I would also try and move stuff to garden. If you look online on Pinterest there's great ideas for art garden cupboards or other resources. Could designate a % of stuff to outside to encourage outdoor play anyway.

Kitchen could be put outside in a playhouse/shed also, it won't rot if dry inside.

Inside can you reduce some things I tot he loft or other storage? Ie books? Keep a good selection and range out, but put some away and rotate them out.

My only play kitchen is a little tikes one in the garden.

Look at the amount of each sort of toy you have, eg do you need 6 dolls or will 3 do, how many toy cars is enough, how many books, how much craft stuff, etc.

You sound like you have a similar amount to me to be honest. I have 12 kallax cubes but do have other bits and bobs elsewhere too. I could also do to stream things down a bit.

I would rethink either the vetch table or ikea table & chairs if space is limited - are they used at least weekly?. And I'd also recommend having a good sort through the toy boxes - do they all get used or is it the same 6 or 7 used on rotation. What do you have in all of them? ( if nothing else for ideas as I feel some of my toys are getting a bit stale!) I got rid of loads of stuff before Christmas and looking to add a few extra but atm have boxes for the following that are used
Cars
Trains
Dolls
Dressing up clothes
Dressing up accessories (bags, shoes, jewellery, glasses, doctors kit etc)
Happyland / small world
Playmobile sets & figures
Lego duplo & megabloc
Baby toys
Play food, cooking bits
Puzzles & games
Musical instruments, puppets & props (scarves, batons, cushions)

We also have Lego bricks & figures that the older ones use at the table but it's actually Ds's so I don't really count that and a large wicked toy basket for bigger things such as dolls buggies, vtech toys, till & a spaceship (that isn't used enough to justify keeping!).
Hth

Ok here's my inventory:

1. baby toys
2. dolls and accessories
3. vehicles (cars, train track etc)
4. animals (farm, dinosaurs, jungle)
5. Build It
6. books
7. happyland
8. duplo
9. and 10) another construction but this is the favourite. It's a Polish toy someone gave to me
10. phonics and maths resources
11. musical instruments
12. puzzles
13. toy food
14. role play

The IKEA table and vtech activity table are used daily. They eat their meals there and I set up activities on it so it's accessible unlike the dining table. I have a fold down dining table and stackable stools so that is out of the way as much as possible.

First suggestions

Ok here's my inventory:

1. baby toys - can these be reduced? Ie are some of the other categories below also suitable for babies ie happyland, animals etc
2. dolls and accessories
3. vehicles (cars, train track etc)
4. animals (farm, dinosaurs, jungle)
5. Build It
6. books - divide into three boxes. Have one out, other two store. Rotate every month
7. happyland - can this be designated to garden? In Chest/ waterproof box/ cupboard
8. duplo
9. and 10) another construction but this is the favourite. It's a Polish toy someone gave to me
10. phonics and maths resources
11. musical instruments
12. puzzles - how many? Just keep a couple for each stage max
13. toy food - reduce, also can add day to day food like dried pasta shapes etc when they play with it.
14. role play - mainly keep accessories, reduce costumes if you have lots

Happyland/ duplo/ some plastic toy animals could be stored and encouraged to play with outside in things like:

www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/garden/sheds-garden-buildings-and-storage/garden-storage

Ofsted love outside play anyway!

I would get rid of the vtech table, ikea kitchen, art drawers and book corner.

Things like the vtech table are a waste of space imo. They don't do anything or entertain anymore than toys a quarter of their size.

Things like kitchen/garages etc. also don't earn their keep in the 'how much they're used v how big they are' stakes. Children mostly enjoy playing with the accessories i.e. the food/plates/tea set/pans etc. Keep all of that, but get rid of the actual kitchen. With a bit of imagination the table can be the kitchen or a restaurant/cafe or a picnic bench.

Thin out your art supplies and put them in a kallax. A Kallax full is enough art supplies.

The book corner doesn't need to be a permanent feature. A kallax for books and a some cushions from the sofa and voila a book corner. The book corner can also be mobile. On a blanket in the garden on a nice day, at the table, in a tent you've built with a blanket over the dining table etc. Make use of your local library to keep the books fresh.

Then thin out the toys. You need to empty a kallax for books and one for art supplies, so two need to be emptied at least. As pp said look at how much you have of each thing. If you have, for example, a box of cars and a box of trains sort through until you have one 'vehicles' box.

From your inventory I would try and get rid of baby toys and musical instruments - or combine them in one box. Designated baby toys are rarely that great or that often played with. The babies can play with cars, animals, duplo, happyland, food etc. Musical instruments are fun, but you probably don't need a whole box full. I would thin that right out and then make some shakers etc. as a craft activity when needed.

Could you combine puzzles and books into one box by thinning out your supply. Use the library or swap with other childminders to keep them fresh.

If you ever want to change your travel costs btw, do look at the babybjorn ones. Yes they are more expensive, but a) don't tip b) higher weight limit c) they fold so much smaller as fold into a small square rather than long. Could fit under your bed folded depending on bed type.