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Paid childcare

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

Original poster

CM CLUB Advice please!!!:)

16 replies

em28677 · 20/04/2007 07:44

Hi, I often babysit at our local hotel for clients staying over with their children, I know its selling ourselves short but can earn more than childminding and until now it has only ever been with babies. Am going tonight to look after a 4year old and he will be awake for some of evening. Do you think would be a good idea to take a bag of activities to do to help wind down before bedtime? If so what do you suggest? All suggestions would be most helpful as have never met him so dont know what to expect

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soak · 20/04/2007 09:09

I would perhaps take some colouring books. most 4 year olds are in bed by 8pm at the latest so if you have to bath him as well you wont want too many toys for him to play with (or noisy toys!) for when he winds down.

maybe a nice bedtime story as well...?

Original poster
em28677 · 20/04/2007 09:09

Have just read this and realised it makes me sound like a really crap childminder!!! What I shouldve put is that I havent actually looked after any 4 or 5 year olds for about 6 years so am out of practise all my mindees are either under 2 or over 8!!!!

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Original poster
em28677 · 20/04/2007 09:10

Sorry Soak wasnt talking about your comment meant my first statement. Thanks for advice am hoping he will go to sleep early though is on custody weekend with his dad so hopefully not pumped too full of sugar and excitement!!!

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smeeinit · 20/04/2007 09:12

it doesnt make you sound like a crap cm atall, and i dont think you are selling yourself short either.
us cms do a hard job with little pay so many of us HAVE to supplement our income with babysitting. you are doing a great job!

soak · 20/04/2007 13:37

TBH, if i had children I would rather a childminder babysit them than a 15 year old!

PinkChick · 22/04/2007 19:36

i think its a bloody fantastic idea and am wondering now if posh hotel round corner would go for it too???
i lost a full timer just after christmas and was worried about paying bills so i advertised on netmums.com and got a babysitting job straight away, we always complain we ARE NOT!!! abbysitters! ..but whatever pays bills, family are lovely (austrailian) and live right near where we've just moved from (very very nice aarea)..i would do more of this if i could..do you mind me asking what you charge for the hotle work? and what would/do you charge for cm'ing? in comparrison?

PinkChick · 22/04/2007 19:43

babysitters, not abbysitters

Original poster
em28677 · 22/04/2007 20:39

Hi the hotel I babysit at is quite posh and has some quite high society people staying in it so I tend to charge depending on their title! Also Hotel are quite good at tipping me off how well behaved the kids are I charge £10hr before midnight rising to £20hr after so basically as I charge £3hr childminding I can get nearly half weeks wage in one evening!!

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PinkChick · 22/04/2007 21:00

wow!, ours is no where near that posh..ah, however we do have another that was a place of scandal a while back with premiership football managers??..so that one may be more affluent??..so how didn you approach hotel then??

Original poster
em28677 · 22/04/2007 21:07

I just did a ring round the fancier local hotels to see who would be interested in offering their clients the service then I got some really professional looking business cards made from ebay and sent them to the hotels. The parents dont ever really leave the hotel and just want you to sit in the room while they go down to the hotel restaurant. Also it worked really well cos the manager at the really nice hotel ended up sending her aby to me to childmind full time

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Original poster
em28677 · 22/04/2007 21:07

sorry sending her baby!!!!

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PinkChick · 22/04/2007 21:11

very very cool i may have to try that!..hmm...

PinkChick · 22/04/2007 21:11

btw, dont want to step on your toes...where are you

Original poster
em28677 · 22/04/2007 21:13

Near Kings LYnn in Norfolk but I dont think we have had any footballer scandals so we should be fine

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FeelingOld · 22/04/2007 22:29

Sorry to hijack your thread em but I was thinking about doing some babysitting to make a bit of extra money for our holiday.
I was just wondering about insurance etc (cos I am insured with ncma so presumably cos I am not childminding I wouldn't be insured), so do you take out any extra insurance.
Thanks.

Original poster
em28677 · 23/04/2007 06:58

I was unsure of this one as well but I have to have public liability for my mobile wedding creche so i am covered under that you would haveto check with ncma for babysitting. i am also ncma insured for my childminding but like i say have different one for my creche which covers the babysitting

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