CM CLUB How many of you, of any, have a specific room for CMing?

[S88AHG]

Just interested and nosey, am thinking about having a conservatory and using it for mostly CMing, dont know if its good or bad, any views and opinions greatly received TIA

I think more space has to be a good thing if you can afford it. I dont have any rooms soley for childminding but maybe one day i will have!

I wish I had a money tree in the garden to buy a bigger house with a playroom, but alas I haven't so need to keep working hard.

I had a sunroom built for childminding.I got fed up having all my stuff in my living room and kitchen. Also figured i can use it just for the family if (god i wish) i am ever able to give it up.I love having somewhere to contain the mess/toys/children lol.

We did have a dining room, now its a CM room, although we do spread through to the lounge as well.

Before we had the playroom I would have to fold down the dining room to make room for the travel cots and we'd all have to sit quietly up the other end (open plan). Now at nap time i can easily get 3 cots up in the lounge and those not napping can get on with worthwhile activities in the playroom

Also I've found it much easier that those booked in for dinner are now not eating in front of those who had a snack and have to wait til they get home for their dinner.

NB, to avoid becoming liable for business rates you need to ensure each room in your house also has a domestic use and is not solely used for business purposes.

Thanks ayla thats great info, it wouldnt be solely for minding would also be my kids playroom/den but would just like to put all stuff in there and get my louge/diner back!!! Like what you say about the napping/playing thing too, thanks

Also, its handy to be able to set up things like lego on the dining table, well away from where the babies crawl. (that one went down very well with Ofsted!)

And at times when dd's tent building has taken up the entire playroom, those that don't want to join in can retreat to the lounge and do something else.

I would love a separate room , my lounge is an horrid l-shaped lounge/dinner!

I have storage from ikea which I filled with boxes and put pictures of the toys on the front. Not ideal but with all the posters I have up in the hall and I then put all the children's work on the wall which I can't see from the 'main' sitting sofa hehe!

Don't get me wrong I love my job but it is still my house my own children play upstairs so their 'special' stuff they don't like sharing is up there, and when its night all I can see is the boxes with pictures

phew ramble.

i use my dining room as we have a table in the kitchen so we never used it as a dining room anyhow. Even before childminding we used it as a second sitting room/playroom it's lovely to be able to shut the door on all the toys at kids bedtime !!

Thats it the shutting the door thing and if I cant be bothered with tidying up I can leave it till later!!!

yep my rooms a mess right now but no mindees tomorrow so it can stay that way along with the dinner dishes in the kitchen !!

I use the dining room as a playroom, and have the table in the kitchen to eat on.

Used to have everything in the lounge and just became a cluttered mess!

Used to have a corner in my lounge for all the draws of toys etc. but one of the reasons we chose this house (moved here in Nov) was because it had a conservatory and we agreed I'd use it as a playroom. It's not huge but it does the job and I love all the colour and posters up on windows And the GREAT thing is....on Friday nights when I really can't be bothered to clear up, I chuck everything in the playroom, shut the patio door and shut the curtains and walk into a tidy lounge

we havea play room for playing, living room for quiet time/sleeps and breakfast room for meals/drawing/colouring etc..the kitchen is also a popular playground while im doing lunch and dd's bedroom is a treat when i have to go to loo..they also love looking out of the windows in my bedroom as you can see for miles around

Blimey pinkchick thats ounds very organised!!! Everywhere i look there is CM toys/paperwork files/clutter, would be nice to shut the door on it especially tonight think they have all had a can of Red Bull when I wasnt looking !!!!

LOl not really and i know we all say oh i just clsoe the door on it all...but i cant, i just cant i like to make sure my 'office' is sorted for the next day/weekend for dd to play in..last mindee went at 5.30 and ive just fnished cleaning everything, tidying, cleaning sticky fingers off wondows, organising toys into the right places..got dd in bath now so am done for now!

no honestly i really do just shut the door on it and then sneak upstairs to spend hours on ebay and mumsnet