New CM - Need advice

[mummykench]

Hi all, first of all thanks to Looneytunes for directing me to this site! I've just started advertising having received my Ofsted registration a couple of weeks ago. I'm planning to take one part-time in September to start with.

I have two issues that I would like some help with. My first is that I have a 15 month old boy who is currently v demanding and clingy. He's also a fussy eater and whingy teether! He's v competitive with kids of his own age - I'm planning to get a child who is older. Any tips for helping him adjust? I'm hoping it will help him become more independent and settled - is this true in your experiences or am I in for a rough ride?

My other concern is that we are currently ttc baby number 2. Is this selfish of me to start minding now, when I may have to take time off in the near future? Is there a normal length of time that a parent would expect you to not be working having just had a baby? I'm hoping I'll have a better time of it than with ds1. If I do get pregnant, when should I inform the parents? I don't want to keep putting off minding, as I've no idea when I'll get pregnant.

Thanks in advance for any encouragment!

Jacqui x

Hi Jacqui

glad you came on here, it's great and soon you'll be addicted!

I can't help with the first problem as never had a clingy child of my own or even when mindee started. Only ever had one who was with me for months and then became clingy but that was just a phase (although felt like it would go on forever!)

As for TTC, I've just started too First month into it (why not come and join the threads in conception section!

I had these same guilty feelings, when do I say, what do I do etc. however have decided to just wait until I AM pregnant and take it from there. It could take a year, it could be straight away, at the end of the day, I can't afford to loose my business over something that may or may not happen in the near future. IF I am successful, I will probably wait until 3 months before telling parents for 2 reasons - I had a MC before had ds so don't want to tell many people in RL until the first 12 weeks has passed. Also, one of my parents had a baby and told me after 3 months (it may have even been 5 months, can't remember) so I think that's normal really. I personally am going to try and take as little time as possible off as don't want to loose my current mindees (you can get a bit attached, not in a freeky way!) but it's all up in the air at the moment, I just want to get pg and take it from there.

If you want to talk to me more about this, feel free to contact me again via the place you found me

Right, off to make a cuppa as not long been back from a kids birthday party and I've still got my headache!

Bye for now and good luck with the TTC

LT xx

Hi MK, nice to meet you and welcome! I agree with LT about the tcc bit. Worry about it when it happens. With your ds, I think you have to just go with the flow really. Children change so much in the space of such a short time, like you say, another child around might be just what he needs. When you say an older child, do you mean pre-school or schoolie? Not that it'll make much difference, just being nosy! You need to get the child first and then move swiftly into the CM Staff room and we can all help to iron out any problems you might have then! Good luck!

Hi there - I had a very clingy 1 year old when I started and she was surprisingly adaptive. So there is hope, if anything she loves having her "playdates" come over. I've been lucky to find like aged children to watch so it's been beneficial for her. She isn't keen on little babies though, and me holding them. Not impressed

Good luck on the ttc front, as the others have said (hello MML and LT btw!) see what happens when it happens.

Best

[waves at crace & MML]

Hi i am new to this but i am looking for a childminder my daughter is 16 months old and only use to her family, anybody know of any good ones in the hayes area? or any advice would be appreciated. Thankyou