I know it's early but......

[OFSTEDoutstanding]

What do you do about Christmas presents for your mindees. I have already decided that I will get them all a little something maybe to value of £5, I know it doesn't sound much money but when you times it by all the mindees it soon adds up! My biggest question is what do you put on the gift tag? Do you sign it from just yourself of from your dh and dc as well? I am really confused and it is my first Christmas as a cm so don't want to get it wrong so to speak. Sorry for asking so early but I am really busy in December with extra evening work for extra Christmas pennies so like to get everything done before I start that. TIA

I wouldn't do it.
It isn't your job to be spending money on your mindees.
I on the other hand will be buying something fabulous for my childminder as she is utterly fantastic and I appreciare her hugely.

A Christmas card would be enough I think! Youre mindees will not expect gifts, and I doubt the parents will expect it either.

I give tiny weeny gifts to mine, with love from all at the Dog's House.

There is a loverly craft centre nearby where I can pick up little gifts for less than a fiver each.

Noone needs more crap and clutter in their lives,however cute.
NOONE

i always buy my mindees a pressie and do something for the parents too,last year i done hand print canvasses. i generally spend £5 on mindees and do sign it from myself and my sons.
thats just me though,im sure lots of cms do teh same and lots dont,like starrystarrynight says,the parents or mindees wont be expecting anything.

There is a part of me that wants to say to OO - start as you mean to go on, let a card suffice. Hee hee

I buy the 2 mindees a little something but I tell them not to buy for mine. I have bought a couple of Usbourne touchy feely books for the 20 month old as he loves them. Not quite sure what I'm getting the 4 yr old yet, I'm sure he'd love the whole Argos catalogue toy section!!

I usually put on the tag from the whole family as we are more or less second parents to them anyway!

Helen xx

I've always spent about £5 on each mindee and write from me, dh and ds but that's because they are like my little extended family and we become friends. I personally couldn't NOT buy something but that's me as I've had them a while now. I don't buy for parents though, just a card

I buy selection boxes for all mine. With the exception of any under ones that I might have at Christmas! They get a small fluffy something. One of mindees buys for my dd too, so I always get her older dd a selection box too. (These are my bestest clients though, never, ever had any problems with them in 8 years.)

Well as you all know I'm a bit different (odd?)

So we have a big Christmas Party at the Village Hall and Father Christmas comes and gives all the children (& staff & staff partners) a present from all@WC

But the presents are reasonable - well thought out and never plastic crap (very often books from Macro)

Katymac, my sons nursery also make a chrismas party every year, parents and other siblings are invited too, and father Christmas is giving out presents at the end. I think it is very nice. But they have it in the budget, as is a national chain, so more feasible I suppose.

Katymac, my sons nursery also make a chrismas party every year, parents and other siblings are invited too, and father Christmas is giving out presents at the end. I think it is very nice. But they have it in the budget, as is a national chain, so more feasible I suppose.

sorry about double posting.

I spend about £5 too, me and ds see more of mindees than relatives and are very much part of our daily lives, I put ds and dp and me on the tag. Some of my midees families buy something for me or ds, some don't, nothings expected.

I spend around £5 to £10 on each mindee and also spend a couple of pounds on mindees who have left recently ie started school in september.I generally get the children to make things for their parents for Christmas and make cards for them, we even do our own wrapping paper.

Thanks for your replies, I get the mindees a birthday present and so I don't really feel I can not give a christmas one. I think I will get a very little something for them all and sign it fron us all, however I wont give them out til the last day as I don't want the parents to feel they have to rush out to get me anything. It was quite embarrassing on ds birthday all mindees turned up with a gift for him so really don't want them feeling they have to at Christmas.

i saw in garden centre and museum shopa t weekend 'make your own dinsour' dd got one, they cost £1.30(£2.00 in garden centre) and you slot all the pieces into place, really good for any of the mindees into dinosaurs?

ill spen about £5 each on my 7, puizzles, books etc

This is my first Xmas childminding too and I have bought my mindees presents up to £5 each. I'll be signing them off from the family as well. We see them so often, like they say they become like an extended family. And the mindees and my kids are like siblings they see each other that often. Well they bicker like them any way!!

The parents have always bought gifts for my kids birthdays and I have bought mindees presents for theirs, so we'll do the same for Xmas.

I usually spend about £5 per mindee and sign them from myself, DH and 3 DDs.

WE also do a christmas party at childminding group and we have to buy our mindees presents from santa ourselves, I try to only spend a couple of £ on a book each for this.

I buy my 'proper' mindee presents at christmas and birthday (£5-£10), signed from me dh and dd, mindees mum buys my dd presents too, signed from the mindee. For my several irregular ad-hoc mindees it depends, some are friends so do birthdays anyway as dd is invited to their parties. Have just started a school run only mindee, wlll buy her birthday and xmas pres but something smalller (£3-£5).

I don't expect to get anything myself - the compliments and feedback the regular mindee parents make in the mindee diary is present enough for me

i used to spend bout £10 on each child (i have 17 on my books) but this year i found redhouse books online its fab so every child has got a book costing bout £2 each.
and i have decided to go to elc and buy some new toys for them to play with at mine

Bookpeople and Schoollink are two other great websites for cheap books.

I buy books from the bookpeople every year for xmas pressies, we have a joint party with other CM's and we club together to get the packs of book for the children, a couple of packs for each age group, then split them up, we usually buy for their siblings as well.

Thanks for the comments, so hennipenni I hope the parents realise it is you buying the gift from santa and then another from yourself, and that they realise what a lovely cm you are!

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