Worried my crappy house puts parents off !

[chankins]

Hello all - was just wondering what you think prospective parents rate as more important when choosing you as a CM, you and your refs, experience, etc, or the sort of house you live in ?

I only wonder as I am currently coming to the end of mat leave, and hope to have work lined up for january. Things are quiet round here, but the phone is starting to ring, and I've had one parent round already for a visit, but she chose someone else.

You always feel a bit gutted don't you ? And wonder why they didn't pick you ? She said the other one was nearer, which is very true, and she did seem very impressed during her visit. But it sent me worrying again, just like I did when I first started, that my crappy rented house puts certain people off !

Its obviously clean, safe and tidy to the required standards, but has awful decor, and hasn't been updated since about 1940. It does my head in as if it were ours, I would do so much to imrpove it! But landlords drag their heels or don't reply when we ask permission to decorate.

Just frustrating, because I embarrassed of it, and think it has put people off before, well posh sorts anyway !
Anyone sympathise with this ?!

Am not a CM but my eldest used to be looked after by a wonderful childminder and she had a bit of a crappy house. I liked her straight off and DD was comfortable with her so I didn't care two hoots what sort of house she had. Everything was clean and child friendly so the rest didn't matter/was none of my business.

Maybe it didn't bother me as my own house is a bit crappy, we are trying to do it up but don't have much time/money.

Good luck, I'm sure you will get plenty of work as you sound very nice and that is what most parents will care about.

Ah thanks, that was really nice !
I was told once that generally parents choose CMs that are more like themselves, and I don't think its a co incidence that all my parents to date so far have been far from wealthy, and have all had less nice homes than me, so probably thought my little abode was a palace ! I've had obviously very well off people turn up and then not choose me. Guess its fair enough really.

When I look for a CM it is them that I am most interested in, not their house. Both my childminders I have signed up with, I decided on before even viewing their houses. Though my current one does live in the road behind my house. From the house I only expect it to be clean, & child friendly. From the CM I expect a lot more.

If you are conscious about it, just explain the situation ! I'm sure many will understand.

Thanks again - it is nice to have replies from parents on this. I know they should be choosing me, and not my house, and would not really want to mind for people that snobby anyway. Still, think I might go shopping for paint tommorro - sod the landlords, we've waited long enough !

I looked around 3 cm. One lived in an immaculate, quite large house, one lived ina fairly scruffy house, one lived in an extremely dilapidated - although spotless - council flat.
I went with the last one - she was so obviously nicer/more child-orientated/more skilled.
She's since done the flat up and it's now much nicer than our house

A child ive been minding told me she was allowed to make the decision and picked mine.because she thought she would be sat in the other houses with nothing to do'.I show photos of children doing alot of different activities. I have a table ready with art and craft things all the time and lots of interesting toys collected from car boots,Children have often wanted to know if they can come back. My house isnt posh but its ready for children.

hiya, one thing im doing at moment(spurred on by one mindee leaving soon) is as for 'reference' type letters....asking parents to give a description of what they are/arn't happy about and a space for them to write what they think..if you have things like this(and theyre good as i hope mine will be?..parents will see beyond you 1940's wallpaper and my bare plaster walls right in hall as they walk in the door!

chankins - as long as a CM' house is relatively clean and child-proof, i couldn't care less about the decor or if it's scruffy.
i go by if it feels "warm," if my child looks comfortable and happy there, if there are plenty of toys and things for them to do and if i almost immediately trust and like the CM.

there's nothing worse than pristine house with no warmth or soul and kids can't touch a thing.

i agree with earlier post which said you sound like a lovely person and i'm sure you'll get some lovely mindees.

but, if it makes you feel better to do yoiur place up a bit, you're right, just go ahead. sod the landlord!

My only crieria for the house whn looking for a cm was that it was clean.

I couldn;t have given 2 hoots abou whether she had the lastest decor or furniture

I was more interested in ther CM herself tbh, and hoew my boys responeded to hert

I just got a "feel" for my CM the moment I met her, based on her and not her house (which is fine, if a little eccentric!). It was all about whether I felt comfortable leaving my dd with her, and I did.
I saw one other CM and although she seemed really nice too, the 2nd one just felt more right. I also got references from other mums (I spoke to them on the phone) and their enthusiasm sealed the deal.
I am sure you will be fine. As long as things like toys, kitchen surfaces are clean, I don't think decor is that important.
Good luck!

Just to second what everyone else has said - my childminder lives in a small flat with no outdoor space, but as soon as I walked through the door I knew it was right, she was just so warm and lovely. Lots of toys out and lots of pictures on the wall. I'm sure you will find some lovely children to look after

Clean is good, decor doesn't matter IMO. I saw one CM with a tiny front room opening straight from street, pushchairs coming right into room, and a dog, and that did put me off - not a good room for a baby to crawl round in IMO. But the same house with a 'no shoes' rule applied, no pushchair parked in the room, and no dog, would have been fine. Cosy and friendly and clean far more important than layout, decor etc., definitely. Also toys being put away - another one I saw also had so many small toys out in all places I didn't see how she could possibly track where some of them were (i.e. to stop a young baby putting them in its mouth or to work out what was missing if a baby did eat/choke on something).

PS I don't mean toys put away when kids are meant to be playing with them, just not keen on houses where clearly there's loads of clutter, and the toys are just part of that, and no sign that there's ever any tidying at alL!