how can you tell a good cm..and other questions. Please help, I've no idea!

[columbolover]

I'm taking my 11 mo ds to meet 2 cm's tomorrow. I'm taking him out of nursery as I'm unhappy with it and want something a bit more personal for him, iyswim.

However am clueless as to what to ask - apart from where will he sleep, and are snacks provided I'm not sure what else to ask.

How can you tell you're sitting in front of a really good cm? Also, is it normal for most cm's to go to toddler groups etc with mindees? What will she do to settle ds in to her home?(Obviously I will ask her this too I'm really anxious about this as I feel I'm disrupting him by removing him from nursery, even though I know its the right thing to do.

Also, the first cm would prefer ds to come 3 days in a row, whereas the other one can offer me split days - which I work just now, and ds used to this, but I can change (have fab female boss) What would be best do you think? I know, I'm expecting you all to be psychic or something, but just want to get it right this time!

watch how the cm interacts with the children already there and yours. Often you just get a feel? Can you start asking around other parents in the area for personal recommendations of CM or if they know anything of your CM?

Columbo, here is Alibubbles famous list of questions to ask a CM

How long have you been working with children?

What training have you had? Any qualifications? Are you part of a network, achieved a quality assurance qualification, look at registration certificate, insurance details, business use for car. First aid must be no more than 3 years old, food hygiene certificate, Certificate in Childminding practice or NVQ 3, Contracts and record forms

Do you enjoy being with children and why?

Can I look around, see the rooms and outside play space? If there is no outside play space - how will you make sure my child gets the chance to play outside?

Where will my child rest?

What kind of food and drink will you give? Can I see a menu?

What will my child do all day?

How do you encourage good behaviour?

Will my child be with a regular group of children? How old are they? How will their timetable fit in with my child?

How will you make sure I know how my child is getting on?

What hours is she open?

How much does she charge?

What about when my child is sick, holidays, days off

What do you do in an emergency?

When was her last Ofsted, can you see the report?

Top 10 Quality Pointers

When you visit possible childcare options, look for these Quality Pointers:

Are the children calm, safe, happy and busy?

Do children play and talk together?

Is the childminder listening to the children and answering them carefully?

Is the childminder friendly and proud of her work?

Is she joining in joining in with what the children are doing?

Are there lots of fun activities planned to help children learn and play? Can children plan some of these activities themselves?

Are there plenty of clean toys and equipment for children to use?

Is the premises clean, well kept and safe for children with a fun outside play area (or will the child go to parks and other places regularly)?

Do parents have plenty of chances to say what they want for their children?

If there are other things you want to know, don't be afraid to ask. Good childminders expect you to ask questions and will be happy to answer them.

Always take up references. You could ask for names of other parents to talk to about the service

Listen to your child and find out more if he/she is unhappy
Always trust your own feelings about your childcare - you know your child best

Cargirl, the first cm was recommended, so that must be a good sign hopefully, thanks

Shoshe, OMG think I better print this off! and will def ask for and follow up references

I know how you feel columbolover. I went to see loads of CM's for ds.

I asked:

About her family
What sort of play would he do (structured/free etc)
Religion?
Smoker?
References?
Charges?
Policies?
Emergency cover?

Cant remember much else. But what I would say is that you will get a 'feel' for her. My CM is certainly not pc, she gives ds pizza and chips and crisps and biccies. and sometimes i get there and he's watching Nick Jr ...... but it is very much a home from home (he calls her mother Nanny), he loves being there and being with her, he is very much a part of their family, her older children take him out also and love to see him, he does stuff he would do if at home with me (shopping, school run, other errands) but also goes to play schemes, parks etc.
Shes very flexible, which is great as I work shifts and am sometimes in college. She takes him even if hes under the weather and I need to be in work and they just cuddle on the sofa under a blanket.

I adore my childminder and dont think I would have got through my degree without her. Its not all about the 'right stuff' IYKWIM

I mix with a lot of CM there are few I would recommend! I had an absolutely amazing one and few others can compare!

Thanks, Think I know what you mean about getting a feeling about the right person. Know I didn't get it about the nursery and wish I'd went with my gut instinct. Cargirl and Moss, I hope one of these cm is like yours and I'm not hunting for a needle in a haystack! Can you tell right away if they are awful?

YES!!! i went to see one I wouldnt leave my dog with!!

When I met my CM she never took her eyes of her mindees whilst she spoke to me for a second, it was clear they were the most important thing and that mattered to me. She was very calm and relaxed and that rubs off on ds certainly.

(BTW shes taking him to the nail salon with her in the morning as shes having him as a favour for me to work from home but he loves it because all the girls make a fuss of him) I dont think this should be in your list of questions though

lol moss !, she sounds fab. Think it boils down to getting someone who loves children and is a bit flexible. Fingers crossed!

good luck and let us know how you get on and if you meet any horrors

I think you know when they don't tick all the boxes,.. I saw quite a few who were all ok , before I met our lovely childminder. tbh I'm sure most of them would have been great but I waited until I met T who, actually didn't really tick any of my boxes but I just knew in my guts she was right for us. I was extremely lucky and she was fantastic, and looked after my lo's, for 3 years until we moved away. She still calls to ask after them.

yes I think you will know if they are a def no-no, keep looking if you don't click with either of the 1st 2

Sometimes you just get the right feel. I took my eldest DD with me when I was looking for my DD2(she was a baby at the time and would not have been able to tell me if anything was wrong!) The odd thing is DD1 stayed glued to my side at 3 childminders, hated me looking where DD2 would be etc. On the 4th childminder, it was really odd, within 5 minutes DD1 had taken her shoes off, wandering around, checking out the toys and then she went out into the hall way and started talking to the childminders DH in the kitchen! If you knew my DD1 then you would have been shocked because she will not talk easily to anyone even now and she is nearly 14! This lady became our childminder and we were very happy for 2 yrs until DD2 went to nursery.

Hi, it's a tough one - I had a fab childminder the first time around who I knew was "right"; my DD still talks about her. Then we had to move to another part of the country and I looked for a new CM - the one I went with I thought ticked all the boxes, and I had a good feeling about her, but gradually I became worried about how much stimulation DD was getting - dare I say I even 'bugged' her backpack with a tape recorder, which confirmed my suspicions that DD was stuck in front of the telly most of the day! Maybe my spidey sense was up the creek at the time (stress of moving and whatnot), but I would also say that if you have any doubts once you've started you should go with your gut feeling sooner rather than later.

mossy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im off to checkout mindees backpacks cos Ive put cbeebies on for them .
My mindees parents all say gut instinct and approachability are what made them choose me. Also they felt at ease in my house cos its abombsite not a show house so they arent scared their children will damage anything.
And dont be afraid to ask your cm anything, cos if somethings bothering you its better to ask than worry about it.

Goodluck

Hi, thanks for all your great advice

I went to see both cm's today. The first one was nice and was really caring towards the child present, but I was a bit unsure of her, though couldn't quite put my finger on why. however was glad I had went because the second one was fab in comparison - and I was so pleased as I could tell she was "the one" straight away! ds and me were so relaxed - though asked all the questions advised to be doubly sure!
But I think what clinched it for me that she is just a nice mummy - has one dd aged 9 - and came across as really genuine and seems to have the same child rearing values as me. Also really flexible with settling in times for ds and pick up / drop off. Maybe the first one was a bit brisk and strict in comparison. Can't wait for ds to start, though obviously hope he will settle ok.
Thank you, couldn't have done it without you