In shock after visit to childminders

[luw7797]

Just posting this cause I need a rant really but I just can’t believe what happened when my partner and I visited a childminders this morning! My DD is 10 months and we have decided to send her to a childminders two days a week as I’m doing a degree. We went for a look around at one that my friends little girl attends this morning. The lady seemed nice but she had a dog which actually tried to BITE my child. The dog was in the playroom with all the children and so I assumed it would be fine to let DD crawl up to it, she didn’t hit it or anything just put her hand out towards it and it snapped and had her hand in its mouth. The skin isn’t broken but there are marks, I can’t be 100% sure whether they are from the dog but I’m going to call the gp when DD wakes up from her nap. The dog then went on to growl at the other children so clearly it must do this all day long. I just can’t believe this woman keeps the dog around the children when it clearly doesn’t like it and one day it’s going to really hurt a child! She didn’t do anything when the dog went for DD, she just said oh did she fall on the dog and I said no the dog snapped at her and she didn’t say anything.

There were also about a million choking hazards floating round the place! Tiny little parts of toys here there and everywhere. You’d think a childcare setting that takes on children as young as 6 months would be careful to remove choking hazards surely?

I just can’t believe it, it’s really shaken me and made me question whether childcare is the right route to go or if I should drop out of my degree until DD is older. This was the first childminder weve visited so hopefully the next one is very different.

Another one saying report!

Take her out and do not look back.

If you're recently started and get a grant, you should be able to only pay for the times she's attended.

Nursery next, maybe.

Expect for the swearing, this was my experience as an older child going to a childminders.

There are devoted childminders, but nursery is generally a safer bet as a pp has explained well. I couldn't trust one person, knowing they're not alone and are fed up of watching 5 toddlers, to do a good job.

Yes she also said she lets the children watch “something related to the days activities on CBeebies each day” which I feel like was probably a long winded way of saying she sits them in front of the tv for an hour a day. Not really what I wanted as we are trying (although not always successfully) to do zero screen time.

I agree @MayThe4th.
Childcare is a business first. Only the child’s own parents would have the upmost best interests for them (presumably). They would have the freedom and choice in bringing up their children in the way they want, and have 100% say.

The first one i visited, I cried when I left at the thought of leaving my baby there.
We ended up with one we both loved. Don't use this one, obviously, but don't let it throw all of your future plans out of the window either!

The dog never broke the skin, so no need to panic about a tetanus vaccine 🤣

I would say it's hit and miss with childminders.
I know a childminder who used to be a nursery teacher and I would call her the Lewis Hamilton of childcare!
But we had a bad experience with one when DG1 was 6 months old. She just simply disliked him. He used to cry when being dropped off and it got on her nerves! After a couple of months I said we should look for a nursery he was just unhappy with her and she just didn't like us! He started at a lovely nursery at 8 months 13 years ago and 2 more GSs have attended since and there's still a lot of the old staff which is a good sign.
Don't turn your back on your studies you will find somewhere that is suitable.
There are a lot of good childminders but sometimes people just don't click

I would report her to the local council and look for another childminder or nursery

Op, I sense your ambivalence re being/not being SAHM but I agree with pp don't be put off by one bad experience, which I agree was terrible and I'm a dog lover! When I looked for a chilminder for my two dcs I visited 16 on the list of registered and close by. Hand on heart I wouldn't have left a dog (hah) with any of them bar 1. I went for that one which was fine when they were little, safe and nurturing and reassuring. I had no choice re SAHM as am the main breadwinner. The nurseries I visited had some worrying, unsafe moments and seemed always to be short of staff. One to one adult/child is considered to be most beneficial for very young children, whether it's a trusted parent or a trusted carer.
Good luck with your decisions and choices

Sure, because it's 'panic' to ask if a baby who has been bitten by a dog has been vaccinated for tetanus...

The OP mentioned 'marks'. This link makes it clear, in the third section, that tetanus bacteria can enter the body via superficial wounds. Does it not occur to you, with your hilarious laughing smiley, that there might be damage to the skin that the naked eye cannot see?

Tetanus Causes and How It Spreads | CDC

I am sure that she has been vaccinated (8, 12 and 16 weeks) but, as not all parents vaccinate, I would rather ask the question and have the OP consider that possibility than not ask the question.

Are you doing a degree at University? Do they have recommended child care?Where I live, one of University's does. The other one may do, but I was at a mature students day and they talked about the child care at the university. I would definitely check other child minders out, not all are this bad.

This reminds me of the time I visited a child minder with a view to leaving my then toddler for a few hours a week. Omg, the TV was blaring (11am!) So the childminder could hear her programme from the kitchen ( TV in a tiny front room), childminder with a raucous voice, children mooching aimlessly. I thought thanks but no thanks.

Ended up going to a lovely lady who actually spent time doing fun activities in a beautiful and quiet home, where there was a huge garden and lots of nature. Far far better!!

That’s dreadful OP. Agree with others that you should report - I don’t agree that it was ‘just luck’ that the dog didn’t bite (it was clearly uncomfortable and gave a clear warning - not necessarily a ‘bad’ dog) but it is unacceptable that the woman allows it free access to the children.

separate note: don’t ever let your baby crawl up to a dog, regardless of how nice you think it is. You never know how a dog will react to a baby and babies are unpredictable.

This is why I never used childminders. I’m sure there are good ones but there will be loads who are just in it for the money and don’t give a crap about any risks because it’s not their own child they are looking after. Please report this person to Ofsted and let the friend whose daughter goes there know.

Without question you need to report this immediately!!
Whether you are sending your child is irrelevant now, you've witnessed a situation unfit for children.
You need to call your local council tomorrow. You would never forgive yourself if anything happened either with the dog or an accident due to unsafe items being left around.

I don’t think you overreacted by phoning the GP and I would report the CM.

My late MIL “gave up” childminding after an on spot inspection when she had 13 charges. She was licensed for 4 children.

I think that's bad

This, do this. You might save a childs life. I'd be furious if a dog I didn't know was allowed near my child. It's not appropriate in a childcare setting!

I had this sort of experience with a daycare center over twenty years ago. Nothing this blatantly obvious, but once we started going things became clear. I would pick up my children and a ton of formula would be missing, multiple diapers missing but the baby was in a wet diaper when I showed up. One day I put a little mark on the diaper I sent her in and it was the same one when I showed up to pick her up hours later. And it was the supposedly better daycare in the area, they had cameras, it was very clean, separated by ages so that older children weren't ignored while babies were cared for, a lot of staff, etc. And if it had just been my one child, I probably would have never seen a problem as they took care of her great. But my other child, they were horrible. I found a different place right away.

Just out of interest what kind of dog is it? Sounds like one I went to visit recently I got a bad vibe from the dog

just find a nursery: they don’t have dogs

There are two types of childminder...
One of them has a bunch of kids loosely confined to an area in which anything goes. The adult in attendance spends most of their time updating Facebook.
The other type is a childminder.

I hope you and your little one are okay, must have been a terrible shock.
I use a childminder now, she's brilliant, but my boy is 4. At 10 months I would prefer a nursery, they're in a room adapted to their needs and not sharing the space with older kids (so no risk of choke hazards), there's a ratio of staff and lots of activities.
Whatever you choose, I wish you best of luck with your search.

Wow..... report to Ofsted and tell your friend.