What can I expect parents to provide for their kids.....

[Loganberry]

I'm a cm and my ds3 is now 1, so I don't need his tiny car seat or his steriliser, numerous bottles and powdered milk storing tub. I want to sell them because of the space the things take up, but then I thought that I may end up childminding a baby. Should I keep all this stuff, on the off chance I may end up minding a baby, or should I sell it? Is it reasonable to expect parents to provide sterilised bottles, powdered milk tubs, car seats and the like, or am I expected to have all that stuff at the ready?

I've had a 5 week old and 2 x 8 week olds aswell as various 5+ month olds. I've NEVER needed anything other than spare bottles (tbh, weren't needed, just kept for when they forgot them).

I've had milk come in the following ways:

Ready made in bottle (formula and/or breastmilk)
Empty bottles with cartons of formula
Water in bottles with tub for dispensing poweder into heated water

The only time a steriliser has been needed has been when had them overnight - then parents used to bring their own (as would be last min arrangement and mine was in the loft and they didn't even ask if I had one anyway)

I did ONCE get dh to pull the car seat down but that's because one parent had carried them in and the other picked up and forgot the seat and were going to put them in the footwell and I said NO WAY and got ours. So in reality, you shouldn't need it as they should arrive in the seat usually

I've only kept these things for me for future babies of my own (best start looking for them ready for when this one arrives )

I don't think you meed the stage 0 infant carrier type seats. But once minded children move on to the next stage I think you should have appropriate car seats for them. When ours were little we would carry them in in the car seat. Stuff like high chair, buggy, travel cot are be worth keeping but obviously you will still be using those currently.

I've got a spare bigger car seat - its both rear facing and front facing (we bought it because ds2 was a huge baby and too big for the 0 carriers, but still to much like a jelly to put him in the 9mth ones). I've already sold our infant carrier on the basis of "surely they'd be brought in it.......".

From what you've said, I could keep the car seat and can sell the sterilisers etc, so that'll save me space (I'm not having any more babies myself, DH had the snip before Christmas!!) I actually wonder if I'll ever get any more children to mind, let alone a baby to look after, I've not had a single new child care query since the start of 2006!

Children do not necessarily arrive in their own baby car seats - I have parents who have been within walking distance, so obviously do not bring car seats with them.