childminder has lots of people in her house,

[livvysmum]

ok, have found a lovely cm, she's been doing it for 12 years, has a first aid cert etc. she's relaxed and loves babies.
left dd with her this morning, just her and another cm to help out as they'd quite a few babies in.
but when i returned in the afternoon, they're where more people in house, a man, who could be grown up son i think, and another woman, possibley daughter.
i've never left baby with anyone before, but will need to as i'm starting a short course soon, and will be returning to college 3 days in sept.
i guess it's just silly mummy jitters, what do other cms do about people calling round etc. and she doesn't lock her front door, should i find another cm, she is responsible etc, guess it just made me feel uneasy.

Maybe you're uneasy because it's only been one day and you will feel better in a day or so.
Or maybe you're uneasy because you know it's not the right set up for you and yours.
Are there any other carers you've considered?

my cm has her grown up daughters popping in too but she is always very professional ie knows exactly what each child is doing (her own and the mindees) - personally it is not a problem and I like the socialising aspect of it.

Perfectly natural to feel uneasy about it, and whatever anyone says it is natrual to want to 'protect' your dd, but from my expereince my ds loves having other adults to play with/show off to!

y'know she was the first cm that had a space and i was under the impression that cms with vacancies are like gold dust so i thought i'd just take it, i met her before hand and everything, i think it's a mixture of both your suggestions. perhaps i'll have another look, no harm in meeting another cm to see if they're better/different, see if i feel better/different.
she is lovely though, perhaps i'm just up tight.

aw, thats nice catgirl ,thanks, it could be a good thing for dd as it's just me her and nana at home and just me and her all day long so perhaps extra attention might be a good thing.

it is always hard to leave your baby with someone new - I remember leaving my ds for the first time, went to a friend's for a coffee and about 40 mins later I just stood up and said 'time to go back now' and nearly ran - got to the playgroup (that cm helps run) and ds was crying! He had only just started (I was told) but boy did I feel bad!

when I went to see a childminder she told me that any adult visitors to her house had to enter their names in a book. If they were regular visitors then she had to tell the council when they did the checks.

The one I went to see made a point of telling me the only time she locked the front door was when the babies were asleep- a fire thing I guess.

Go with your gut instincts but I'm sure that she's doing 'everything by the book' and hugs to you-

thanks for reasurring advice eveyone,i guess it will always be difficult to leave dd with some one, and perhaps there's an elemant of guilt in there to; i want a little of my life back in order to stay sane, but this means having to trust some one i only met a few times. i'm sure she is a good cm, i just feel like a bad mummy for leaving dd.

Hi there - i am a CM, to answer your original post:

• Some cms have visitor books - I don't - the only people I specifically invite when I'm minding are prospective parents but I don't turn away relatives or neighbours that call uninvited.

• front door, mine is always locked because the preschoolers I care for are capable of opening it themselves and I am not prepared to risk the possibility of a child entering the street without either me or their parent.

I always recommend parents visit a few cms before making a firm decision. This gives you a chance to compare their inspection reports from Ofsted as well as their different working practices and personalities. Ask for phone numbers of other parents who have used the cm if they don't have any written references to show you.