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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

How many is too many?

8 replies

bigTillyMint · 14/01/2009 12:50

A local CM who has her own 18mth old, looks after 2 other under 2's plus one or 2 reception age children after school.

Following on the thread about a demanding reception age child, do you think this is too many children?

She pushes 2 little ones in the buggy, one on her back and 1 or 2 holding the buggy home from school, looking very jolly!

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vInTaGeVioLeT · 14/01/2009 13:10

everyone's different but personally i wouldn't mind that many - i found it hard enough getting about when minding three children, but i did have a LONG walk to school.

nomoreamover · 14/01/2009 13:20

she's well within her legal limits and if they all look jolly why worry?!

I tend to have that many most days and the more the merrier I find - they love playing with eachother and the dynamics are so good when there is 5 of them!

As long as she is within her legal limits and is happy its up to her how many is too many

nannynick · 14/01/2009 13:22

How many children in total for just one person? Id say 8. With 2 people 14 is manageable. Clearly it depends on the childrens ages.

HSMM · 14/01/2009 13:46

Rules for most childminders are no more than 6 under 8, no more than 3 who are not at school, no more than 1 under 1 (but there are some exceptions to this). So, if she has 3 little ones and 2 at school, then she still does not have more than 3 under 5, or more than 6 under 8.

Booh · 14/01/2009 13:52

That sounds about normal for me...plus I have two children over the age of 8 as well.

IT really depends on the childmider

looneytune · 14/01/2009 14:09

I hope people don't think like that of me. I now push a triple to school and have 2 school aged children holding onto the sides. 3 days a week I have 2 x 1 yr olds and my 6 month old baby and the other 2 days for part of the day I have 3 x 1 yr olds and my own 6 month old plus of course my ds1 whose 5 and another 5 yr old mindee. All within my legal limits, the more the merrier to me and they are so similar in age they get on great. I wouldn't be doing it if they suffered because I had too many.

looneytune · 14/01/2009 14:12

Agree about it being down to the childminder. We're a jolly bunch most of the time but if the cm looked stressed or miserable and the children didn't look happy then I'd be more concerned.

Original poster

bigTillyMint · 14/01/2009 14:55

Well, she always looks jolly - I don't know how she does it

I just wondered, following this thread

I know I couldn't do it

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