How many is too many?

[bigTillyMint]

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

IT really depends on the childmider

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.

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.

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