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Paid childcare

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

Original poster

how to become a childminder?

18 replies

misdee · 31/05/2009 20:28

i keep trying to decide what to do regarding work/ childcare and the obvious answer to become a childminder myself.

how long does the process take to get registered etc?

how much do you charge per child per hour?

would people get offended if i offered a dairy free, all natural menu? (soph and girls allergies)

what do i need to know?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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KatyMac · 31/05/2009 20:32

You normally contact your childcare team at the local council

How old are your children & where(ish) do you live

Dairy free might be a problem for under 2's & I can see some parents not being content with it (tbh) but you might find other parents with allergy concerns

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 20:37

dd's are 9yrs, dd2 is 6yrs, dd3 is 4yrs. dd4 is 6months

older 3 will be at school after sept.

we are in herts

would offer alternatives to dairy.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 31/05/2009 20:42

So you could have (from Sept) 2 under 5's plus 1 (5yr-8yr) plus as many as you could cope with over 8

look here to find out your hourly rate

Misdee I'm not being funny about the dairy thing but most babies have formula & wouldn't want an alternative to that (I assume as it's made of cows milk it counts as dairy)

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 20:48

oh formula would be fine, but i mean cups of milk during the day, or cheese sandwiches, yoghurts etc, which could be spilt elsewhere. or where dd4 could get hold of them.

bottles of formula no problem, store in fridge, out as needed, bottles back in bag on a shelf.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 31/05/2009 20:53

Nope - you have to make up fresh now - & what about spills/vomit & posseting? (just asking)

It must be hard cooking with out cheese (mind you I think I have seen alternatives - which of course you must use)

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 20:57

oh poop, i forgot about the make up fresh thing. its been years since i looked at formula.

what about those cartons?

atm we arent a dairy free house, am waiting on dd4 seeing an allergy specialist in july, to find out how severe her allergy is.

i dont want to leave dd4 with other people, as her reactions are very scary, and feel it might be unfair on others iyswim, its hard enough with dd1 'easy' allergies, let alone a cows milk allergy.

was hoping this could a be a solution to working and childcare.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 31/05/2009 21:00

It could but I would market yourself to parents with children who have allergies

eg I cannot have a child with a nut allergy in my house as I have a 50ft walnut tree in the back garden & the nut oils permeate the garden/soil and are walked in to the house

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 21:05

really, i never knew that about the tree/soil.

thank you for replying. am going to look into it, and get the ball rolling.

OP posts:
Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 21:05

oh, will dh health issues (post transplant) be asny problem?

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KatyMac · 31/05/2009 21:08

Will he be providing childcare? If so maybe you would need a letter from the GP/consultant saying he is well enough to

If he is just on the premises then no (but he will need a CRB)

Will he be at risk through reduced immunity?

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 21:10

could i add in a sickness clauise, ie no chickenpox kids. should be ok for small colds.

he wont be providing care, he'll hopefully be back at work by then.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 31/05/2009 21:14

But aren't they infectious before the spots arrive?

What about rubella/HF&M/etc?

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 21:15

i would have to look further into it.

obvuiously dd4 could catch chicken pox, hf+m, rubella etc and put dh at risk.

that brings up my current own feelings over chickenpox vaccine for dd4.

argh this is hard.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 31/05/2009 21:19

It is & even if you worked with children you could bring it home on your clothes

But so could a trip to the park/shops

It's not the same but DH has reduced immunity - only his is to chest infections/influenza type stuff - so someones bad cold.........

He doesn't avoid people or live secluded - but we did discuss it when the swine flu came out

Original poster
misdee · 31/05/2009 21:20

dh has had chickenpox, and i think they said his original immunity woud still be therem, but they would want him on anti virals just to be safe iyswim.

ah swine flu. been the topic of conversations here for weeks. dh loves the rashers and oinkment jokes. but we are a little worried.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 31/05/2009 21:23

We were but it appears not to be 7 or 12 strains which are his main vulnerabilities

nannynick · 31/05/2009 23:40

I think the allergy issues would put people off. Toddlers often drink milk. Children may bring things home from nursery/school which contain milk.
You may get lucky and find parents who will go along with dairy free diet... but my feeling is that you will be limiting your market too much to be a sustainable business.

Sorry, just my view.

LovingTheRain · 01/06/2009 21:02

oo misdee i've been considering doing the same. Am in Herts too, what part of herts you in?

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