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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

Shopping with mindees?

21 replies

WeeHalfPint · 13/10/2009 13:26

I have a question for CM's & parents alike.

to CM's - would you take your mindee(s) grocery and clothes shopping (for yourself or your family members) on a regular basis? (every week)

to Parents - would you deem this acceptable from your cm?

Thoughts and opinions welcome please.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ChopsTheDuck · 13/10/2009 13:27

i wouldn't mind the cm taking them grocery shopping. I do think she'd be nuts to though!

I'd draw the line at clothes shopping personally, i think that is more of a leisure thing that should be done in your own time. Grocery shopping I'd see as part and parcel of the home from home experience that I wanted from a cm.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 13/10/2009 13:30

I'm not fussed on him doing either with the CM tbh. I don't mind if they pop into shops to pick up the odd thing, but not to do the weekly shop on a regular basis.

Luckily she doesn't seem to do either big food shops or clothes shopping with any of the mindees in tow - I think she's pretty sensible!

Littlepurpleprincess · 13/10/2009 13:33

I would take my mindees food shopping and use it as a learning experience, get them to help me find the food, count the money etc, but not clothes shopping. I once took one mindee to Clarks with us to get DS some shoes. It was the only time I could do it and it only took 10 minutes. We went to the park afterwards. I think you need to apply common sense thats all. You don't pay for your kid to be dragged around Primark all day, but popping into the post office or grocer isn't going to do any harm, infact it culd be used to teach them something and cover the Knowledge and Understanding of the World part of the EYFS.

theagedparent · 13/10/2009 13:43

I saw a CM out delivering the Yellow pages with 2 small children last week. I would be really annoyed if I was paying someone to look after my children and they did that. Have also seen the same childminder leave her mindees in the car while she went into the supermarket and parked up on the pavement on a busy road while she took one into pre school.

StrictlyAvadaKedavraarrrrghhhh · 13/10/2009 13:45

No am a CM and I wouldn't do that, a quick trip to get some milk, or goods for baking later that day yes, or a quick mooch round the shops if we are early for our group or somesuch to kill time, but not a regular shop no.

As a parent I wouldn't be happy with anything over what I have said above.

thebody · 13/10/2009 15:11

agree with STRICKLY I do local shops for fruit to eat at the park, also to help weigh and count veg, EYFS stuff.

clothes shop you must be bloody kidding me.. never ever..must be mental..

parents may leave children in their cars, CMs cant.

please dont turn this into bloody awful childminders I have known though, and arnt nurserys fantastic.. obviously there are good and bad in both..

StrictlyAvadaKedavraarrrrghhhh · 13/10/2009 15:13

OP, are you able to have a word/anon note to this CM to warn her she has been watched - and if she doesn't pull her socks up, a report will be made kind of thing?

Original poster

WeeHalfPint · 13/10/2009 16:05

Theybody - wouldn't dream of turning this into "bloody awful childminders" and nurseries aren't all the are cracked up to be (I know couple in my area which I would steer well clear off)

Just wanted to gather general opinion before I, as strictly advises, "have a quiet word" as I wouldn't want to be "having words" if it was something CM normally do iyswim.

OP posts:

looneytune · 13/10/2009 16:36

No way. I'm a cm and wouldn't do either. The only time I take mindees shopping is for something like bread/milk or buying items for baking/arts and crafts. This is a) because I am not paid to do my own personal stuff and b) I couldn't think of anything worse to do with 4 young toddlers in tow!!!!

ChopsTheDuck · 13/10/2009 16:39

my cm took my kids to weight watchers with her and left them in the car while she went to get weighed! We didn't go back after that. I do know some lovely cms though.

underpaidandoverworked · 13/10/2009 16:47

I've done the 'Asda' experience with mindees [though not the weekly shop]- they had their own little shopping lists for meals that we plan together and we talk about fruit and veg, colours, shapes, where food comes from etc etc. Shopping is a life experience and provides us with a huge opportunity to help the mindees progress in most areas of learning and development - we teach children how to behave when we are shopping, how to say please and thank you to the assistants, older children learn about money and I let them pay for goods themselves - their little faces beam .

Clothes shopping for myself - no. But we have shopped together for roleplay outfits, and I take them to see Santa [with parents permission] as part of our Christmas activities.

None of my parents have had a problem with shopping so far

Danthe4th · 13/10/2009 18:00

No I wouldn't other than fruit or the paper from the village shop, isn't that what internet shopping was designed for.

littlestarschildminding · 13/10/2009 18:07

I would only do a food shop with mindees in tow if essential...eg if I had to work the day after I got back from hols and I didn't have enough food for supper!

I do regularly pop to the local highstreet with mindees (usually on the way to or from toddlers or the park) we buy daily essentials bread, milk, wipes, other odd bits I have run out of and I have been known to pop on the way past into bhs or debenhams for presents or something I needed before the weekend.
I also take children to hobbycraft regularly for art supplies.

I don't see a problem with this...if I were dragging them round town for 2 hrs then thats bad but is really popping to the shops such a bad thing? My parents are cool about it...it gets written in the daily diaries. Its a learning experience and a part of life.

I work 7am-7pm most days + 2 or 3 evenings and sometimes weekends. My household simply wouldn't function if I stayed away from all shops during working hours and lets face it the mindees probably use 60% of the things I buy!

dmo · 13/10/2009 18:43

oh god no wouldnt want to tbh

the internet is a godsend i do my Asda shop on a weekend over the internet and its get delievered on a monday while the lottle ones sleep

sofewbraincellsleft · 13/10/2009 23:57

In answer to your specific question, no I would not. I do my personal shopping for family / family members in the evening or weekends. This is unacceptable.

Some childminders, including myself, sometimes take mindees to the shop for the odd bits and pieces as I did today to get their favourite cereal for their breakfast for tomorrow (which I forgot at the weekend)but that was because I was passing supermarket on our way back from playgroup - we also needed to pick up a few things to add to our picnic that I decided we would have in the park before going home but I know that this is not the sort of thing that you are talking about .

sunnydelight · 14/10/2009 04:33

I sent both my boys to a CM when they were little because I wanted them to have more of a "family experience" so I really didn't mind them going along with the CM doing her day to day stuff as long as it wasn't excessive. In the same way that I wouldn't spend a day shopping with little kids, but might do an hour before taking them to the park or doing something more interesting for them, I felt if it was ok for me it was ok for her.

To be honest she was wonderful and I don't think she did it very often, but I took the view that I trusted her to do what was best, otherwise I wouldn't have left them with her in the first place. She never put the tv on, ever, and did a lot of craft/painting stuff that I loathe so I certainly wasn't going to dictate what she could do.

HSMM · 14/10/2009 08:25

Not a weekly shop - but bits and pieces as a learning experience - yes. They help me find the items and we count them and talk about their colour. Sometimes the children decide what we are having for lunch and we go and shop for it. They even know how to work the self scanning checkouts. If I tried to do my weekly shop like this, we would be there all day! Clothes shopping - no - although we did pick up a pair of plimsoles for my DD once.

cat64 · 14/10/2009 08:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

crace · 14/10/2009 08:36

We go shopping daily, fruit stall, Post office, small corner shop - EYFS kind of stuff though. I wouldn't clothes shop with MY children much less mindees lol

I think having a word is in order here

I have done a small grocery store shop in the past but it was quick and I made sure the mum knew about it.

leeloo1 · 14/10/2009 11:54

Depends what you mean by shopping?

If children are screaming with boredom/complaining whilst CM in changing rooms for half an hour, then no its clearly not great practise. If children are being engaged with whats going on/asleep in buggy then whats the problem?

I'm a CM of 2 babies and I do sometimes take them shopping - they love playing with all the toys in Mothercare and ELC and looking at all the books in the bookshop and it provides a different experience. IMHO this kind of variety is what makes CMing superior to nurseries.

flopalong · 16/10/2009 21:04

I take my minded children and my own to asda every week, they love it. They put things in the trolly for me, and like to 'remind' me of things I pretend to forget when we go round.
Parents usually choose a childminder beacuase its a family environment, I talk about money, healthy food, weights, colors.... alsorts really. They are well behaved and enjoy it, I don't see the problem.
I wouldn't go clothes shopping though, I use littlewoods and next online for that (hate it).

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