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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

CM's Do you get dressed before mindees arrive?

89 replies

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:13

I'm just curious really.

My CM greets us most mornings (8.50am) still in her dressing gown, usually just getting out of or going into the shower.

I was a bit at first but put it down to her being in her own home and getting ready at her leisure.

I feel its a bit unprofessional but in the grand scheme of things it is harmless.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

pippin26 · 27/04/2010 11:16

Absolutely. i would regard not being dressed and ready for the arrival of minded children as very unprofessional. big no-no for me.

BoysAreLikeDogs · 27/04/2010 11:17

oh my, that is terribly unprofessional

I was caught in my jammies once or twice when I did weekend work, but that was for vv early starts and was mortifying

Amapoleon · 27/04/2010 11:18

I'm not a cm or neither do I use one but I would expect them to be dressed when I arrived.

booyhoo · 27/04/2010 11:20

surely she considers CMing her job? you wouldn't arrive at worked not showered or deressed. totally unprofessionaly. and 8.50 is not that early. 5.50 yes, 8.50 no.

booyhoo · 27/04/2010 11:21

i cannot make my fingers work today.

i meant dressed and unprofessional

Katymac · 27/04/2010 11:23

Can I just ask what time you pay from.........

Because a local CMer used this as a technique to ensure her parents didn't drop off early - not a professional way of doing it but she was wary of confrontation

Original poster

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:33

I pay from 8.45.

I'm glad to hear it isn't just me that finds it unprofessional. This is our last week her and she's now giving me a hard time about how she's lost 2 mindees this month and now only ha

OP posts:

Katymac · 27/04/2010 11:34

Then it is very unprofessional

Original poster

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:35

Don't know what happened there! It was meant to say ' and now only has 2 mindees and one of those is leaving in June.'

OP posts:

BoysAreLikeDogs · 27/04/2010 11:35

yy very unprofessional

If she has already lost 2 others and your child on top then she needs to have a look at the image she is projecting and the manner in which she conducts herself

[judgey-pants firmly on]

MuffinToptheMule · 27/04/2010 11:38

I think it's really unprofessional. I can't believe she has a shower and get dressed after the children have arrived. What are the children doing whilst she gets herself ready?

LisaD1 · 27/04/2010 11:39

I think she is very unprofessional to be doing this, if she is meant to start work at 8.45 then she should manage her time well enough to be ready to start work at 8.45. What do the children do while she's getting dressed?

Personally, I wouldn't tolerate this and would tell her I want her fully clothed before drop off or would find another minder. (I'm a CM and a mum)

OhFuck · 27/04/2010 11:43

I would be completely at this. I wouldn't expect my boss to pay me for my time in the shower and getting dressed, therefore I do not expect to pay my CM while she's readying herself!

TBH [judgey pants also on here] it would make me question her attitudes in general if she thinks it's OK to do this.

Poledra · 27/04/2010 11:43

Well, my CM's 20-month DD is often still in her jammies when we drop off at 8am, but my CM is always dressed. And I would certainly be surprised if she was not.

Original poster

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:44

I think the children play while she gets organised which is a concern in itself as the room she using for minding is downstairs next to kitchen and bathroom but her living room and bedrooms are upstairs so she has to go up leaving the children alone downstairs.

If her DH is home he watches them but more often than not he is already at work.

She has been unprofessional in other ways too which is why we are leaving. She asked me today for a reference.

OP posts:

BoysAreLikeDogs · 27/04/2010 11:45

gosh no don't bother with a reference

I am sorry that you have had a bad experience

Original poster

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:45

Using should be uses d'oh!

OP posts:

OhFuck · 27/04/2010 11:47

I'm not very good at confrontation but I think in your case I'd decline to give a reference. Better that than write down something that could bite you on the arse.

Original poster

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:47

I could write "X is so relaxed with the children and parents that she thinks nothing of greeting us in her pyjamas and slippers each morning" .

OP posts:

Turniphead1 · 27/04/2010 12:00

That's appalling. If you could be bothered I would have a word with her - and say that kind of lack of professionalism may account for people leaving. Quite why she can't manage to be dressed for that time is beyond me, and as you say there are issues over who minds the children whilst she showers etc.

minderjinx · 27/04/2010 12:30

I get up very early and clean, prep veg etc, then the very last thing I do before children are due is shower and dress. Parents have turned up ten minutes early from time to time, and had me answer the door clothed but with dripping wet hair. They probably think I fall out of bed and into the shower at ten to eight. I definitely wouldn't answer the door in my bathrobe though - they would just have to wait. As for getting ready in working hours, definitely a no-no.

aconfusedmum · 27/04/2010 12:56

I have only ever done this once, I got my days mixed up and rather letting the 1 mindee keep knocking and ringing the bell and waking everyone else up i ran to the door.

This is the only time I've done it, but if she is doing it regularly that is unprofessional.

Booh · 27/04/2010 13:21

No very shocking TBH

I have answered the door in my trackies in the past if I have had an early arrival (or departure) as I have had a lot of air crew children, and sometimes they have been dropped off at 5.30am!

Ripeberry · 27/04/2010 14:06

I'm always up and showered and dressed at least 1hr before 1st mindee arrives. Mainly because I need to feed the chickens, cat and fish and then get some breakfast down me, get my kids up, washed, breakfasted and dressed.
Then I'm ready to concentrate on the mindees.

Maybe the OP's CM is taking the 'working from home' a bit too far. Sounds like she does not have a school run either.

StarExpat · 27/04/2010 14:16

Is a dressing gown a bathrobe? I know someone who wears her bathrobe as a sweater in the morning over her normal clothes. I know it's a bit and weird but, is this possibly what she's doing?
Either way, unprofessional. I wouldn't show up to work like that.

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