approaching your childminder about what they feed your child...

[PregnantGrrrl]

Bearing in mind that she's otherwise fantastic and also the only childminder in my area, my childminder has fed my almost 10mth old some things i'm not happy with. (i always pack his own lunch BTW)

a few weeks ago her daughter was off school and wanted to go to McDonald's, so DS went too obviously, and she let him eat some fries. DP collects DS so he told me when i got home, and i wasn't too chuffed. decided not to say anything because it hadn't happened before, and i'd say something if it was suggested again.

she also gives him wotsits and quavers sometimes, which i don't.

this week, when he didn't want the lunch i'd packed him, she gave him a sausage roll (as the others (older) were having one) He had an upset tummy that night, i think caused by a processed, salty snack made with pigs knobs and ears (probably!)

I'm not very good at 'confronting' people, but obviously i need to say something. Does anyone have any experience of approaching their childminder about this?

hmm am not sure if I would speak to her first

If she is doing something wrong, its for OFSTED to sort out, not me.

if not-well naff all I can do anyway. she isn't going to stop with the shitey biscuts cos some clucky SAHM sticks her oar in.

Well not necessarily just the coke, I'd be more concerned about the fact they were reading magamagazines, if I'm honest. What if a child hurts theirselves, really badly? it's negligent(sp) isn't it, they aren't taking care of the children they are minding

filly, do you have a childminder? I just couldnt go to ofsted before speaking to mine. I consider her a friend tbh, she looks after the most precious thing in my life - the least i can do in return is be honest with her. Telling ofsted first is like grassing on someone who hasnt got a clue they have done any wrong imo

id suggest you need to speak to your cm, if you are that adamant you donot want him eating wotsits and a few macdonalds fries then you have to tell her that otherwise how is she suppsed to know?
i took my mindees to park yesterday and bought them all an icecream..i wasnt trying to get the fat or give them junk, just a little treat.if your ds isnt eating the lunch you pack up, change what you make up for him..ask cm what he likes to eat there..although a sausage roll isnt ideal, she didnt let him go hungry and if he ate it he obv enjoyed it

I dont know what this magazines and hurting themselves bit is about i have only read part of the thread, sorry

I find the idea of the children going a couple of times a week to soft play and pub barns a bit odd myself...meeting up with other cms on a frequent basis seems a bit strange to me...

they get season tickets for each child

no I don't have a CM for reasons specified

couldn't find one who didn't think the odd froot shoot was "harmless"

don't give a feck if they think its harmless, my kids, my decision.

I DO see them as professionals performing a service, really. And so expect professional behaviour.

I am also frequently shocked at how some people treat/regard their CM, btw, the coin flips both ways.

ps its filly

well they are professionals, you are right. But a bit of common decency doesnt hurt anyone

Gamepoint, sorry the magazines and coke bit wasn't to do with OP, filly mentioned that she had seen CM's in her local park feeding children packs of biscuits and bottles of coke whilst they sat and read magazines.

I answered the OP in much the same way as everyone else, she needs to tell her CM, if the CM doesn't know that the parents doesn't want their child fed chocolate/crisps/fries/sausage rolls then they need to tell her.
I actually think the sausage roll was to make sure the child didn't go hungry becasue he hadn't eaten what he had in his lunchbox

I think you should speak to her before approaching OFSTED!

I think the problem here is everyone has different stnadards of what is acceptable. Personally I would not give any child coke without asking their parents first. However, I would give a sausage roll without asking. I hadn't thought of them as one of the taboo foods!

So you just need to let her know what you find acceptable and I am sure she will comply!

heres the thing also

my ds is at nursery but for complex reasons they are out and about in the community quite often.

if another person saw something that concerned them about how the kids were being treated, whatever it was, I'd rather they went to OFSTED with it than approached a teacher.

Its a small nursery, with a proper community , I really like the teachers-their own kids go there.

BUT as a parent I'd want to know about any complaint, and if OFSTED was involved I'd have a better chance of finding out.

oh hang on has this got confused?

yes of course pggrrl should speak to her CM first

I don't think theres a huge amount of point in someone with no prior relationship with a CM (eg me) approaching her to tell her how to run her business (not giving coke, for eg)

but I'm not going to tell ofsted anyway I don't think. I don't even KNOW these CMs. What would they do, stake out the local park?

I'm just not ever NEVER sending my kids to them

cece, the OFSTED comment was in relation to soemthing filly(charlie and lola's mummy) said. Pregnantgrrl was asking about the food issue, she never mentioned going to OFSTED, she had concerns about her CM giving her DS fries and sausage rolls

I was confused aswell. I thought you were telling the OP to go to ofsted

Up until my chidren were 1 I provided their food, drinks and snacks for this very reason. When they were older that this I wrote out a list of things I was happy for them to have, and things they couldn't have
can you do something like thsi?

OH right but think she should just say as how else is the cm supposed to know?

My point is that I would give an occasional sausgae roll but obviously I have different standards to the OP. The cm is probably the same and hadn't even thought that it would be a problem! Just say it in a friendly by the way sort of thing. I don't think it needs to be made a big issue.

i'll speak to her Monday and just say i think she's doing a fab job (as she is) but that i'm picky over his food so i'll start packing his snacks.

i appreciate the sausage roll thing was so he didn't go hungry, but a piece or toast or a yogurt would have been a better choice i think. i might pack a 'back up' organix jar in his bag from now on too.

and i think its going a bit far to contact ofsted before speaking to her, you can quite easilly resolve the problem without causing a bigger issue for her, if she is fabulaous with everything else, you should be able to speak to her.

at no point did i mention ofsted

i didnt say you did pregnantgrrrl, i just referred to someones comment on doing it, i think unless its a major protection concern, things are best firstly discusses betwenn the adults, then further if nessecary.

ive just actually finished my inspection 10 mins ago and even the inspector was tlling me about 'some' cm's whos care leads a lot to be desired like the scary park cm's..such a shame as people could get this impresion of all like this.

ah, the way your post was written seemed to be to me.

no..when posts are this far at the top, they dont always refer to OP, sorry if you thought that

oh i know that- it was your saying 'you' should be able to speak to her, 'you' don't need to go to ofsted etc. that made me think you were talking to me.

i'm just crap at telling people what i want- but i shall do. she is great otherwise. and i don't think ofsted would really care that a childminder fed a baby a sausage roll.

no, you should be able to speak to her, but was ref to other comments about what to do..i think if you want your Lo to eat certain things, i would def give her a list of definate no no's ..you will always find something that slips through and you are perfectly within your rights as mum to say what does and doesnt go.