Childminder Review

Overall Rating

Watching children grow and develop. Having fun, being creative.

House is always a tip, spend ten hours a day, changing nappies, cleaning noses, mopping up spills, sick and tidying. Utterly exhausting. Immense amount of paperwork. Own child gets jealous of others. Hardly ever get paid on time. Have to do own tax. Awkward parents

I started childminding to be at home with my daughter when she was little. It has turned out to be a huge mistake for me as my daughter never gets any attention as the mindees are so demanding. If you get good kids then your lucky and may be able to enjoy it but so far all of mine have been very underdeveloped with the exception of one. Most suffer immense separation anxiety and have been subject to parents who constantly cuddle them to sleep, making naptimes a nightmare as with three mindees I haven't the time to sit and rock each one to sleep. It's difficult to find activities suitable for all the children and they bore and tire very easy. Ofsted expect you to have the equivalent of a nursery in your home and as such it is always covered in sand, paint and glitter. Parents can be a nightmare. They seem to have constant demands and forget that you have other kids to care for too. They nearly always forget changes of clothes/calpol etc and hardly ever pay me on time, they hate me having a day off and my word if you take a holiday - how dare you! They arrive early or late and never offer a bean for my trouble. They also send the kids even when they know they are poorly, so they swan off to work and leave me covered in sick and snot. Being a childminder is nothing but hard graft. I'd love to say being with the children makes it worthwhile but it doesn't for me. A smile or a hug goes nowhere when you have so much to deal with. Ofsted expect me to plan meals, varied days, liase with nurseries and childrens centres, go to toddler groups, make daily observations on each child, take photos, be immaculately hygenic, live in a sterile environment, constantly clean, keep perfect records and the list goes on. If you can find an alternative way to stay at home with your munchkin then I'd strongly suggest you do. If I could do it differently I would, I love the kids but not the job. For the meagre pay I get it just isn't worth it in my opinion. Must go now - am exhausted!