Does anyone here use a childminder while they work?

Question

what are the best things about using a childminder instead of other forms of childcare?

Answer 1

No I dont work, i stay at home minding the children while my husband goes out to work, i didn't have them for someone else to bring them up for me

Of course I could do with the money who couldn't but my children are more important, when I was a single mum I worked part time (20hrs) and my mum looked after my son, tax credits made up the amount as if I were working full-time so to me there is no excuse as to why single women cant work part-time and spend more time with their children, they are only children for a while and why would anyone want to spend all them years working full-time

Answer 2

Just because you have kids doesn't mean you HAVE to stay home with them.  Some people have to work to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.  What if something happened to your spouse and you were the only person bringing in income?  Will you give your children away because god forsake you yourself can't take care of them during the day?  I love that my children have more than mom and dad caring for them and who love them.  There are so many advantages.  It takes a village to raise a child and I will always believe that.

Answer 3

I would rather put my child into a nursery. As they get lots of other kids to play with and you never really know what the childminder is really like when your not there. As its only her/him and you kid...........

But all in all, i work round my kids not the other way round. I will work evenings/weekends so that my kids have me here whenever they need me. Thats just my opinion and everyone has the right to choose what is best for them and their kids. i am lucky that i dont have to work (although we dont have much money). We cope. But if i had to or wanted to i would choose nursery. Which in a year or so i may do. My daughter is 2. Good luck.

Answer 4

"No I dont work, i stay at home minding the children while my husband goes out to work, i didn't have them for someone else to bring them up for me."

Don't listen to sarcy answers like that.  Sometimes people have to work because they don't have a husband, or don't have enough money...

Anyway, I've used childminders and the advantages are that your children will have a personal relationship with a  childminder - other forms of childcare can be a bit unsettling to a child if they're passed from one person to the other.  As the other sensitive answerer stated, you can also find someone you truly trust which is not necessarily possible with other forms.

Good luck.

Answer 5

My wife did before she met me..

The advantages are you know who is going to be looking after your child. They get the chance to bond with your child, and your child doesn't feel like you've abandoned them to just anyone, and 1:1 contact and personal attention.

Downsides are money, and there's nobody checking on the childminder.. You need to really trust your childminder.

Psychologically, childminding with the right childminder is the next best option to being there yourself, and your child will benifit from the individual attention. My step-daughter is 18 and is still in touch with her old childminder and regularly goes to stay.

My wife will thouroughly recommend it.. We've been fortunate enough not to need one since we met however, so I can't speak from direct experience.

Answer 6

Hmmm just because you use childcare facilities doesnt mean that those care givers are bringing up your children!!  My goodness some people can be so rude....most of us have to work!!

My son went to nursery full time from the age of 2 and he loved it.  We chose a nursery because of the facilities they had. They had soft play and gardens and lots of outdoor toys and also a lovely lady who used to cook the most amazing food :) I never felt worried about leaving him at nursery as I knew there was always someone there and always children to play with and interact with.

When he started school I then used a childminder for mornings and after school and this really didnt work out at all. She had her own children and my son would always feel not quite part of things.  She also called him a grass one day, I was horrified.  On another occasion she sent him away with his Dad (my son was ill) without his coat, his dad didnt think about this duh!!! Hence a few days off school really ill and me off work.  Im not saying all childminders are like this but we lucked out and because it was his first experience he will not go back to a childminder now!  I changed all my hours to Part Time so I can be with him in the mornings and collect him from school :)

I thought the pros about childminding was she was in our area, my son would be close to his own school friends and it was more personal and I think if we had found the right childminder for us this would have been the case!