Harry started at Little Treasures quality child minding, when he was 2 years of age. I had previously cared for his older brother, Kelvin, until he left me to start school. Harry had initially been with another child minder, as I didn’t have a space for him, at the time ( there are very strict…
This weeks post goes back to when I was working as a registered child minder and took a group of minded children on a visit to the local garden centre. We walked along a safe foot path and on arrival we looked around at the plants and pet accessories they were selling, before visiting…
I was sent this book by Boolino . It is written by Jackie Marchant and is illustrated by Loretta Schauer, this paperback will appeal to children around the ages of 7-11 years and has an inviting front cover, which is mainly in red. The book has 194 pages but the way the story reads,…
When I was working as a registered child minder I had a few parents who came to see me to enquire about my child minding service, but were unsure or worried about using me instead of grand parents.. One such person was Heidi who said that her mum Lydia was keen to look after her…
I was sent a complimentary bundle of activity booklets from ichild. They consist of Twirl woos based on the cbeebies weekday television show this booklet has a variety of educational activities for a younger child to do with an adult plus a colouring page that your child could can do without too much supervision….
The subject of this weeks blog, is a suggestion, from Erika; thanks Erika. Before I start, I want to point out that I am very bias towards child minders (as I worked as one, for 14 happy years, only giving up due to ill health) Child minders usually work alone, in their own homes…
Another instalment of my pets for children, this time it’s fish. When I was a child my father kept a tank of tropical fish in the living room . We were delighted when the guppies had babies, we gathered around the tank to watch them being born which was magical to begin with, the baby…
Susan, who has been a child minder for just over a year got in touch and asked if I could offer some advice on transition documents. There are many documents available to buy or download on the market, but I used to make my own using the computer. Basically they need to include the child’s…
Once when I was a child minder and went to collect my youngest son from school, while I was waiting for him to come out of the classroom the head mistress came over to speak to me, ” Mrs. Dennis,” she said, “I need to apologise, as I have done something terrible today.” My first…
I was sent a set of 4 books named The dinosaur detectives to review from Boolino . Each book is a paperback written by Stephanie Baudet and tells an exciting adventure had by Matt the son of a palaeontologist, who gets transported back to prehistoric times. The books describe the dinosaurs and will defiantly…
Continuing my theme on my experience of pets for children this time is for budgies. When I was a child we had a fantastic blue budgie we named Kelly, although I think it was a male budgie as if my memory is correct he had a blue area above his beak, whereas females are coloured…
I have been a horse lover for as long as I can remember always hoping to get my own( read more about this in my e book Equestrian dreams available to down load from Amazon) so when a friend asked if I would like to assist with bathing her horse I jumped at the chance….
Boolino books sent a set of 4 Toddlyworld books for a review, these brightly coloured board books are suitable for ages 2-5 years and come with an accompanying audio compact disc. These books feature Toddly and his teddy bear, Toddlybear, the books I received are titled Summer, Spring, Numbers and Stars and each tell a…
When Suziw got in touch to ask if I would be interested in reviewing one of her books I jumped at the chance as I have been a fan of children’s literature since falling ‘in love’ with the Gruffalo while I was a registered child minder.The things Evie eats is written by Suziew and has…
This weeks post is going away from my usual topic of parenting/child minding tips and advice. Recently I have been fortunate in that I have managed to lose a stone in weight quite quickly and when a friend asked how I had achieved this I decided to blog about it. I have never had a…
This picture book is written by Caroline Baxter and illustrated. by Izabela Ciesinska When Boolino books got in touch and asked if I would be interested in reviewing this book I knew by reading the title that I defiantly wanted to write the review. This book will appeal to early years settings, especially child minders…
Regular readers will be well aware that I worked as a registered child minder for 14 very happy years. years, I proudly managed to achieve an outstanding grade from Ofsted at my last inspection. Sandra has asked for some tips to enable her to get a similar result. I displayed some disability posters in my…
A second light hearted post this week with an aim to hopefully make everyone smile. One of the many things that I miss since having to give up my beloved child minding is hearing the funny innocent things that children often come up with, luckily I still see many children and these antidotes come to…
Before I suffered a massive stroke 10 years ago I used to ride every weekend. I was extremely fortunate in that I had a friend called Sue Barker, who owned 2 thoroughbred ex racehorses, she had obtained them when they failed to make the grade in the world of horse racing. I rode an amazing…
Samantha has asked me for some tips to make food shopping with her children a bit easier. Food shopping at the supermarket can be quite stressful if you have young children with you. When my 2 sons had to accompany me every week to the supermarket, my youngest who was almost 2 years old would…
Kirsty Lavender has asked for tips on how best to wean her baby off his bottle and onto a trainer cup. Thanks for the request, Kirsty. The best advice I can give is to have patience. When I decided to coax my oldest son off his bottle, at around 12 months of age, it took…
Stranger danger is a difficult subject to administer. We all tell our children never to speak to or approach a stranger, and then we take them to meet Santa and encourage them to not only tell him what they would like for Christmas, but also sometimes to sit on his lap! We also forget sometimes…
As a child minder you may well find yourself with a variety of children of different ages to look after. Unlike many nursery settings, who usually have the under 1’s in a separate baby room; a child minder will look after all ages together. I tried my best to include all the children in all…
Road safety should be a concern for parents. Your child is never too young to start learning how to cross the road safely. Always set a good example, even when they are in a buggy ; they will observe how you cross the street. When I was childminding we always used the pelican crossing when crossing the busy…
I am the first to admit that I don’t like the dentist at all. In fact I always say I would rather have a baby, than go to the dentist (and I really would) At least when you go into hospital to give birth you come out with something amazing, when you go to…
I think it is a good idea to make your health visitor aware that you are a registered childminder; this will be the first port of call for many new mothers intending to return to work. Another good way of advertising is to be seen out and about. Go to local toddler group sessions…
My husband would say that I am highly qualified to encourage a child to talk; as I never stop! Even having suffering a massive stroke didn’t stop me, much to his disappointment! When I was in hospital he told me he thought he had gone deaf! When I was growing up my dad would tell…
Hamsters are often thought of as an ideal first pet for a child; they can make wonderful pets but beware that they can and may well bite. Hamsters are delicate little creatures, so as with all animals; children should always be supervised by an adult when around them to ensure the children are handling them…
Anyone caring for a child under the age of 8 years who is not related to them and for any kind of reward, must become registered by Ofsted Early Years. Many people will think that by becoming a child minder their own children will suffer, however because child minders are self employed they can…
Understandably it can be quite daunting for a newly registered child minder to do their first interview, or meeting with a parent for the first time. You learn with experience; this is how I handled it, and I did manage to convince most parents to pick me as their child minder. Usually, a parent…
As an early years practitioner; you should be very aware of the need to work with the children’s parents in partnership. Here are some of my experiences of this from my many years as a child minder. I liked to think that I knew the children I was caring for extremely well, but I never…
Whilst child minding; I often heard the children say funny things. Once, whilst I was covering a topic on healthy eating we were making fruit kebabs and I asked “Where do grapes come from?” A 4 year old shot up her arm and told me “I know Karen; Tesco!” On another occasion; while walking through…
I believe that children and dogs can be great together; if managed correctly. When I purchased my German Shepherd puppy “Keira” she was 8 weeks old. I did a lot of research into her breed first (although I have always been an admirer of this type of dog, so knew quite a lot already) I…
Cats and kittens can make great pets. Kittens especially look so cute and cuddly; which they can be, but they also come with a good set of claws ready to scratch if they are not happy about a situation! Always supervise children around any animal. A kitten (or any other pet) can sustain a nasty…
I thought that as many parents may consider getting a pet to complete their family; I would share my experience of adopting a dog from the “Dogs Trust” When our beloved German Shepherd; Keira, died we were devastated. We got her back in 2006; from an extremely good breeder. Unfortunately in 2007 I suffered a Major Stroke, meaning that all…
Back in 2004 I launched a campaign to get the out dated play equipment in Rock park, Barnstaple up graded. I have now been made aware of a campaign to save Westacott park. Westacott park is a small park on Westacott Road in the Whiddon valley area of Barnstaple. When I lived in Whiddon valley…
For as long as I can remember; I have always wanted my own Horse. I wished for one every time I blew the candles out on birthday cakes and asked Santa for one each Christmas. I even came up with an idea that if I married a rich farmer when I grew up then I would…
Living in north Devon; I am very fortunate to have some wonderful coastal and countryside walks on my doorstep. Many years ago now; when my boys, were of school age I decided that we would go on a cycle ride together to a lovely place called Fremington Quay. The weather was pleasant; without being too…
You don’t need to spend a fortune to keep children amused doing art and craft activities. When I was childminding; I used to use the back of junk mail (which is often blank on the reverse) as drawing paper. The inside cardboard of cereal boxes is great to use for painting. Put an old adult…
When oxo tots got in touch and asked if I would review some of their products, I immediately enlisted the help of family friend called Ann and her 14 month old daughter; Arya. Sippy Cup Oxo tots sent me their tall sippy cup; suitable for 9 months plus It is priced at £7.60. This has…
Acropats come in packs of 16 pieces. They are made of stiff foam, and come in four different colours: red, green, yellow and blue. I asked three children; 2 girls and a boy who were aged between 4 and 11 years to help with this review. The product manufacturer recommend that they are not suitable for…
This is an article that I originally wrote for “childcare Expo.” I worked as a registered child minder for 14 very happy years; in all that time, I only ‘went sick’ once. This was because I had a bad stomach upset and there was no way that I could have looked after children (not that…
I was privileged to work as a registered child minder for many happy years, meaning that I never had to leave my children in childcare; other than in pre-school play groups. Being a child minder; I was aware of a parents guilt, and hardly a week goes by without something similar being brought up on…
Another child minder (also called Karen!) has asked me for ideas that are suitable for the older children. She also child minds after school; however most of her activities and games are aimed at younger children. The older children that I looked after liked arts and crafts (especially the girls) Making dolls out of wool was a…
For as long as I can remember I have always loved babies and children (and anything to do with them) including an interest in pregnancy and birth. All I ever wanted to do when I was growing up playing with baby dolls was to to get married and have children. I did get married, aged 19 and had two…
Rebecca, who is a registered child minder has suggested this blog topic. As a registered child minder; you should be invited to attend meetings and courses, on the basics of keeping child minding accounts, for HMRC. As a self-employed person, record keeping is your responsibility. You can, of course, hire…
When I worked as a child minder, I found that most of the new child minded children settled in remarkably quickly. I have written, in more detail, about a particular child, who took a little longer, in another blog post, titled “child minding tales – separation anxiety” I think, it is actually more distressing for…
As a Child Minder you are at an advantage over a larger setting such as a nursery (I’m my opinion anyway) when it comes to planning activities for the children in your care. For example; I like to think that when I was a child minder I knew the children I looked after really well…
Experts say that most children don’t get bladder control until around 18 months, so there is no point in trying to potty train before that age. I must admit however, to placing my first born son Leigh, on his potty just after his first birthday. He seemed to be quite happy sitting there, whilst watching…
Nowadays, keeping children entertained on long car journeys is relatively easy thanks to things like laptops, electronic games and tablets such as iPads. They can now watch a movie or play a game whilst they travel. When my own children were young, there were no such luxuries. I once made a booklet for each of…
Many parents are under the impression that teaching their child to read is the responsibility of their child’s teacher. While this is true to a certain extent, there is a lot you can do to help as a parent. My eldest son started to recognize words from a very young age by the way they…
When I met my second husband, my boys were aged 4 and 6 and he had an 8 year old son. Once we settled into life as a “blended family” the boys didn’t call their step-parent mum or dad (after all, they each had an absent parent who they still saw) neither did we tell…
After catching up with Terry who originally suggested I write a blog on Child Led Play, he told me his Daughter aged 2 had recently been to a birthday party. He was surprised that all the small children played separately, instead of together. This in my experience is perfectly normal for that age, and soon…
Thanks to Terry who suggested that I write a blog about Child Led Play. It is too easy to hover over our children while they are playing. It is much better take a step back and et them use their imagination. When I was child minding, I sometimes laid out the tea set on a…
The question of how to help a child with number recognition came up recently on social media. These are my ideas. In my experience, most children start recognizing numbers by their age. Many youngsters are given birthday cards with their age on ( usually the number is large and brightly coloured) Some children walk around…
I am hearing of more and more parents complaining that their children are addicted to electronic devices such as tablets such as iPads, MobilePhones and games consoles and that the children get stroppy when told to switch them off. I had a similar problem when my eldest son became obsessed with his play station and although…
Thanks to Tina for the suggestion of an absent parent, a difficult subject; but one I have had a little experience of. My boys, were aged four and six years, when myself and their father split. I decided at the time that I was going to try to stay on good terms with my ex,…
Similar to learning about numbers and colours, the easiest way to teach our children about shapes in my opinion is to make it fun. Start by looking around your environment. Sitting in my living room, I can see several different shapes; square and rectangle picture frames, a round clock, rectangular windows and door frames, a…
The subject of encouraging your child to do No.2’s (poos) on the potty, has recently come to my attention, both in person and on social media. I did encounter, this problem, with my middle child, although his problem was of constipation; which in itself can be a vicious circle, it hurt him to go, so…
Managing their child’s behaviour can be one of the biggest challenges for many parents, after all; the “terrible two’s” do start at around 18 months and finish at 18 years, don’t they? The solution to this is simple – reward good behaviour and, wherever possible ignore the bad. The best example I can give of…
Another request from Sarah Knight, this time for fussy eaters. Thank you so much Sarah. My experience with my own children, as far as eating goes is that they usually eat most things, until around twelve months, when the picky eating starts. My eldest son would eat a varied diet until this age and then…
During my time as a childminder I was asked; on a few occasions (usually by first time parents) what were my feelings towards using a dummy. When I was in my early twenties and expecting my first baby I was under the mind set that no child of mine would ever be seen with a dummy in…
Personally, I have never experienced sibling jealousy with my own children. When I was pregnant with my second baby, I told my son who was almost two ,in language that he could understand. We looked at pictures of babies in magazines and borrowed library books etc. He came with me for some of my midwife…
Many people are of the impression that child minders just put their little ones in front of the television and leave them to get on with it. Hopefully, my account of a typical day for me when I was a child minder, will show that for most this is far from the truth. A typical,…
Cooking with children is an activity that I have done with both my own children, and the ones I used to child mind. You can simply let the children help with baking, my own children used to like to stand on a chair beside me so that they could reach the kitchen worktop and help…