How do you do it?

[melco]

I have only been registered since February and had all the children I felt I could cope with, but I received a call last week for after school care for a 9 & 10 yr old. I did have the spaces so agreed to meet her.

They came last night and they are all happy to go ahead. I am too nice and also said I was happy but it will be 3.30pm-6.30pm so they will be having dinner. I have 2 children of my own who are 5 & 8 and will also be minding a 1 year old for will be having dinner also, so I will go from 4 people for dinner to 7.

At the moment I have 8month old mindee 8-5pm Tuesday-Friday, an 18 month old wednesday 9.15-2.15pm, I will have from september a 1 yr old 2.30-6.30pm and I will be taking a mindee to school Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings so was happy with that.

We need the money so I feel I can't say no and they are TTO so I will get holidays but am now starting to have doubts in myself whether I can do this. I was just wondering if other cm on here do meals in the evening for their mindees and how they get organised so things run smoothly.

I know I should be greatful that I am doing so well but don't want to run myself into the ground.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

melco

[samb]

If I am unsure of a contract then I write a longer settling in period in which either side can give just 7 days notice to cancel. I usually do 2 weeks but would increase this to 4 weeks if I was unsure. Could this work for you? That way you can give it a try and if you don't feel it works for you then you can give notice.

[AliceK]

I hate doing dinners for mindees but as my own 2 children have to eat I feel that I might as well. If my own children could eat later then I def wouldn't do it, it's the most stressful time of day for me. The most I have for dinner is 6 but not every night some nights it might just be 3 or 4. I write my menus up on a Friday for the following week writing alongside each day who I have for dinner and then what I will be cooking for that day. I take into account how long I will have to do the cooking and obviously budgets. I am not a cafe so unless a mindee has a definite and confirmed dislike of something then they all get what I'm doing I won't do different meals for different children. I try and get most of the prep and even some of the cooking done during the daytime if I can or do something in the slow cooker so that it can virtually just be served up. I am seriously considering not doing dinner for much longer though. Not sure whether parents would like that though :panic:

xxxx

[rickysmiths]

I have always offered all meals and must confess at the moment I am only doing one dinner once a week and I miss them all sitting and eating. It is such a fun time, sitting eating a meal together and discussing the day.

Maybe I am old fashioned in remembering during my childhood always sitting around the table for dinner. I have always done it with my children and always will.


I also do not find the prep a bore. :blush:

I do things like bolognese, lasagna, fish pie, cottage pie, macaroni cheese, roasts (usually on a Monday I make sure there is enough roast and roast pots for the next day and do fresh veg), Chilli, casseroles etc. i use my slow cooker. I may make a mince sauce the night before. Or I do the bulk of the prep in the morning when i get up and am waiting for all the minded children to arrive. I then do the rest when the little ones are asleep after lunch.

I do not panda to fussy children they get what I serve. I will cater for allergies and real dislikes. I won't offer things like chicken nuggets etc.

With the two older children I would discuss with mum the kind of things I offer and check there is nothing the children don't like.

Over the years I have found that children will eat things when they are with me that they will never eat at home!

[mushpea]

i used to cook for 8 children when mine were younger now mine eat later with us. you just get in to a routine and learn to cook simple meals. I used my slow cooker loads for things like casseroles, stews, joints of meat, chillis, currys, and bolognaise sauce which I made in to pasta bakes, spag bol, put on jacket potatoes, lasagnes.
i would also make ahead foods like fish pie, shepherds pie, meat pies, lasagne etc.
on a friday night they would have a make your own pizza night .
I always cooked one meal , never cooked sperate meals, they would have to eat a resonable amount of firsts to get dessert.
sometimes if they were playing up when I cooked they would have to sit at the table and have drawing out.
I used to find they would play up the most when I was clearing up so in the end i got them to help clear dishes and put in the dishwasher, wipe the table, put the place mats away etc they all had seperate jobs.
my biggest help was buying the dishwasher!

[kel1983]

I co mind so one looks after the children while the other (me) cooks dinner. 50% of ours eat a hot meal. The others either come with packed lunch (after schoolies) or they sit and eat a light snack to get them through till home time.

Its nice to have them sitting down together.

[christine e]

I use my slow cooker such a lot! You just need to be organised really and keep your meals simple - I use my microwave for vegetables and potatoes - I part cook the potatoes before we go out on school run so that they don't take long once we get back in.

Cx

[jadavi]

Rickysmiths I admire your stand re nuggests and fish fingers.

Funnily enough two out of the seven i cook for literally will eat nothing else plus beans (except maybe bread and butter) How would you deal with that? Would you not take on the contract?

[jumpinjen]

Try make one freeze one when you are cooking to get ahead - I love Good Food for some fab new recipe ideas that you can increase to make for more or to save some in the freezer for next month - love the make your own pizza night!! Jen x

[kel1983]

I do not panda to fussy children they get what I serve. I will cater for allergies and real dislikes. I won't offer things like chicken nuggets etc.

With the two older children I would discuss with mum the kind of things I offer and check there is nothing the children don't like.

Over the years I have found that children will eat things when they are with me that they will never eat at home!

I send a form home with foods the child loves, likes and dislikes. From this I work out a 2 week menu plan.

I love cooking from fresh. Hate nuggets. Would rather make my own chicken goujons and the kids love them

[wellybelly]

I know this may sound daft, but I find the more children I have the easier it is. For meals where there is a lot children, we have a buffet style meal where everything is in the middle of the table and you help yourself. Things like Chicken Fajitas with jackets or Beef Stew and Dumplings with mashed potatoes. The children love the fact they serve themselves and are very eager to help with laying the table, washing their hands and preparing their drinks. Obviously the younger children need help with spooning food onto their plates, but it works!

[AliceK]

Rickysmiths I admire your stand re nuggests and fish fingers.

Funnily enough two out of the seven i cook for literally will eat nothing else plus beans (except maybe bread and butter) How would you deal with that? Would you not take on the contract?

How old are the children? I took on a 4yr old who literally would not eat anything. I have 1 night a week (usually a Thurs) when I cook what I affectionally call Rubbish night. It's where the children get something like fishfingers, chicken goujons (not nuggets) and chips. The rest of the time I serve "proper" home cooked tea. With this child, mum was on board and I made him a sticker chart and every time he tried a new food, ate some vegetables etc he got a sticker. At the end of the week if he had enough stickers he got a certificate. I also sat with him and we made a placemat for him with him with lists of healthy foods for Breakfast, Lunch and Tea and then a list of treat foods. I got him to tell me which of the foods were healthy choices as we made it together. Anyway fast forward and this child will be 7 very soon and he's still with me and will now eat anything I give him :thumbsup:
I wouldn't not take a contract on for a fussy child but I would make it very clear to mum as to how I work and what food I offer.

xxx

[smurfette]

I batch cook at the weekend or make double portions of lasagna, shepherds pie etc and freeze. I also use a slow cooker, love that I can prepare in the mornings when little ones are free playing or after lunch when they are sleeping. I also try to do things I can pop in the oven and leave like pasta bake or a roast.

I also don't cook separate things, all eat whatever is cooked. They soon get with the programme ESP if there is desert!

[miffy]

I use my slow cooker a lot, I love the ease of throwing everything in there in the morning and a meal pops out at night - magic!

I also double up on recipes and freeze extra portions so if I do get stuck there's usually something in the freezer.

Older children often like helping to make tea - one of our favourites is making their own sandwiches, they decide ahead what they want so I make sure I've got everything.

I'm sure you'll be fine.

Miffy xx

[rickysmiths]

Rickysmiths I admire your stand re nuggests and fish fingers.

Funnily enough two out of the seven i cook for literally will eat nothing else plus beans (except maybe bread and butter) How would you deal with that? Would you not take on the contract?

Luckily I have never in 18 years had any children like that. Maybe because we all sit down together and everyone has the same helps. Also I don't give them a choice to be picky and I have a policy you have a bit of everything on your plate and you try it before you say you don't like it. Many a child has been surprised at what they find they like!! I have always been a great believer in doing this and the children seem to enjoy it.

Perhaps because I love cooking so it is never a big deal for me, I will cook for 100 without a second thought, so I don't get stressed over it either, so the children are relaxed I don't know.

I always thought that old fashioned school diners were good at getting children to try everything because they all had the same.

[jadavi]

Yea I agree about the school dinners.

Both boys refuse to try anything else and parents expect me to go along with their faddiness. What makes it worse is the parents pretend (it's wishing really) that there are a few things 'he will eat' but guess what... Hey ho no. Wasted food again. I hate it because it's not fair on the other kids and it feels so unhealthy. The boys are uncomfortable about it and quick to say 'don't worry I'll eat at home' (they are five years old)

[rickysmiths]

Yea I agree about the school dinners.

Both boys refuse to try anything else and parents expect me to go along with their faddiness. What makes it worse is the parents pretend (it's wishing really) that there are a few things 'he will eat' but guess what... Hey ho no. Wasted food again. I hate it because it's not fair on the other kids and it feels so unhealthy. The boys are uncomfortable about it and quick to say 'don't worry I'll eat at home' (they are five years old)

Well that would be simple for me then. I will provide a sandwich and fruit for lunch and the parents can do dinner when they get home :thumbsup:

I will not panda to fads for anyone I never did for my own children and I won't for minded children.

[zippy]

Hi, I used to do dinner for 8 regular, it was fine as long as I was organised you need to cook things that you can prepare earlier in the day, like lasagne, shepards pie etc. if you haven't already got one invest in a big slow cooker, I do things like meatballs and chunk beef in it which is stewing steak in a tomato Italian sauce (very yummy) lol. Just stay away from fiddly meals. Another tip would be to make sure there are activities set up in more than one room, I learnt very quickly that 8 kids in one room so doesn't work lol. Lots of trips to park lol.

[zippy]

Well that would be simple for me then. I will provide a sandwich and fruit for lunch and the parents can do dinner when they get home :thumbsup:

I will not panda to fads for anyone I never did for my own children and I won't for minded children.

Completley agree, it may feel easier to go along with kids at first, but trust me it works out more time consuming and more expensive in the long run, a decent home cooked meal will be much better, much less fidly and it will be cheaper when cooking for lots of kids, don't get me wrong if a kid doesn't like broccoli I don't begrudge them leaving a little as long as they've ate theyre other veg. I always offer a fab pudding, it's amazing how quickly they come round.