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tommiitip
28-11-2008, 10:05 AM
hi
can anyone give me any advice on taking maternity leave in childminding?
i intend to only take 2 weeks off- well thats the idea at the moment depending on how well rest of pregnancy goes, but problem is when do i start the 2 weeks as obviously i wont be able to say when the baby is going to decide to make its appeance.
ideally, i would take a couple of days off before the birth and then the rest of 2 weeks for after birth, but obviously i am not able to give parents a date as i simple dont know specifically what day it will be coming.

and i know i have said only 2 weeks but what if i am not fit enough to towards end of pregnancy to childmind, or fit enough after birth?

i dont want to take too much time off as i am concerned that the parents will have to find alternatve childcare and so may decide to stay with that childcare instead,

i do have a list of emergency carers to step in but obviously they are only available for emergency as they have their own chidminding children.so couldnt cover mine for long periods of time.

so i just dont know what to do? any ideas anyone?

thanks
helen.

Minstrel
28-11-2008, 04:26 PM
I'm not really sure what you should do in your situation because personally i know i would take longer (probably 4-6 weeks).

The only thing i do know is that you are not allowed to return to work less than 2 wekks after giving birth as its illegal. I know its seems a strange thing to believe but true!

good luck with whatever you decide xxx (and with baby!) xxx

kiddiwinks
28-11-2008, 05:40 PM
I'm not really sure what you should do in your situation because personally i know i would take longer (probably 4-6 weeks).

The only thing i do know is that you are not allowed to return to work less than 2 wekks after giving birth as its illegal. I know its seems a strange thing to believe but true!

good luck with whatever you decide xxx (and with baby!) xxx


I also planned 2 weeks off, i worked 2 days before my son was due as it took it to the weekend. Son was 10 days late and rang parents to take extra few days of which took it to weekend again. I went back to work when son was 8 days old. Did not know that it was illegal though.

Minstrel
28-11-2008, 05:43 PM
Oh my 8 days ! you deserve a medal! i am sure i read it somewhere and not just got told the information about returning to work - i'll see if i can find it.

kiddiwinks
28-11-2008, 05:46 PM
Oh my 8 days ! you deserve a medal! i am sure i read it somewhere and not just got told the information about returning to work - i'll see if i can find it.

I was also worried about parents leaving. the children were just at the end of school hols so only had to take and pick up, the other under 5 was just 2 hours night 5 days every other week.

So did get to enjoy time with my son and 2 daughters most of the day as all under 5 years.

Minstrel
28-11-2008, 06:04 PM
heres the link but it talks about employers so maybe its different if you are self employed. Worth checking out though with your insurers to make sure you are covered if you go back less than 2 weeks after.

http://www.worksmart.org.uk/rights/do_i_have_to_take_maternity_leave

berkschick
28-11-2008, 06:42 PM
A childminder friend of mine is due in May.

She is loosing a child at xmas anyway and the other 2 mindees 4 of us are covering between us while she takes some leave. She was only going to take 2 weeks too but we have persuaded her to take at least 6. None of us will pinch her mindees though!! She has spoken to the parents and they are fine with the arrangements we have come too as we all know each others minded kids anyway.

Do you have any minder friends who could help you out for a few weeks?

Lincsminder
28-11-2008, 08:34 PM
I only have 2 children at the moment the other two left a few months ago and I never filled their places. I have decided to take the full 9 months off and make the most of the time with my own children, this will start next Friday which will mean I will return to work next September when the children start back at school.
The four year old I have part time will be going to another childminder he starts school next September anyway, and the after school child will also go to this minder but should come back to me next year as she is good friends with my daughter and I have arranged with her mum to have her little brother who is currently at the nursery where the mum works.
So for me it is all working out just fine and if it turns out something happens and they don't come back to me well its not the end of the world I am sure I will fill the space.
Also I can only have one under 5, so I'm currently earning less than the £117 maternity pay, which makes me better of financially to take the time off.

Raggydolls
03-12-2008, 10:15 AM
hi there, i have just started my maternity leave (as of last friday) im 28 weeks pregnant and am totally exhausted and havent had an easy pregnancy, so wanted some time to myself b4 baby was born (due feb) to sort out the house and college work and anything else that cropped up. i was only planning to take 4 weeks off but with everything thats happened its not been the case and im more than happy to lose over half my income so i can be less stressed, im certainly not regretting my decision to finish early and am looking forward to spending quality time when my son is born, and i dont have to rush back to work if i dont want to.

id certainly consider taking more time off and get your parents and the other minder who will be taking on your children to sign something agreeing that they will come back to yourself on such and such a date, if they then choose to leave u after that for the other minder they will have to come back to u for the 4 weeks notice period and then it gives u time to advertise for another mindee.

i wish u good luck in this

leanne
xx

katickles
03-12-2008, 10:25 AM
Hi

I am really lucky as I also was planning on taking just the two weeks & was worried about what happened as we never know when baby will make its arrival! I already have one dd who will just have turned two by the time my baby arrives.

It has turned out for me that one mindee's mums is also pregnant & due just before me by 2 weeks - so that means I will loose one mindee. (This mindee would have taken me over my numbers anyway) My other full time mindee is actually not 1 until 4 weeks after my due date, so I am not able to legally care for that mindee until one, so I have 4 weeks off that way. That mindee's mum is also taking the week before my due date as holiday so I can spend the last few days just dd & myself during the day. I do a school pick up each evening & have explained to mum that I am planning on taking the minimal amout of time off & she is just over the moon that I will carry on collecting her child, who loves coming to my house :D So I will probably just take the two weeks there & then still collect.

Hope my waffeling makes sense!!

loocyloo
03-12-2008, 08:38 PM
hi and congrats to all on or taking maternity leave!

when i was having DD, i worked until a couple of weeks before due date (easter!) ... lucky i did ... DD was early! then once DD was about 6 weeks, i had a couple of my afterschoolers for a few hours a week till the end of summer term (none of mine come in the holidays) and then went back to work FULL TIME come september. the parents of my afterschoolers mainly managed to cover the time i was off with friends or other minders, and all came back, apart from a couple who were leaving anyway, and my little ones were pretty moving on to nursery/school etc. i was sad to lose some twins i had, but as DS was under 5, i couldn't keep them on anyway (and they were only 2 days a week) i was lucky, and found a babe to start full time in the september ( and had permission to have 2 under 1!)

does any of that make sense? some parents will do everything they can to help, and some do what they want, and there isn't much you can do about it! i have a friend who lost a family when she went on maternity leave as parents said she wouldn't be able to give the care they required, as she would be tired etc, caring for a baby!

xxx

tommiitip
04-12-2008, 01:16 PM
hi
thanks for all the replies. think your right in that the parents will be helpful as much as they can, as they are all really good 'mindie' parents. just want to cause as little disruption to them and children as possible really.

i have quite an easy time at the mo with the minded children as i only have to do a morning and afternoon school run for older ones (who are gone by 5.30) and then have 1 little one for 4 hours during the day, and he sleeps for half of that, so do have it quite easy at mo- hense the fact i think i will be ok with only taking the 2 weeks off.

as for asking other childminders for help with cover-
i do have 2 childminders on emergency stand by but problem is that they are full up so can only do short time emergency cover and not for any longer, so thats my problem really. just a pain i cant give my parents an exact date so that they can sort out the cover themselves with family members maybe.

not due till end of feb so have some time to think it over still.
thanks for replies anyway ladies.

helen
x