Need to start locking my front door!

[snufflepuff]

Not only does this parent turn up late at the end of the day with either no excuse or a pathetic one, stay chatting for ages (usually at least 30 minutes), ask about my income and assume i am now on 'big bucks' because i have taken on extra children......she has also started to let herself in! She did it on Friday and again this morning- im sat there in the lounge with my son and mindee and she walks in, giving me a heart attack.
So, im now keeping the door locked.
Next she will be making herself a cup of tea!

[PixiePetal]

no one can walk into my house without me knowing - it a safeguarding issue :thumbsup: ;)

[angiemog]

My door is always locked. On occasion I have sent parents a text to say we are in the garden so come straight in, I then leave the door unlocked. That would only be though when we are all in the garden and I know parents will all be arriving shortly. x

[Cazz]

My front door is always locked with the key up on a hook - I thought this was a requirement for safeguarding anyway?

[Daftbat]

I have an entrance through my garage in to the kitchen which is usually bolted but in case it isn't i have a notice on the door which asks them to knock and then WAIT!. I have a dog which could escape too if people just barged in and i also thjink its the height of rudeness - i would never just walk in to someone elses home - apart from my own parents!

[Mookins]

:eek: :mad:

how rude is that...next she will ask for you to move up in bed....

bloomin cheek, although i did also think this was supposed to be locked at all times with key on a hook!

x x x

[snufflepuff]

I usually lock it once the last mindee gets here, but when they are arriving i leave it open....usually because DP has just left for work and im too busy getting myself and DS ready to go and lock it behind him.
The impression i got when i did my DHC was that the idea of locking it is to stop mindees being able to get out, rather than to stop people getting in. Thats why they say to have the keys hung up high so LOs cannot reach. I suppose you never imagine anyone just wandering in to your house!

[Spangles]

That's really rude but shouldn't your door really be locked anyway? If the parent can walk in without you knowing and give you a heart attack so could anyone else? Also children at a certain age can just let themselves out.

I'm not trying to be funny but I do genuinely think that the door should be locked?

Doesn't change the fact that this parent is very, very presumptious and rude! Poor you!

[sonia ann]

this is why no one can get into my house without a key.....................when we had our windows and doors changed years ago they tried to fit a door handle on the front door and couldn't understand why we wouldn't want one.........................I on the other hand can't understand why you would want a handle on the outside :panic:

[rickysmiths]

We are having an extension built in which will be the door which the mindees will arrive and depart through. The builders and window company think I am really strange because I want an old fashioned wooden door not a UPVc one.

It is because I hate the idea that you have to lock the door on the inside and take out the key. There has been lots of debate on here as well about the insurance implications of hanging the key on a hook by the door.

Good olf fashioned door with yale locks. No-one can get in from the outside and no-one can get ou from the inside and it is locked with a key.

That parent is very rude though, mine would always ring the door bell, not just walk in. You really should keep the door secured so people can't just open it and walk in when you have mindees in the house.

[aly]

That's really rude but shouldn't your door really be locked anyway? If the parent can walk in without you knowing and give you a heart attack so could anyone else? Also children at a certain age can just let themselves out.

I'm not trying to be funny but I do genuinely think that the door should be locked?

Doesn't change the fact that this parent is very, very presumptious and rude! Poor you!

Exactly!
mINE IS ALWAYS LOCKED, not just for children letting themselves out but people chancing the door???

[Hebs]

my front door is always locked,

last summer there were alot of burgularys round here where the people were in the garden and the theives just walked in through the unlocked front door, helped themselves and walked back out again :panic:

[snufflepuff]

Like i said, it is usually locked with the key hung up high in the hallway. It was only open because my DP had just gone out to work and i hadnt locked it behind him because i was getting my son dressed etc. Of course if she is going to let herself in i will have to ask DP to lock us in as he leaves from now on!

[Carol M]

Cheeky so and so!
I know of a recent case locally(NOT me by the way) where a 2yr old opened the front door to his mum! Minder was in kitchen and not aware. Mum wandered through lounge and asked children where minder was!!
OMG it just doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened. All children let out or someone could have stolen a child, I feel sick thinking about it.
Minders excuse to mum..... I told him not to do that!!
My house is like Fort Knox, locks, bolts and alarm system and parents know I will not open door untill I can see who it is through glass.
Def get Dp to lock on exit.
Carol x

[Ticktoria]

My front door is always locked, when we moved here (South Wales Valleys) a couple of my neighbours questioned me as to why the door was locked - most people just walk into houses they know with a "helloo" mmmmm not for us thank you! :panic: But instead of telling the truth and saying I'd would be furious if someone just walked in, I have the excuse of a 'door opening' dog and toddler!

[mama2three]

I must admit that getting into the habit of locking the door was really difficult when i started minding . My mindees also know that they are not allowed to open the doors , it is a grown up job - as they have occasionally run out whilst mum is collecting / chatting. they are used tio coming in and out themselves at home , where they are aqllowed to play out in the street- ( 3 and 5!)

[Cazz]

My front door is always locked, when we moved here (South Wales Valleys) a couple of my neighbours questioned me as to why the door was locked - most people just walk into houses they know with a "helloo" mmmmm not for us thank you! :panic: But instead of telling the truth and saying I'd would be furious if someone just walked in, I have the excuse of a 'door opening' dog and toddler!

My husband's family all live in South Wales and we used to stay with his mum when we visited. I couldn't believe it one day when we were going out but didn't know what time we would be back, she was going to visit her sister in the afternoon so she said "I'll leave the door unlocked in case you're back before me" :eek:

And you're right everyone does just walk in and shout "Helloooo!" :laughing:

[dlissaman]

my door is always locked. I have had parents that have arrived 'early' i have delayed opening the door whilst i am busy hoovering etc.

On a funny note i have a friend who leaves her door open and she has a neighbour that is always walking in. She told me the other day that the neighbour walked in and yelled 'helloo' my friend was in the bath and replied with that information. The neighbour replied 'o.k. i will just make myself a cup of tea'. WHAT !!!!

[snufflepuff]

I have had parents that have arrived 'early' i have delayed opening the door whilst i am busy hoovering etc.

This would solve my problem of parents arriving early! i usually hoover in the evening but perhaps if i do it in the morning so i cant hear the door, and switch it off just before their contracted start time.....mind you, one is up to 25 minutes early and thats a long time to have the hoover on, lol!

[Ripeberry]

Maybe it's time to get a door that stops anyone opening it from the outside.
But of course you will need a keysafe and keys on a chain in case you lock yourself out :eek:
Although it's very quiet where I am, I could not be in a house that anyone could walk in at anytime :(

[babs]

my door is locked at all times when mindees are here.. but i do admit to sitting here waiting for hubby to come in at 3am from work with the door unlocked and me watching summit of tv that scares the xxxx out of me that i cant get up and lock it :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: i also fall asleep on sofa and mant a time hubby has come in made a cuppa got changed the woke me up :eek: :eek: :eek: could of been anyone....

[Blue Boy]

Totally agree with others. When we had our inspection as the inspectors (we had one each!) got into the house, I locked the door and they both made a note of this.

[LOOPYLISA]

Im not a cm anymore but i always lock the back door :thumbsup:

[snufflepuff]

Well, she tried to get in again when she picked LO up......i wonder how many times it will take before she realises i dont want her walking in!

[TheBTeam]

Well, she tried to get in again when she picked LO up......i wonder how many times it will take before she realises i dont want her walking in!

Some people just dont grasp! I have a front door that you need a key to get in, but I do not lock it when we are inside, but I bolt the top of my hallway door, so that I do not need to fiddle to get key into lock if we need to leave in a hurry, and the children do not have unsupervised access to the small entrance hall, i just have to unbolt the top little bolt if we need to get out in a hurry.

My back door stays unlocked during minded hours, but we have a back garden gate which is locked and leads to an alleyway and that has a gate at the end that is also locked.

[nannymcflea]

My front door is always locked with the key up on a hook - I thought this was a requirement for safeguarding anyway?


Yes,door locked, key out of reach of children but accessable to adults.Good practice.:thumbsup:

[miffy]

Well, she tried to get in again when she picked LO up......i wonder how many times it will take before she realises i dont want her walking in!

You could just tell her! Cheeky woman!

I always keep my door locked too.

Miffy xx

[francinejayne]

I live in a quiet residential area, one of those where nothing exciting ever happens!
A few years ago my OH was working from home (pre childminding days!) in the office upstairs. He heard the front door open and close and wondered who it was - I should have been at work and the children should have been at school. He went downstairs to discover a man from the local old people's home, very confused and disorientated! The poor man meant no harm at all, but it made my OH realise that it could have been a completely different story. He now locks the door. I always did and still do!
As a parent that would be a requirement for my childminder regardless of safeguarding requirements!

[karen m]

I was told by mrs O That door should always be locked and key hung out of reach

[louise-marie]

Well, she tried to get in again when she picked LO up......i wonder how many times it will take before she realises i dont want her walking in!

I would tell her that she can't just let herself in as you could be changing a childs nappy and it would be against the childs rights to have just anyone having a look.
i had a parent that kept going into my fridge to put babies bottle in there, she'd spend about 30 secs having a good look in there too. in the end as asked her not too as i store children's medicines in there and it would be breaking confidence if she knew what the child was taking. :p

[mushpea]

My door cant be opend from the outside even when left unlocked you need a key to open it, plus i have a bolt acrross the top of the door so they cant try and run out again when parent has left