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Bendy
06-01-2011, 10:07 PM
Just wondered how many of you start your day at 7am?

I've been asked to do a school drop off only two days a week (weds and fri)starting at 7am.

I usually get up at 7am on a normal school/working week and start work at 8.15am when first mindee is dropped off and to be honest that is a rush. We are a household of 4. My two children are primary school age so organising them to get dressed/eat breakfast/brush teeth etc can be a nightmare.

As I type this I'm wondering whether I actually want the extra hassle, although I keep telling myself its only two mornings they are not consecutive and I do need the money.

Have any of you ever regretted taking on an early start?

Also if it was your child would you expect the whole household to be up and ready for their arrival or is it alright for my children to have just woken up and spend the next hour going through the normal morning routine.

Her mum has suggested that I just sit her in front of the television and she will be fine :eek:

I'm a bit apprehensive about the whole thing :(

Help

Trouble
06-01-2011, 10:10 PM
my friend does it and she says she is soooo tired from doing it

i personally couldnt do it :panic: :panic:

clio0602
06-01-2011, 10:14 PM
I usually start at 7.30 but lo, who is dropped off by Grandma, needs to be dropped at 7am when Grandma is on hol about 10 wks a yr.

I regret it everytime she goes away as I'm not a morning person and struggle for the 7.30am start. Also my kids get woken up and tend to be grumpy on those days too.

Not that I want to put you off. It may work for you if you're more organised than me. Maybe you could just provide colouring or other quiet activities including tv if thats her normal routine xx

linda2girls
06-01-2011, 10:14 PM
I have a 16 month old mindee come to me at 7am on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I'm not a morning person and to be honest, I dread getting up early. My family do not get up and I'm sure the mindees mum doesn't expect them to.

It probably would be easier if this mindee would sit in front on the TV and I could just chill for half an hour with a cup of tea, but she doesn't stay still for a second. It would also be easier if it wasn't 3 consecutive days.

In future, I'm not agreeing to any 7 o'clock starts but as I say I'm really not a morning person.

Sorry, that probably hasn't helped at all.

Linda.

Chatterbox Childcare
06-01-2011, 10:16 PM
I have done early starts, ocassionaly 6.30am but 7am is okay if it isn't everyday. Most children aren't awake at that time and the tv would be fine until your house is up and about

Is the money work it? only you can decide that. I would charge from 6.30 as you would be up then for an hour and then a set charge until school starts (suggest £7.50 incl breakfast)

Pixie dust
06-01-2011, 10:17 PM
I used to do a 6.30 start which was hard for me but the children I minded were fine they would come in a sit quietly for a bit snuggled up with blankets then by the time we had breakfast etc it was time for school. I kept my own childrens routine the same wouldn't dream of getting them up earlier. Must admit was pleased when the mum changed her job.

Minstrel
06-01-2011, 10:18 PM
have done a 5.45am start for a short contract and i nearly killed me!

Now do (when not on mat leave) 7.30am starts and that is plenty early for me. Like you I have 2 young ones who have to be ready for school and now a baby of my own to be getting ready.

rickysmiths
06-01-2011, 10:27 PM
I have always done early starts. Even when my 2 were little. It was a bit nightmareish sometimes but it paid the bills.

My first ones now arrive at 7.15am 5 days a week as dh is up at 6.30 anyway the only time it is odd is in the school hols when the rest of the house dont have to get up. I always had very early starts when I worked as a Catering Manager so I don't really mind.

Bendy
06-01-2011, 10:36 PM
Thank you so much for the quick replies.

The child is in my daughters class so I also have the concern over their friendship and what effect it might have if they have a falling out. They are a class of girls that can be quite fickle at times.

I usually charge by the hour so was looking at £10 a day. Does that seem reasonable? or would you charge more I live in Bromley.

Even more confused now :o

Trouble
06-01-2011, 10:37 PM
have done a 5.45am start for a short contract and i nearly killed me!

Now do (when not on mat leave) 7.30am starts and that is plenty early for me. Like you I have 2 young ones who have to be ready for school and now a baby of my own to be getting ready.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :yawning:

Bridey
06-01-2011, 10:50 PM
One of my parents works shifts so every other week is 7am start for his two boys. TV works for them to begin with as they are still a little bit shell shocked when they first arrived ... as am I and their father, there's a lot of monosyllabic grunting at each other at the doorstep, all in good humour!

Then about 7.30 my 13 year old son is usually up and about so I do breakfast and from 8am my other pre-school mindees arrive and it starts livening up. I charge for the two hours.

I do find that getting up at this early hour means I'm more organised on these mornings than I am when I get up later to start at 8!

mushpea
07-01-2011, 07:04 AM
my earlist is 7.30am and i dont put the tv on as my kids are getting and getting ready for school as he arrives and this would distract them too much,,he normaly goes and sits queitly whatching the cats in the garden for a little while then plays. in the holidays mine lay in untill 8am or later ,, i dont make them get up just cause there are others here,, in holidays i will put the tv on for him for a little while but not too long as i have one arrive at 8am that would happily sit in front of it all day.

onceinabluemoon
07-01-2011, 07:24 AM
I start at 6.30 every day which means getting up at 5.30...

At the moment it'd killing me but before Christmas break I was used to it so it didn't really bother me too much. I just need to get back into the habit of going to bed earlier.

The mindees are 8 months and 5 years. I get lot of colouring and craft stuff out for the 5YO and feed the baby, play for a short while and put her back to bed.

At 7.30 I have two boys come in, aged 3 and 6.

I don't put the TV on and we manage just fine :)

carolyn01
07-01-2011, 07:51 AM
:panic: I would personally say don't start before 7.30 if you can. I have a baby mon, wed and thur who comes at 7 and then a boy who comes at 7 on tues, so fri is my only day I start at 7.30 and believe me that 30 mins makes such a difference! If I didn't need the money I would never do a 7 am start!

miffy
07-01-2011, 07:56 AM
Thank you so much for the quick replies.

The child is in my daughters class so I also have the concern over their friendship and what effect it might have if they have a falling out. They are a class of girls that can be quite fickle at times.

I usually charge by the hour so was looking at £10 a day. Does that seem reasonable? or would you charge more I live in Bromley.

Even more confused now :o

If you're unsure it will work out take it on for a month's trial and see how it goes.

What you're proposing to charge sounds reasonable - it has to be worth your while doing it or you will resent it!

Good luck

Miffy xx

mama2three
07-01-2011, 07:58 AM
It depends on your home really ;- I have no playroom so each morning it takes me the best part of an hour to 'set up' ready for the day , from displays and noticeboards , toys set up , activities..... I am up around 540 to be setting up at 6 for my 7am starts Mon - Wed. Must admit I look forward to my later starts at the end of the week! If I could just get up , do my quick checks and start - then 7am would be fine x

julie w
07-01-2011, 08:09 AM
I do 7am starts every day and the occassional 6.30. The children are aged 6 and 8 who come at these times so I do put the tv on as they are usually half asleep and I want them to feel at home. Also it give me chance to get things done. When I start at 6.30 I tell the parent that it will be telly and I will do some ironing (tho I wouldnt iron if I had a baby). So I get the ironing done and we watch a film. It works well for me. At 7.45 the normal days activities start. I wouldn't get the rest of the family up though.:)

singlewiththree
07-01-2011, 08:16 AM
I used to do 7.30am everyday and that was a killer with getting my own 3 ready. Now I only do that 1 day a week and 2 days at 8am the rest are later still and it is so much calmer in the morning, I've realised I take a while to come round in the morning especially if I haven't had a good sleep.

Vickster
07-01-2011, 08:29 AM
I couldn't do it. 8.30am id my earliest, i am not a morning person. I could do 8 as get up at 6.40am. My CM friend always gets up at 5.30am naturally so she offers early starts

SYLVIA
07-01-2011, 08:55 AM
My working day starts at 8 and that works for me. But I would work 7.45 but wouldn't really want earlier. Also think what time the kids will go home as that could be a very long day for everyone!

Helen Dempster
07-01-2011, 09:29 AM
I start at 7.30am and that's early enough for me. I don't mind it really, as my own ds gets up when the baby mindee is dropped off and we all have breakfast together without it being a rush. There are disadvantages though - the tiredness for one! I don't usually get into bed til about 11.30pm or later, and then I'm up at 6.30am so I'm shattered alot of the time! Even more so today, as I didn't go to bed til 2.30am last night cos I was feeling poorly. I suppose you could try it for a bit, see how you get on with it? Like you say, it's not 5 days a week, so might be ok for you.

Good luck anyway :D

JCrakers
07-01-2011, 10:14 AM
8am is the earliest I would do...I get up at 7.10am and thats early enough for me.

I hate it when someone asks me if they can drop off 10mins early..lol.
Im not a morning person AT ALL. (visualise the gruffalo..would you want to see that answering the door at 7am..lol)

The other reason I would never do an earlier start is because I only charge £3 an hour and Im not getting out of bed for an extra £3 :)

Becky x

sweets
07-01-2011, 12:58 PM
It depends on your home really ;- I have no playroom so each morning it takes me the best part of an hour to 'set up' ready for the day , from displays and noticeboards , toys set up , activities..... I am up around 540 to be setting up at 6 for my 7am starts Mon - Wed. Must admit I look forward to my later starts at the end of the week! If I could just get up , do my quick checks and start - then 7am would be fine x

:eek: i have no playroom either, but it takes me 5 mins to set up, i dont have posters up as the children dont look at them anyway and i will not have my house looking like a nursery. i usually just get 1 box of toys out for my early starter who comes at 8am 3 days a week but often i wait till she comes and ask her what she would like out. the others dont come till 8.45-9.15.

i wouldnt start earlier than 8, certainly not every day anyway.

The Juggler
07-01-2011, 01:22 PM
i struggle with 7.30 and that's only 3 days/week. i think i might manage 7am if it was only the 2 days but no more than that.

georgie456
07-01-2011, 01:32 PM
One of my schoolies does 7am starts every other week due to parent's shifts. When she arrives I always snuggle her on the sofa under a blanket with her breakfast and she watches tv while I get my own children up!
Winter is MUCH harder than summer!

Daisy1956
07-01-2011, 02:39 PM
I don't mind early start 7.30am every day but hate late finishes i am now finishing at 5pm for new mindees but have two older ones until 5.30pm (although usually 5.45pm ) but when they leave no more late finishes.