Settling sessions and ratios

[Jacko81]

Hi
I have a new baby starting on Thurs (8mth old) and need some advise please. I am a firm believer in settling in sessions so i have booked mum to come along with baby on mon, tues and wed this week as i only have 1 mindee so have the space to settle her in.
Ive woke up last night and it has hit me like a ton of bricks that my current mindee is 10mth old so i will technically have 2 children whilst i settle the baby under 12 months!!!!!!!!!
What should i do???????
the baby has to settle and the baby will be here the day my mindee wont be but how on earth to a get round the settling session without either being over ratio or breaking my reg cert guidelines???
Also as of Thurs i will only have 1 space left which another child has taken and is due to start in april (which makes me full :clapping: ), what do i then do to settle her in????
Ah god im confussing myself now???
Help xxxxxx:panic:

[westbrom44]

If you arent registered to care for two children under 12 months then I am afraid you wont be able to do the sessions. However, if mum is visiting and staying with the baby then it should be fine as you are not minding the baby.

[Jacko81]

i wont care for the two babys at the same time, only for settling. how do other childminders settle new children in?? it seems impossible to me???

[flowerpots]

i would just do the settling in sesssions on the days the lo is booked in for, then you wont have 2 under 1 at the same time and baby gets to see the same faces she will on 'his/her days' iygwim?

:thumbsup:

[Jacko81]

I would normally but baby will only do 1 day a week, and starts this thursday, only regitered on fri.

[rickysmiths]

i wont care for the two babys at the same time, only for settling. how do other childminders settle new children in?? it seems impossible to me???

You can only settle in if you have the correct space. It is highly unlikely that you would get a Variation from Ofsted for this as well.

Personally I don't count time with parents attending as settling in as it isn't the situation the child is going to be in. I settle in by having the child on their own for one hour then two to three and then half a day at the most.

I have over the years taken on children who for various reasons could not do this kind of settling in. They have just stated on their start date. I have the first four weeks of the contract as Settling in when I or the parents can cancel the arrangement with no notice. The only thing is if the parents do they loose their Deposit, if I do I return the Deposit.

I have never had a problem with a child that this has happened with.

It is often the parent, who is understanderbly nervous, but to be honest they will still be even with settling in before hand, they are parents! I wept buckets when I left my dd, thought I was the worst parent ever, but I got over it!! She was happy and well looked after by her cm who after 18yrs we are still in touch with.

It sounds as if you may be better to take a similar tack with this child and offer the parents plenty of reassurance that it will all be fine. Be confident yourself and that will reassure them.

Other than taht you won't be able to take this child on and if you are full from April, settling in any new child could be an issue for you.

[Jacko81]

Thanks for your help!
My new child in April will make me full, not 'i am full now then taking new child on'.
I think i will get parent to stay with baby on this occasion and as for April, i will settle her on her days she will do but they will have to be week apart which i feel is not great to be honest.
Surely i cant be the only childminder to have this issue?

[rickysmiths]

I don't have a problem because I just do what I can at the time and can't get worried about it. I find a child will settle or they won't and the number of 'settling' in sessions doesn't make too much difference. especially for an under one yr old.

For example, I have a just 1yr old starting with me tomorrow. No settling in because the parents left looking for care so late. The child was with another cm 3 days last week because I couldn't do it and I was supposed to have them this week before they go on holiday by the time they come back the 2 who are on holiday next week will have left hence the vacancy.

mum dropped a bombshell this week and wants care for the week after next as well which I can't do. The child will be going to the other cm, then on holiday for 2 weeks and then will start with me full time.

Any settling in now would be a waste of time. The child, because his parents have left looking for care so late and booked a holiday 2.5 weeks after mums return to work after maternity leave of a year :eek: have made an odd situation. We just have to work with what we have got.

[caz3007]

I have been settling a Lo who was 10 months and we have been doing one day a week. Mum found me in January and wanted LO to come one day a week so mum was happy to leave her when she goes full time tomorrow. The one day a week has worked fine and we are both happy that LO will cope with being here 4 days a week.

Like Ricky says you have to work with the time and spaces you have and just hope for the best

[babs]

I don't have a problem because I just do what I can at the time and can't get worried about it. I find a child will settle or they won't and the number of 'settling' in sessions doesn't make too much difference. especially for an under one yr old.

For example, I have a just 1yr old starting with me tomorrow. No settling in because the parents left looking for care so late. The child was with another cm 3 days last week because I couldn't do it and I was supposed to have them this week before they go on holiday by the time they come back the 2 who are on holiday next week will have left hence the vacancy.

mum dropped a bombshell this week and wants care for the week after next as well which I can't do. The child will be going to the other cm, then on holiday for 2 weeks and then will start with me full time.

Any settling in now would be a waste of time. The child, because his parents have left looking for care so late and booked a holiday 2.5 weeks after mums return to work after maternity leave of a year :eek: have made an odd situation. We just have to work with what we have got.

i had this happen to me with lo i have we arranged date to start with settling in and when mum went back to work they told her she had to take her hols so ended up having a 3 weeks hols then lo started for 2 weeks and then they went away for 3 weeks so settling in was pointless before hand.... but lo did settle well... all mine have sort of signed up and come to me either couple of days after or next day apart from lo mentioned above...

[AnnieM]

To be honest, over the years I have taken on children with settling in sessions, but I have also taken on lots where I have not been able to settle them for one reason or another and they have been absolutely fine. :thumbsup:

[The Juggler]

I would normally but baby will only do 1 day a week, and starts this thursday, only regitered on fri.

then mum might have to do with the visit sessions with her and straight into in on Thurs. Sometimes there is not much choice. Unless she can leave him later in the day when other baby has gone home?

[Jacko81]

mum came and stayed with baby for an hour. everything was fine, im happy now:)
thanks for all your advise.

Note to self: take off 'nursery manager 'hat and replace with 'childminder' hat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!