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helendee
31-07-2011, 03:07 PM
Do any of you lovely CMs who don't drive ever feel like me, like I am letting my los down by not being able to take them to lovely places like the zoo, seaside etc? I often read how others with cars seem to have big days out and I feel a little inadequate when I can only take mine to the local park and city farm. We have a local toddler group which is only open on Thursdays and Fridays and the rest of the time we go to the shops, play in the garden and do activities in the house.
Being a non-driver doesn't stop me getting work but does seem to foster a sense of being an inferior Childminder!:(

manjay
31-07-2011, 03:16 PM
I do drive but I don't do trips to the zoo or seaside:D . The zoo is too expensive and the seaside is an hours drive.

Instead we have great fun in the local area. Sounds like it isn't affectng your business so I am sure it is only you that worries about it:thumbsup:

onceinabluemoon
31-07-2011, 03:28 PM
I dont drive, we just get the bus to places. We're a bit limited with times but still get out.

I live at the beach and we go to the park and stuff but never get to the city farm because its too far away, lol.

I dont feel second rate or inadequate because I do my best. You do your best too so dont feel bad x

QualityCare
31-07-2011, 03:34 PM
I do drive but don't do days out, the car is for school runs, there's lots to do local and being in with the children is what childminding is all about that's what the parents pay us for. To be honest if my children were with a childminder who constantly took them to zoo's, seaside etc l would feel very inadequate as a parent because l wasn't able to do that for my children. (sorry if l offend anyone)

lozzy23
31-07-2011, 03:39 PM
I don't drive, but like you I take the LO's to the park, local shops and our local school has sheep, a shetland pony and some pigs (our local farm!). Their favourite place is the local gym, we go every Friday and it is about 10 minutes walk away.

I have, like you, felt they may miss out, but the closest beach is about 1.5hrs away, not a great drive for littlies. 3 of my mindees are away at the beach this week (so something they can share with their parents).

The parents don't mind that I don't drive as they want their children to walk/or travel by buggy to places, such as school runs, park and into town to get fresh air and exercise.

We should feel happy about what we can provide for the mindees and not what we can't.:clapping:

blue bear
31-07-2011, 05:08 PM
I do drive but mainly choose not to, it's so much healthier to walk and the children grow up fit and healthy with lots if fresh air. Trips out are treats and only occasional, we very rarely go in the car and I don't feel like the children miss out. I provide a home from home environment not home from zoo or beach.

PixiePetal
31-07-2011, 05:31 PM
I don't drive and live in the country so buses are few and far between to our nearest town and then another bus/train to where ever we go. I do trips occasionally - but don't feel bad if I don't as we have a great time with what is local - lots of fresh air and running about. :)

I am taking LO to farm park on Thursday - 2 buses each way but have got it down to a fine art now, picking up picnic stuff from supermarket in town as we go through, as there is a 45 min wait for 2nd bus:rolleyes: spend so long on buses I wonder sometimes why I do it but a change of scene is good for a change, but only once a month at most :thumbsup:

snufflepuff
31-07-2011, 05:40 PM
I drive but don't go on many big trips! Partly because of the cost and partly because i'm not at all confident about driving in places I don't know well. So we don't tend to go far, unless OH is with me.

mushpea
31-07-2011, 06:05 PM
I had a whole sumer holidays one year without a car and we walked to the woods, the local parks, libary and shops to choose cooking stuff, I now have a car and we do use it in the holidays to go to different parks, I actutaly think the sumer walking everywhere was just as nice as driving everywhere as when we walked every where we saw much more happening around us plus the walking to and from passed more time where as now we drive to different parks that we wouldnt have been able to walk to
so what i am trying to say as both have their pros and cons and as you and the children enjoy what you do I wouldnt worry about it,, they cant miss somthing they've not done or been to.

debratina
31-07-2011, 08:15 PM
i don't and its never stopped me from going anywhere. i live in derby and been to birmingham several times with mindees, york, drayton manor, skegness, london to name but a few places. the mindees love the bus or train. in derby we are lucky in the holidays the on the bus we can get a family saver for £6 for 2 adults and 3 children. this ticket can get us around the midlands for a day. on the train i always buy a family railcard which makes the tickets cheaper.

samb
31-07-2011, 09:14 PM
I do know what you mean about feeling inferior. I do drive but chose not to use my car for cm for the first year. I have recently renewed my car insurance (3 weeks ago) and have decided to add on the business insurance so that I can use it if I want to. So far I have not used it but tomorrow I will. We are meeting with some of the other cm at a park that is about a 30 min drive. The cm group are meeting twice a week over the summer hols but we are only going to 2 trips - this is because I can only fit 3 car seats in my car - so my 2 plus 1 mindee so if I have any more we can't go in the car anyway. I find my mindees enjoy the bus (hourly from here) and the train(half hourly on 1 line and hourly on other line) as they don't get to go on public transport with family. Sometimes I feel inferior to the cm who have people carriers and can fit lots in but to be honest I feel I occupy them enough with a varied timetable. We are lucky to have 5 parks in walking distance so even going to different parks gives a variety. It is difficult to not compare yoursefl to others but try looking at what variety you do give your mindees - I think it's a shame when they are so busy going to different places that they haven't had time to play/cook/read etc

green puppy
01-08-2011, 09:01 AM
I don't drive but that doesn't stop the children having trips out. We sometimes get the bus, go in a car with another cm ort walk. My lo's are 3 and under so I think it's more important for them to have experiences at home and trips out in there local community. I took 4 lo's to our natural history museum, they loved getting the bus, walking through the town centre and around the museum, and walking back through the centre to wait for the bus again. They saw so much more than they would have travelling in a car. I think some trips are for the parents to take them on as a family like the seaside etc.... Plus I wouldn't feel comfortable taking 3 or 4 lo's to the seaside.

JCrakers
01-08-2011, 09:13 AM
I do drive but only have my husbands car which is a company car so although Im insured Im not insured for work.

I do get a bit frustrated with not being able to go out places and I have to walk everywhere but we go to parks, toddler groups etc so its not affected my work too much.
Becky

watgem
01-08-2011, 06:36 PM
I don't drive drive and feel exactly the same as you, and my charges reflect this because I do often feel my service might be inferior as a result, but I still got a good Ofsted, and people still want me to mind for them despite this, and not all of my parents give permission for their children to be transported in cars. Most importantly the children still seem to want to come to me, except when its raining on a school run:(

Dragonfly
01-08-2011, 06:53 PM
I think so many children go to so many different places now with their parents that they are happy to stay locally and go to the woods/park/nature walks etc etc. No I dont feel at all bad about not driving.

Bananabrain
01-08-2011, 07:20 PM
I don't drive. I thought it would be a problem not driving but isn't really.
In four years of minding I have done London trips, museums, bowling, cinema, farms, outings with CC's, parks [many and various]:laughing: airport [to see the planes]:laughing: etc,etc.
Today I took 11yr old mindee swimming. [Wouldn't do swimming with Lo's mind you]
Having never driven I have just learnt to be really resourceful. Always make sure I'm organised to the enth degree though. Have all the bus and train timetables with me!
I think sometimes I do more than childminders around here that do drive!
Don't sell yourself short.

louise
01-08-2011, 08:25 PM
I don't drive. I have found out now since I have to pay for the bus for mindees that the train is cheaper so we have gone of visiting new places and museums for less then the bus. I took the kids to a nice park local but ends up being two buses it cost me £7.90 for me and 2 kids and that was on offer where as a 20 min train ride was £4.55. But saying that today we have had lots of big boxes thanks to my neighbour, made fridge cake and done t-shirts and they said it was the best day. They spent ages with the boxes and want them again tom. I do feel a bit :( when I see other minders have been to places I can't get to but then as long as the kids have fun thats all that matters.

khlwomitchell
01-08-2011, 08:36 PM
my little village had a lovely park but a main road between me and there so its car almost all the time. my twenty min drive to toddler group is and hour and a half by bus but i know i'm just a lazy cow!
I admire you lot for your effort, going to beach (am 40mins from brighton) is great and gives easy observations too as they explore doing more basic trips mean you work hard to push them to new things. well done!

I mostly do it all for my own three kids, got a easily bored 5 yr old boy so i spend morning having fun and afternoon at home... spoilt to bits and my mindee just tags along, reaping the benefit!
I wish you all a sunny summer, nout worse that a wet walk to the park!!

The Juggler
01-08-2011, 08:58 PM
we rarely take the car anywhere. there is maybe 1 day a week I can use the car in the hols (numbers wise). I don't do anything expensive or far away. Its usually a nice big country park, woodland etc. I can't afford zoos or seaside trips for that many :laughing: :laughing:


mine do a lot of walking. struggling this week as I have 2 brothers who went hols only last Sept. So this year they've been everywhere in the car term-time so getting them to walk in the hols is hard work but I managed to get them walking and playing for 3 hours on wimbledon common the other day.:clapping: