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View Full Version : Can you tell your house is usedfor cm?



Nature'sKids!
23-11-2011, 10:29 AM
I mean apart from toys, or artwork, how has it impacted on your home? How much, if anything, did you have tochange?

pinky33
23-11-2011, 10:36 AM
During the day you can. But outside working hours it's just our home.
The children fit into our environment not the environment fitting in with the children.

Twinkle-Toes
23-11-2011, 10:38 AM
Our dining room is now a 'play room'......other than that we just look like we have young kids. Safety gates, highchairs etc

We did buy a shed to store most cm'ing related stuff in but stuff went mouldy :eek:

FussyElmo
23-11-2011, 10:47 AM
Only in the dining room other than that its my home :thumbsup:

AliceK
23-11-2011, 10:47 AM
If you came into my house and didn't know I was a childminder then No you probably wouldn't know you'd just think my own 2 children were very lucky in having their own playroom full of toys and that their artwork is up in there too. The only thing that would give it away is my noticeboard in the playroom. Luckily as I have my own 2 young children I don't feel my house has been taken over as they would have their things around anyway but if my children were older then it would be different.

xxxx

JCrakers
23-11-2011, 11:00 AM
In the week you can probably tell because I dont take the stairgates down and the child seats are kept at the table and the plastic table cloth is kept on etc. the conservatory is the playroom and is jam packed with toys. At night I just close the door but its all still visible

Friday evening after work I put all the work related things away until Monday morning :D

sharonmanc
23-11-2011, 11:02 AM
have nto started minding yet, but my dining room will be my main play room, and it is not much different to how i have it for my own children, the only difference will be a notice board for art work, which I want for my daughter anyway, and toys which are a few more than you woudl have for one little girl. Also the garden has a little play house and slide which quite alot of people have for their children anyway.

I am hopign to keep my home as much like a home as possible

VeggieSausage
23-11-2011, 12:55 PM
mine now resembles a childrens nursery school - posters, welcome posters, certificates, artwork, mountains of toys and stuff EVERYWHERE!!! I lack a playroom, thats what I really want, no room however.

snufflepuff
23-11-2011, 01:08 PM
Nope! I never take my certificate/ parents poster down but if I did, you would never know I was a minder. My son is 2 so I'd have toys everywhere anyway (although less of them, lol!) and paperwork wise it's just a shelf full of files in the spare room and a small shelf in the living room. I like it this way- I don't earn anywhere near enough money to let childminding take over our home and lives.

Wendybird
23-11-2011, 01:12 PM
Mine looks pretty much like it did before I started CM, however, you definately know that little people are very important here. All our low shelves are filled with toys. Low coat hooks in the entryway, changing table, booster seats, etc. I'm actually very pleased with how my home looks. I keep it tidy and am lucky to have some really beautiful toys, so they don't bother me. There is too much (which doesn't stop me getting more!) and I won't be sad to put away the big little baby things for DS2 - like playmats, bouncy chairs, etc. I also have a large wooden farm, which doesn't flat pack like I thought it did when I got it - so is always out. I think I'll be selling it on reasonably soon - I need stuff that I can rotate and put away as we live in a very small house!

flowerpots
23-11-2011, 01:15 PM
If you came into my house and didn't know I was a childminder then No you probably wouldn't know you'd just think my own 2 children were very lucky in having their own playroom full of toys and that their artwork is up in there too. The only thing that would give it away is my noticeboard in the playroom. Luckily as I have my own 2 young children I don't feel my house has been taken over as they would have their things around anyway but if my children were older then it would be different.

xxxx

Same here:thumbsup:

Alibali
23-11-2011, 01:17 PM
As my children are older, then yes, you would definitely know, I no longer have a dining room (with beautiful mahogoney furniture) or a conservatory and i have photos/posters and artwork in my hallway, so you'd know as soon as you come in. I don't bother clearing it all away at weekends anymore- just have to take it all out again a day later. At Christmas i clear it all, but other than that it's there to stay!!

rickysmiths
23-11-2011, 01:27 PM
Mine does because my children are now 17 and 18 and I am lucky enough to have a room soley for the minded children but we use it as a spare room. It has a sofa bed in it but the billies and trofast units with the resources on are always up.

I take down all my certs etc when I'm not working and replace them with pictures. I only have one stairgate at the bottom of the stairs and it is one that rolls away so hardly shows when not in use.

No other rooms so any signs though so if I shut the playroom doors I have my home back.

When I used my only sitting room which I did until last year when we had the extension built, I used to take the toy boxes out into my shed when I wasn't working so there were no signs that I was a childminder when I was off duty.

Overall it doesn't bother me though, all my friends and family know I'm a cm.

Monkey26
23-11-2011, 02:06 PM
As my partner and I don't have any children then yes I would say people would guess I am a childminder as soon as they walked in the house!

When you open the front door there are 6 children's coat pegs and a plastic box full of wellington boots to the left. Then on the right hand side is our playroom which has 'playroom' written on the door with those lovely wooden letters (but we still close the door post childminding hours and I don’t even notice the letters anymore!). Then just up from that a roller blind stair gate at the bottom of the stairs.

As you go upstairs/further down the corridor to our living room and kitchen no there isn't much evidence of childminding :)

But then you hit the garden and come face to face with slides, bikes, sandpit etc etc hahahaha!

Love my job though and our home is definitely, over all, less childminding orientated than our previous flat where we didn't have much storage space or a playroom so I am happy and very lucky to have an understanding partner :D xx

The Juggler
23-11-2011, 02:08 PM
:ROFL1: ohhhh yes. actually if they thought I was mad enough to have so many toys and I wasn't minding I'd be mortified!

singingcactus
23-11-2011, 02:48 PM
Yes, people know straight away that I'm a childminder when they see our home. Don't have a problem with my home looking like kids play here every day. It doesn't look like a nursery though, I'm not a nursery, I don't want to look like a nursery, my home looks like a home where children come to play, and more than just my own children (2 of whom are teens).

Chimps Childminding
23-11-2011, 07:30 PM
Those that know my sons are now 19 and 20 would know I was a cm as i have toys, stairgates, high chairs, giraffe coat stand, posters etc. I have to admit I put as much away as I can if I am off for a few days, but don't bother too much over the weekend. I have an open plan kitchen/diner which I use for cm and use a babydan playpen as a room divider so most things are on display all the time!! Sometimes it gets me down and i would LOVE a playroom, but doubt I will ever get one :(

lozzy23
23-11-2011, 07:45 PM
Oh yes you would know.

I have an open planned house and the minded children have the run of the downstairs. My own children are older and have all their stuff in their own rooms. So before I became a childminder I had a lovely clear home.

NOW.........in the hallway: certificates on notice board on the wall, children's coat hanger, basket for after schoolies bags, large easel/notice board.

Lounge/diner - large storage unit with baskets of toys, games and puzzles, children's table and chairs (put to the side at weekends), large box of dressing up clothes. Hidden to the side of the sofa - large wooden dolls house, book box and happlyland box full of toys. Worst of all a pile of paperwork, which I look at and shuffle around several times a day:panic: Outside the french windows is a fenced area for the children with playhouse, sit and rides, children's bench, sand/water tray and music wall.

Highchair in the kitchen, two booster seats on the chairs and fruit/veg posters on the wall. Bathroom - poster to remind children to flush and one for handwashing.

I could hide in the utility room, although I am storing a large cardboard puppet theatre in there.

Bless my very patient hubby.:o

Playmate
23-11-2011, 08:23 PM
Yes you would know and i'm proud of that :D I work along side my hubby and it is our lives. To some we may seem sad, but we are passionate about what we do and that is deliver quality home base care :D Our certs, notice board and stairgate comes down when we have our holidays, but the rest of the time it stays up. Everything is packed away neatly into our conservatory at night time. One of son's friends (19) recently stated he loved our house because it felt homely and fun :laughing:

Roseolivia
24-11-2011, 08:34 AM
Yes, but i also have 2 under 5 children of my own so there are toys everywhere anyway. It doesn't bother me but my dp always whinges about toys everywhere but seems to forget our 2 children.

chez
24-11-2011, 08:58 AM
Yes we dont have any children of our own so I guess any childrens stuff being around would mean it would show. I dont tend to take stair gates down unless we have guests during the weekend.

I have 2 toy cabinates in the living room, and more toys around the room.

I also have 2 book shelves in the corridoor where we store learning journeys and resource books.

I have a childrens bedroom upstairs with the childrens bed, travel cot, wardrobe etc in it.

Also my no smoking sign says Im a registered childminder.

And I never take down my certificates.

However me and my OH are both minders and so really dont mind.

miffy
24-11-2011, 12:15 PM
Yes, I think visitors would soon know - the hand washing signs in the cloakroom might give it away, or the kitchen decorated with artwork and the toy boxes everywhere! :laughing:

Miffy xx

tulip0803
24-11-2011, 12:50 PM
Yes - The first thing people see when they come in the hall are my Registrations Certificates (in Wales and have 2 on wall).

Then there is the fire guard, stair gates, high chair, toys, multi language welcome posters, posters about illnesses, fire evacuation procedures and tons of pictures on the wall. My youngest is 8 so they are not needed for her - although sometimes I do wonder :rolleyes: !

Penny1959
24-11-2011, 01:12 PM
Visitors would know even before rang door bell!

First they have to get past my car on the drive (car seats, sticker in back window) then looking into porch they will see all the little wellies and the sign by the door bell saying Ofsted Registered childminder complete with member of NCMA logo and Ofsted outstanding kogo - I WANT peoplie to know I am a cm.

DH does not like me filling the porch with pushchairs and car seats -so I don't.

Step into the hall - and yes certificates, welcome poster, who has come to play board, gate into lounge.

Actually when not working lounge looks like a lounge as only use to sleep, musical activities and occassional TV.

But walk on through to what used to be the dining room, or the kitchen or the playroom- well I don't need to tell you

The only time it all goes away is if closed for a week or more (and holidaying at home)

Penny :)

Toothfairy
24-11-2011, 01:22 PM
Term time YES. Posters, certificates, Art work, Boxes of toys, stair gates etc etc but in the school holidays it all comes down and gets put away and I get my house back for a few days/weeks.

Andrea08
24-11-2011, 01:25 PM
oh lol my home is the home of a chidminder like mentioned certificates on the walls... prams , car seats of different stages, toys parent info art work etc etc and my youngest is 13 ... so glad i have a separate play room or i just couldnt live like this any more 20 yrs of toys and im starting to get fed up with it all... shame how the battery fary keeps taking them away lol

PixiePetal
24-11-2011, 02:52 PM
Depends - week on week I have highchairs folded in dining room and a buggy in the hall/kitchen and stair gate at bottom of stairs and between kitchen and dining room. As mine are teens these may be a giveaway. Toys and art are in the playroom - also has a futon for spare room use. My 2 don't generally use this room and I can close the door.

On my hols I remove gates, put highchairs in loft and buggy in summerhouse. Also garden toys hidden behind shed so on first glance, hidden :) so quite child free - except for certificate and parent poster on playroom door which I could take down but never bother.

I can make it look either way :)