Buying alcohol when minding.

[eddie]

I personally wouldn't buy it whilst with mindees, especially cigarettes (if I smoked).

I got asked by Ofsted if there was any alcohol in the house at my last inspection - there was but it was in the garage. I remember being a little annoyed at the intrusion into every part of our lives.

[starschildmind]

In my oppion i dont think its wrong but i think its 'good practice' not to buy it while having mindies

My children and i wear high visability jackets when we are out and i wouldnt buy alcohol when i have them on. Because i see it as 'good practice' not to. I make my dh get it on the way back from work.

I look at it as i wouldnt be happy if my child was in a cm care and she went and got alcohol. I wont have any alcohol on show while i am minding. Its locked in the shed..

[amylouise867]

It's not personally something that I would do either but each to their own x

[oxfordshirecm]

I certainly wouldn't buy it when minding- taking them shopping is a learning experience so going to buy alcohol is not exactly teaching them the right thing surely

[cathtee]

I have bought a bottle on the odd friday when I have not shopped as its my friday night treat, and not really put much thought to it, I can't see a problem with it, nearly all of my mindees parents buy me a bottle at xmas and give it to me in front of children

[Daftbat]

Alcohol should not be consumed or on show in cm premises is my understanding of the requirements. We had a BBQ at the weekend and had wine left over and had to find room in my cupboards for it....mind you it helps to prevent me from seeing it and having a drink more often than I should (in my own time of course)!

It does feel very intrusive at times having lots of things to consider but if we look at it from the parents point of view I wouldn't be happy to see alcohol on show in a cm home and certainly wouldn't like to think it had been bought on a shopping trip with mindees.

[wendywu]

I dont drink full stop, my shopping gets delivered. But i i needed a bottle of sherry to add to a trifle say, it would not bother me nipping into a shop on route somewhere during my daily rourine and buying a bottle.

Cant be much of a BBQ the minder was having if she could carry all the booze needed in two plastic carrier bags on the handlebars of a buggy

[lozzy23]

I have bought a bottle on the odd friday when I have not shopped as its my friday night treat, and not really put much thought to it, I can't see a problem with it, nearly all of my mindees parents buy me a bottle at xmas and give it to me in front of children

I go to the local shop with my friend who is a CM, she will sometimes buy a bottle of wine or a packet of cigarettes with her shopping, I have never ever thought anything about it at all. I am teetotal and a non smoker so I don't need to

I hope I do not cause any embarrassment at school today as I have bought her a bottle of wine (not with mindees!) for her Birthday and will give it to her in the playground

[rickysmiths]

If as I used to I was passing the shops on the way back from a school run or it was part of a bigger shop then no I wouldn't think twise about buying alcohol while I was working.

Once in the house Spirits are stored in a glass fronted cupboard locked in our living room, no longer used for minding apart from sleeping but it has been for 15 years of my minding. Wine is either in the fridge or on a rack in our Utility room which has an alarm on the door. Sometimes there is a stoppered bottle of wine next to my knives on my countertop which is used for cooking.

I have never been questioned by an inspector. I have risk assessed that it is out of reach and sight. If an inspector asked if I had alcohol in the house I wouldn't mind telling them and telling them how I keep it safe. I don't see it is a different to being asked where and how I may keep my medication.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I wouldn't make a trip for booze/cigs but if I was in the shop, saw it, needed it then I would buy it. I am not drinking it

[Bumble Beez]

I got asked by Ofsted if there was any alcohol in the house at my last inspection - there was but it was in the garage. I remember being a little annoyed at the intrusion into every part of our lives.

I was once asked this on an inspection and my answer was...'yes lots, would you like some?' She laughed it off and I got a good grading but she was a lovely inspector and was on my wavelength

Sarah x

[emma04]

I've never hidden my wine, ever!

Surely if we keep hiding things from children and protecting them from every sin imaginable, in future none of them will understand how to deal with life!!!

Oh! Look! a fresh cup of tea, never seen or been close enough to one of those, wonder what happens when I touch it.....OUCH!!!!........an appropriate sentence when spoken by a young child........will be slightly more worrying when teenagers start saying stuff like that!!!

Mrs O can fire me if she likes! But I'm a firm believer in relaxed learning, through day to day ventures which include appropriate and sometimes slightly less appropriate visions!
Scary masks
Scary people
Foul mouthed individuals out and about
Spiteful children with banshee mothers
Fagash Lil's outside shops and schools
Cans and bottles strewn around the park
Cigarette packets floating in the duck pond

The wine in my kitchen seems tame in comparison!

[Nicola Carlyle]

Ok so I have a 7 bottle wine fridge in my kitchen. Ofsted NEVER mentioned it during pre reg inspection so to keep it hidden is news to me.

[Samijanec]

I've no idea what ofsted think but CI are very certain about it not being on show. During my pre inspection I was told that it had to be out of site, ( mine was on top of the little wall cupboards so well out of reach) straight away she said it had to be moved and then at my first inspection when he asked to see the kitchen he looked around and then asked where any alcohol was stored. I showed him it hidden away and he said good. Not that I have much anyway, but it's got to be hidden..

[Samijanec]

Sight not site, silly me.. I think the heat has frazzled my brain..

[mum2two]

Oh - i forgot that none of the parents EVER drink, so never have alcohol in view around the children.... :-/

I'm going to be in trouble on my next inspection then, as we had a new kitchen fitted in Feb - with the inclusion of a wine fridge - where I keep my wine!!! It's not open bottles - as they lie flat, and I buy from France where they are still all corked!

[hectors house]

When I minded full time I would take the children shopping with me - I bought everything I needed and wanted to buy - just as their parents would if they took them shopping - I don't think they would ever not pick up a bottle of wine or pack of beer just because they had a child in their trolley. If I ever did take the children shopping again, I don't feel the need to explain everything that goes in my trolley!

The EYFS says in the Stat guidance what we are and are allowed to do - I feel that lots of things get made up by paranoid childminders who think too much about being perfect.

[loocyloo]

I've never hidden my wine, ever!

Surely if we keep hiding things from children and protecting them from every sin imaginable, in future none of them will understand how to deal with life!!!

Oh! Look! a fresh cup of tea, never seen or been close enough to one of those, wonder what happens when I touch it.....OUCH!!!!........an appropriate sentence when spoken by a young child........will be slightly more worrying when teenagers start saying stuff like that!!!

Mrs O can fire me if she likes! But I'm a firm believer in relaxed learning, through day to day ventures which include appropriate and sometimes slightly less appropriate visions!
Scary masks
Scary people
Foul mouthed individuals out and about
Spiteful children with banshee mothers
Fagash Lil's outside shops and schools
Cans and bottles strewn around the park
Cigarette packets floating in the duck pond

The wine in my kitchen seems tame in comparison!

I agree! I had a bottle of pimms on the side. .. mindees all told me their respective mummies like pimms!

[hectors house]

I agree! I had a bottle of pimms on the side. .. mindees all told me their respective mummies like pimms!

Surely that is first stages of reading "recognising labels and logos" it's in the Development Matters! So if you and their respective mummies had put the bottles out of sight, that observation would have been missed.

[emma04]

I agree! I had a bottle of pimms on the side. .. mindees all told me their respective mummies like pimms!

Well, two of my mindees, on separate occasions have pretended to drink wine (verbally mentioned) out of play wine glasses (at the local children's centre)

Firstly, it proves that they learn it from somewhere anyway!! Home, relatives, television etc! (I've never drank wine whilst working!)

Secondly, should we be carefully sifting through our role play equipment to ensure all play wine glasses are removed to eradicate any alcohol references during play!!! Lol

Anyone remember those sweetie cigarettes and then the ones that were made of chocolate covered in white paper!
I used to buy them on the way home from primary school!!

Guess what?? I'm not a 40 a day chain smoker as a result of eating them!!!