Is this a workable arrangement re school run and after school clubs?

**Flipflopflo** · 29-01-2015, 03:51 PM

I have two new mindees starting in June. A baby and a 7 year old.

Mum has just informed me that she does an after school club that starts at 4.30 at a different location and would i be able to drop her there. This, in theory, is fine and do-able, but i'm just worried about how much walking it'd be for all of them.

So, i'd drop off mindee at 3.00 at a school and pick up 7yo from same school.
We then walk for 15 mins to DS's school (9yo) and pick him up.
We then walk back home for half an hour (past the hall where the after school club is held!), arriving at 4.
Quick change for 7yo and snack for every one.
Then off to after school club, a 15 min walk away to arrive at 4.30.
All with a 1yo and 26mo in tow.

And she will possibly have a friend with her, so possibly 2 7yos.

This is a bit silly isn't it? Or shall i just suck it up and do it? I'd be a bit disappointed about losing 2 mindees over this.

Another possibility...

7yos go to after school care and i pick them up from there at about 4.15 to take them to their club. This would at least minimise the walking for them. Not sure how the after school care is structured though, or how much it costs.

**moggy** · 30-01-2015, 12:15 PM

..arrive home 4pm, then leave 4.15 for 15min walk to arrive at club at 4.30pm???

It takes us 15 mins just to get all our winter gear/boots on/off and little ones in/out buggy for a walk (with babies/toddlers) so how you'd get them indoors, unwrapped, snack, 7yo changed, all wrapped up again and back out the door in 15mins sounds impossible to me. (also throwing in the odd last minute dirty nappy, toilet visits, lost glove, delay on walk back due to grazed knee, and tantrum or two)

Our job is stressful enough without taking on something like this schedule- can she do the club another day?

**JCrakers** · 30-01-2015, 12:29 PM

I wouldn't.

Can you imagine if its raining hard? I don't have a car for work and don't take anyone to clubs. They usually get friends to do it

**JoRo163** · 30-01-2015, 12:55 PM

That would be a no no from me. I wouldn't do it, especially on foot. Once home from school, that's it!!

**AliceK** · 30-01-2015, 01:03 PM

I wouldn't do it.

I have enough with a morning school run, lunchtime nursery collection and then an afternoon school run. I will only collect from my local school at school finish time. I do not collect from any school clubs. We all have enough walking back and forth to do without adding on any more, plus I would never have any time to give anyone their tea before they started going home.

xxx

**smurfette** · 30-01-2015, 01:36 PM

No!! Sounds crazy Hun .. If you like you could give it a try for a month and see (is it only one day a week or all week?) and tell mum you will trial it.. Younger mindee will be settled then and mum reluctant to move her/him.. And she may come up with another solution in meantime?

**Ripeberry** · 30-01-2015, 02:53 PM

I don't think the parents of the baby would be very happy that their child is being messed around for the sake of someone else's club. Parents should do clubs. It won't be pleasant in bad weather and what if the other children start to 'rebel' about being made to go out again?

**loocyloo** · 30-01-2015, 03:10 PM

Once I'm home from school ... We're home!
Except for one evening when dd dances. Ds was going to walk her round the corner but then a schoolies mum asked if her dd could go too... so I do drop them both off ... in the summer its a nice walk and in the winter we're in the car ... we've been doing it a couple of years now and everyone is used to the routine and it fits! (Bonus is that schoolies mum often drops my dd back home after dance class!)
I do do a late pick up from school
..But EVERYONE has to do a club and so I'm not in and out like a yo yo!

**Maza** · 30-01-2015, 07:04 PM

Would it take away precious homework time for your son? It's a big ask of the parent. A childminder friend of mine agreed to dropping off at a club and really started to resent it. It's a lot of time spent sitting in a pushchair for the little ones. x

**QualityCare** · 30-01-2015, 07:36 PM

Why is mum paying you and an after school club l can't see any benefit money wise to you for an 1 1/2 hrs rushing around, is it essential that this child goes to the club is mum collecting from the club, l wouldn't do it too much stress in the cold and pouring rain and very unfair on other children.

**blue bear** · 31-01-2015, 08:26 PM

So baby will go I to pram at 2:45 and in an ideal world will be back at yours after 1hour 15 minutes, at yours for 15minutes then back in the pram for another 30 minutes and that's is everything runs like clock work, imagine the freezing cold wet days and the blaring hot summer days...... No. It's not practicle