Babies

[Maza]

Do you have an age limit on how young you will accept babies?

Do you prefer babies to toddlers or pre-schoolers?

Personally, I like them to be pretty much fully weened, so that any obvious allergies are diagnosed and I can make an informed decision on whether I can manage them or not.

Just chatting with a prospective parent now, and have a feeling her baby is quite young (have sent a message back asking the age). It made me realise that babies are perhaps not my favourite age, even though every age is lovely.

[Mouse]

The youngest I've ever had was 6 weeks old when they started with me.

Back when I first started minding, maternity pay wasn't very good and mums often went back to work when their babies were about 3 or 4 months old. It meant I was used to taking on young babies. But I always hated the weaning stage so much preferred the older children.

Now I go through phases of preferring 3 and 4 year olds, or 1 and 2 year olds. My current 3 year olds will all be heading off to nursery in September, so I'll be left with 1 & 2 year olds. I'm really looking forward to it. I think I've realised I prefer them all to be a similar age rather than having a mixed age range.

[loocyloo]

Same here Mouse!

I've got a group of 3 yr olds all heading off in September and I will miss them, then I have a pair of 2 yr olds and a few 1 yr olds.. and in Sept I'm back to some babies ... they will be about 9/10 mths; so a hard few months! But the benefit is that they stay longer (usually) and I can mould them into my way of being!

I have had babies start from 6 months, but prefer them to be already weaned really! I ask parents to send all food etc for babies until 1 yr/ eating 'normal' food (albeit a bit mashed up) or they come all week and I have a good handle on what they eat!

[Maza]

Loocyloo, I agree that they do give you some longevity when they start so young, and you can mould them!

[Pixie dust]

I had a 6 week old baby when I first started childminding as the mum was self employed and needed to get back to work. I agree that it's lovely when they are all of a similar age, I am only losing 1 to go school in September and then all the current children are around 3 years old, there is only about 5 months between them but due to when birthdays fall 2 will start school Sept 24 then the other 2 the following year. I have had them all since they were about babies, I get really nervous when new ones start as you never know how it's going to go. I am lucky as no-one seems to leave until they start school (and then they often stay as wrap around care)so I have them for a long time.

[Maza]

Gosh Mouse, I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realise maternity pay didn't used to be very much. Imagine, in a few years time people will say, "Gosh, I didn't realise people used to have to pay for all of their childcare and didn't get 30 free hours and tax free childcare".

Soooo, my next question is...the mum said she is 'really hoping to find somewhere to help her continue her breastfeeding journey'. What do you think that means?

[loocyloo]

Gosh Mouse, I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realise maternity pay didn't used to be very much. Imagine, in a few years time people will say, "Gosh, I didn't realise people used to have to pay for all of their childcare and didn't get 30 free hours and tax free childcare".

Soooo, my next question is...the mum said she is 'really hoping to find somewhere to help her continue her breastfeeding journey'. What do you think that means?

Eeeek ... that sounds like a mum who either wants to 'pop" in to feed as and when needed or who is planning on expressing and wants you to be happy with that.

I once had a prospective mum who wanted to "pop" in several times a day to breast feed and wasn't happy that i said it wouldn't work because I was often out and about! That was just on the phone....i didn't offer a visit!

[Maza]

My first thought was that she would want to send in frozen breastmilk, which would probably be fine (unless she wanted me to also use it in cooking - which a parent suggested a couple of years back). Then, I did think that maybe she wanted to pop over and do feeds. I wouldn't want that. Anyway, I can't offer her a space for other reasons.

[Mouse]

Gosh Mouse, I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realise maternity pay didn't used to be very much. Imagine, in a few years time people will say, "Gosh, I didn't realise people used to have to pay for all of their childcare and didn't get 30 free hours and tax free childcare".

Soooo, my next question is...the mum said she is 'really hoping to find somewhere to help her continue her breastfeeding journey'. What do you think that means?

When I had my eldest child I got something like 6 weeks full pay and 12 weeks at maternity pay amount. I can't remember how much that was, but it wasn't much. You had to stop working 6 weeks before your due date, so that was the full pay period. Then when I went back to work after 12 weeks, I got no help with childcare costs. When I started childminding, we used to regularly take on 3 or 4 month olds.

[Mouse]

Eeeek ... that sounds like a mum who either wants to 'pop" in to feed as and when needed or who is planning on expressing and wants you to be happy with that.

I once had a prospective mum who wanted to "pop" in several times a day to breast feed and wasn't happy that i said it wouldn't work because I was often out and about! That was just on the phone....i didn't offer a visit!

In all the years I've been childminding, I've only once had a mum come in during the day to breastfeed her child. She'd call in during her lunch hour to feed her baby. It worked then, but I don't know if it would now as we're much busier. I have a couple of breastfed children now, but they're at the age where they only have a morning and evening feed and don't need a feed during the day.

I did have one mum who worked in the community and wanted to call in during the day if she was in the area. I had to be firm and tell her that wouldn't work.