do you prefer looking after fulltime or parttime?

Hi... I'm beginning to feel nervous about taking on new LOs as the ones Ive had have been with me for a while... my own 2 DC are going to school fulltime come Sept. or starting nursery which leaves me the opportunity to take on another under 5...

I look after 1 LO already 8-5.30 every day... and am starting funding with in sept... and
one after school child ...

and have recently had phone calls from rather part time babies and someone else how want care from 8 - 5 every day....

I'm wondering if you would go for another full timer .. I'm wondering if its not all gonna be a bit much.. my own youngest is a bit lively and wild at the mo. and I'm worried about taking on too much... how do you know when you've little experience...

any advice on whether you'd pick another full timer rather than a few part timers would be great.. thanks everyone and hope you all have a lovely weekend..xxx

I only work part-time anyway now and within that I look after children perhaps only one day of the three I work. It suits me, I like that every day is different - different children and ages fitting together.

I suppose it depends a lot on the children - if you had two full timers that didn't get on it would be awful.

Sorry, don't think I've been much help

Miffy xx

Hi there, not really got any advice because I'm very much like you, not been childminding for long, about 5 months altogether and I'm abit nervous about taking on too much as well, I'm happy with what I have at the moment to get me used to it! I've got a 2 year old daughter and a 2 year old mindee every afternoon, a before and after school starting in Sept for a 7 year old and 6 month baby starting in Oct - 2 days a week. I'm happy with that at the moment and its a nice mix of ages for me to get into it. I know what you mean though and I suppose you don't know until you try, but if in doubt I would probably stick to part timers if you can but others may say different xx

I have only ever looked after part timers.

I also try to have a day off a week. I don't mind which day, but it's important to me that I have me time :D

Hi, personally I prefer full timers. They get used to each other and I find I can establish a really good routine that they get used to. I've had 2 little girls from tiny babies. They are both now 3 and starting school, and I have 2 little boys age 6 months(with an ofsted variation) starting and I cant wait to have them together. That's just my personal choice, although I also have children before and after school.:)

All my children are part time. I thought I wanted full time when I set up - but its worked out that I got all part time. Next week I loose one and the week after I gain 5 new part timers in addition to the 3 I have on my books already. They have different degree's of hours from just a couple each week to 20 hours over a few days.

One way to look at it - if you got another full timer and if they got on then your existing child would have a continual play mate, if you lost your full timer you would still have a reasonable full time income while you looked for another mindee.

If you went with part timers - your mindee would have a variety of play mates, all you eggs wouldn't be in one basket, you may find that you get a good ratio of lot of children, and on some days only your full timer so you can offer different levels of group and one to one activities.

I have to say having done lots of part time - I actually quite like it :)

Fulltime for me, i have had a few part timers lately and i just never seem to get them in my routines and feel like i am always starting from scratch with them, plus less paperwork having 3 fulltimers or 6 part timers ;)

I prefer part time. It means I get odd hours where I am not working, I have tuesday school time to myself, it has worked out that way due to all the part timers I look after.

I wouldn't like to look after a full timer - 10 hours a day 5 days a week. I would be too busy and not get my day off.

having done full time for years i now find having two days a week off is heaven , i can get paperwork and housework done without taking up family time .. having said that i would love the money off a full timer but you cant have it all :laughing:

Part time for me, I don't think I would want a full timer as you don't get a break from them, but then i've never been asked to have a full timer so at the moment i'm happy.

Ive only got part timers as that what I want to do. I only started minding last year and it can be a bit daunting starting and I didn't want to take on too much too soon especially as my daughter was still at home. She starts school next week though and I am advertising for a new mindee as due to loosing my youngest mindee ive no-one in the day now, just after schoolers. Again I would prefer part time so id at least get a few hours to myself to get housework, shopping etc done. I find most of the enquiries i have ever got have been part time as well.

I rarely gey asked for part time children. All mine (except a few older ones) have always been for full time.

Suppose theres pro and cons to it all. Less paperwork with full time but more variety with part timers.

All of mine are part timers at the min. But I dont mind either way.

I have had both. I am looking at having one day without children though so I can keep on top of paperwork and housework, without it eating into family time at weekends! I am hoping that the other four days will be 8-6pm.
To be honest experience doesn't always help when deciding whether to take on full or part-timers as alot of it depends on what the child is like!!
If the child is easy going and fits in with the flow of your house then maybe full-time would be ok! If the child is a little on the wild side (needs/ demands more caring for) then may be part-time is the answer!!
One way to find out these things and whether it is going to be too much for you, is your settling in period- to me this is not just for the child and parent but you too!! if you do not feel comfortable with the child that is your opportunity to say no.
At the end of the day only you know!! I am sorry if this is not very helpful. I hope you make the right decision!! :)

I only do part time which suits me. I have had calls about full time but I've always turned them down. There are a couple of days where I don't have mindees during school hours so this gives me time to study, prepare dinner, paperwork etc as I couldn't be sat there doing it of an evening as i'm too tired.

I too prefer part-timers. Makes life easier when you can make dental appointments etc for when you have time off.

It can depend of whether your full timers get on well together.Can you meet with both families and see which set you think would fit in with how you do things.

I have all part timers. 9-3 Tuesday-Friday, L- 3 days,LU- 4 days,M- 3 days plus I had 2 after school and a holidays only one. I found having 3 under 3 just as easy as having 1 under 3 as all of mine get on so well.:D

Also doing it this way parents used to add a day when they needed it so some weeks I had 3 for 4 days a week.For a time i was working 5 days but i stopped this as I had no time to do anything!

Good luck, I'm sure it will all work out.:thumbsup: