Playroom upstairs, toilet downstairs?

**nessynoodle** · 26-10-2011, 01:11 PM

Hi all

I am potentially about to move in to a lovely new house which has 2 bedrooms. It would be brilliant to use one as a playroom, but the toilet is downstairs!

I have thought about other down sides to this - having to go downstairs to cook tea - we will have downstairs play from 4.30, tea, then storytime/songs/circle time as parents start to arrive (i.e. upstairs playroom is closed before tea).

All of my children at the moment are 3-5 so walk up and downstairs alone anyway. And the way I see it is surely a lot of miders have playroom downstairs and bathrooms upstairs??

What about this whole free flowing play between indoors and outdoors? What I would say to ofsted is that the fact I even have a garden for them now is an improvement on where we currently live as we dont have a garden they deem safe to play in (steps etc). For most of the day I have 2 boys, whop would usually play together anyway so if one wanted to go outside im sure the other would.

Only other thing is crafty play etc, would probably have to keep this in the kitchen. I just really want a child free living room where I can relax after work.

What are peoples thoughts? anyone have a similar situation? I dont want to find after a few weeks that I have children running up and down the stairs all the time, accidents, me restricting where the children are playing etc. being a problem. It is rented accomodation so we have to wait and see if the land lord is happy with me minding first, but it means we will be contracted for at least 6 months, so if it doesnt work......But I love the house!!

Sorry for the essay once again. I just have a lot going throguh my mind and could do with your thoughts!

**aunt sally** · 26-10-2011, 01:19 PM

Is the spare bedroom large enough for you to use as a grown up room in the evening when the children have gone home?

**AliceK** · 26-10-2011, 01:20 PM

I can't see it being any different than childminders who have their minding rooms downstairs and the toilet upstairs as I did in my last house. I think you have thought things through and come up with answers / solutions. As for outside, with myself, usually all mindees are out there together, especially when it's just the LO's as I wouldn't leave 1 inside and let the others out so we are all out or no-one is out. I can't be in 2 places at once. If you love the house then go for it. I don't think there's such a thing as a perfect house for childminding, we will always find a problem or something we would ideally love to change but we just work around things

xx

**Mouse** · 26-10-2011, 01:27 PM

I have to be honest, I don't think it would work for me. I couldn't be confined to one room without the option of freeflow from one area of the house to another. Is it a very big bedroom?

**Maza** · 26-10-2011, 02:06 PM

What about using the spare bedroom as a place to store the toys so that you can have a clutter free living room in the evening? I would find it a bit hard as I need my kitchen close by, for filling drink cups, grabbing a cloth etc. We also do our messy fun in the kitchen. Our garden is difficult to get to and so we all have to go out together so I can't offer free flow in that way. If you love the house, go for it. As someone said, there is no perfect house for childminding.

**jumping j** · 26-10-2011, 02:26 PM

my toilet is upstairs and playroom downstaris and it wasn't even mentioned by ofsted so I can't see that being an issue as long as you've RA'd it!!!!
But I must say I'd struggle without the kitchen and easy access to the garden but that's just me. We also use the dining room table for arts and crafts so it would be too much up and down for me.

**nessynoodle** · 26-10-2011, 03:18 PM

The spare room is big enough to use a our 'sitting room' but it plain and boring, compared to the gorgeous cottagey, cosy, open fire place, stone wall living room.

Drinks would be available from a jug and cups in the playroom.

It would be some up and down with crafts and going outside, but its just a few stairs isn't it, and all the children do it everyday to go up to their bedrooms and play at home.....its not perfect but it wont be forever either.

Its annoying that there are so many things to consider when childminding! Its the first place we've found thats big enough, within our budget, with a garden and big enough kitchen for eating tea.

**nessynoodle** · 26-10-2011, 03:40 PM

Oh also - woud you all advise that I contact Ofsted BEFORE agreeing to anything or one everything is sorted and were set to move in? Do you think they will come and look around?

I guess I am happy with it I'm just worried about it bringing my grade down, as I'm working really ard to acheive outstanding at my next inspection. But we might have moved again by then as its in 2 years.

**sweets** · 26-10-2011, 04:10 PM

If you are organised enough to do it then try it for a while, jsut put the toys up there and use it like a playroom for a month to see if it works before you kit it all out.

i havnt got a playroom but have a spare bedroom i could use as one but i know it wouldnt work for me as id hate to be limited to one room all day as i like to potter about while the children are playing.

i wouldnt worry about ofsted not liking it too much, my friends daughter goes to preschool where the older children go upstairs for a good part of the day, they have a fab outside playarea that is obviously downstairs, they use it at certain times of day and all go out together. They have also been graded as outstanding by ofsted.

also remember that ofsted are not your employers and you should run your own business as you like. i only take their likes and dislikes into consideration and not as 'the rules' lol.

**nessynoodle** · 26-10-2011, 04:16 PM

Yes I have already thought about asking parents for their views, but with it being half term I don't want to bother them, but the houses around here are going FAST so we need to make a decision. The reason I'm stressing about it is because I'm not sure that if it all fails, the living room would be big enough to be the main CM room.

I think with the children I have at the moment it will work, as they are a 2 yr old who I take out to lots of groups etc and then after schoolers who are fairly independent. So we dont spend a huge amount of time in the house anyway. And I can RA. its just if I had a baby come along or anything, with taking it up and down all the time. ALSO i just realised, the other room, which would have to be where babies/toddlers nap, has the boiler in it!!

Oh I feel so stressed. Were desperate to move out and I wanted this to be perfect

**fab1** · 26-10-2011, 07:20 PM

Our sitting room is upstairs and our kitchen and bathroom are downstairs. People have all sorts of different houses. If I was going to choose I'd have everything open plan for ease but its not impossible!

**uf353432** · 26-10-2011, 07:34 PM

I've tried using an upstairs playroom in my house and the kids didn't use it or like it, what would happen is they would bring the toys downstairs and play with them there. The dining room has now been converted to a playroom/craftroom/eating area and as it free flows around into the quieter living room, the outside deck and then the garden. Its been much more successful.

To see if it would work for you you you really need to consider how many times you would need to go downstairs for something. Prepping snacks, answering the door to the postman, making lunch, refreshing your water jug, getting something from a kids bag - it all adds up.

For me I was glad to use upstairs for sleeping now, but then I am lucky in my old house I have a downstairs bathroom as well - so no issues in keeping it all on one floor.

**Maza** · 26-10-2011, 07:45 PM

Your heart is set on this place - I think you should go for it. You will make it work. Don't worry about Ofsted, they look at how you use the space that you have, not the space that you have not got. As long as it is risk assessed. I am in a first floor flat and so in some ways I am like you - when the doorbell rings all mindees have to come with me as I can't leave them in the flat alone. Some times this really disrupts their play, but you do what you gottta do!

onceinabluemoon · 26-10-2011, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by nessynoodle

Yes I have already thought about asking parents for their views, but with it being half term I don't want to bother them, but the houses around here are going FAST so we need to make a decision. The reason I'm stressing about it is because I'm not sure that if it all fails, the living room would be big enough to be the main CM room.

I think with the children I have at the moment it will work, as they are a 2 yr old who I take out to lots of groups etc and then after schoolers who are fairly independent. So we dont spend a huge amount of time in the house anyway. And I can RA. its just if I had a baby come along or anything, with taking it up and down all the time. ALSO i just realised, the other room, which would have to be where babies/toddlers nap, has the boiler in it!!

Oh I feel so stressed. Were desperate to move out and I wanted this to be perfect

I would contact ofsted about this as they may have concerns due to the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning from the boiler.

I would find an upstairs playroom a bit of a pain personally, it sounds fine in principle but I think the garden/outside play would be my bugbear. (I used to live in a flat and the kids had to go downstairs to the garden, it was dreadful)