My son and his childminder - by a Haddington mum
During my pregnancy we decided to relocate which meant that I gave up my job. We moved house when I was 37 weeks pregnant (I know, not the best idea) and so I handed in my notice at the same time as going on maternity leave.
I was quite happy not to work for the first year of being a new mum but after that I was keen to get back to work, meet new people and, probably most importantly, earn some of my own money. I took a job locally knowing that I wanted to limit the time I spent away from home and not really wanting to commute. Initially the job was only for two days and increased to three days a week after the first six months.
When it came to sorting out childcare my initial thought was to look for a nursery. However, the two local nurseries (despite numerous phone calls) failed to get back in touch with me. Presumably, they were full and didn’t need my business but it kind of put me off. I then contacted the Council for a list of registered childminders.
After a few phonecalls I lined up a few meetings with prospective childminders. My sister had used a childminder to look after her two boys and I had an idea what to expect in terms of cost and what they would offer. After a couple of these meetings I met someone who I felt I ‘clicked’ with and signed up with her. She was very professional: issuing me with a contract and keen to show me her qualifications. The fact that she was qualified in childcare (not very many childminders are) probably swayed me. She doesn’t provide lunches so I make a packed lunch for my son everyday – I don’t mind this, as I know exactly what he’s eating and anything he doesn’t eat comes back in his box in the evening. There have always been other children at the childminders home and she has three older children of her own so I feel that my son is getting a realistic home environment. Friends who have their children at nurseries have sometimes been shocked that my childminder would take my son to Tesco but that’s exactly what he would be doing with me if I were at home so I don’t really see a problem.
When my son was two I decided to start working full time. I was incredibly lucky that the childminder had a full time space so he continued to go to her. He’s now at school nursery so he gets the benefit of a more structured learning environment at nursery and a more comfortable, homely atmosphere at the childminder’s. I think this is a great balance. Having the continuity of care from the childminder has made me much more comfortable about working full-time.
I must admit to some ‘grass is always greener’ moments with my childcare but I’m sure that is the case with most mums. I know I’ve been particularly lucky with my childcare arrangements. My childminder takes regular holidays so I can plan in advance and hasn’t had a day off sick since my son has started there. The most important thing is that he has grown into a confident and happy little boy. He very sociable, with adults and with children, and has never been clingy or unsettled when I’ve left him.