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I’ve used two childminders. One looked after her own son and a boy the same age as my son but they only shared one day. I didn’t want the cm to be doing school pick ups and wanted kids around his age. Also the government has ratios in place depending on age. The only downside was the first didn’t go out much. Said she was pregnant but would come back after a month and then changed her mind as wasn’t financially worth it which in hindsight she knew that all along and we were a bit niave. Second one also fell pregnant so we chose nursery.
I have had 2 childminders, only left the first as she was returning. Had amazing experiences with both. It’s a home away from home for my children. Only down side is when she takes holiday as unlike a nursery there is no cover
So the childminder I had wasn't very hygenic. The venue wasn't always properly cleaned, everyone walked in and out with their shoes etc. It was very messy and not sure how often the toys got washed. If ever. It was a small space. She would also have her 9 and 11 year old kids in there after school til pick up and all summer. Sharing a small space with 9 kids and 2 adults. My LO was 11 months at the time and she only went half a day. I couldn't find any other childminder that would take her less than 2 days. By 15 months I felt she completely outgrown the place and we moved her to a nursery which was so much more organised and cleaner. Before the nursery, we did find another childminder that had much better space, so much cleaner, so much more organised but min 2 days. So do look at how they organise stuff, what updates, if any, you get, are there age appropriate activities. I feel like mine was clueless. She gave a 1 year old sheets with a maize to complete and find a mouse with a pencil.
They're not capable yet! She forgot to send invoices, we had to chase, she forgot to put special sleep toys back in the bag, struggled to get the kids to sleep, the kitchen was always a mess. I get it, it's going to look messy inside with kids playing, but even in quiet days, it was always messy, unorganised, not clean. All warning signs I should've noticed from the start.
Not me but a friend had a bad experience with her child coming back swearing and it was because the childminder was shouting and swearing at them 😬 he'd been with her for years and they were heartbroken! I personally prefer nursery as they're all around the same age or developmental stage and there are lots of staff about. Even then though each person is responsible for multiple children so it really is a hard and demanding job. They get paid peanuts for it too!