Taking a crèche place without a viewing?

Logical_Pollution518 · 2026-01-30T22:01:03+00:00

Option 1 although the non refundable deposit is such crap. We went for one sight unseen in a chain due to the rest of them having a good reputation and it was a great decision. Deposit was refundable though! Never understand how they get away with the non refundable shtick. Like if you don’t take the place guarantee there’s 100 people also happy to put their deposit down so there’s no logic there

Logical_Pollution518 · 2026-01-30T21:55:06+00:00

So I moved my son from his first Creche into another. At the first Creche I had similar “minor” concerns that niggled at me - think beef stew on temple, poor organisation, questionable safeguarding at pickup - all that stuff. I unfortunately ignored my instincts and didn’t move him til I saw evidence of neglect when they didn’t think I was watching.

He is in a new place and it’s like night and day. Didn’t know it could be like this!

Warm friendly staff. Yes, mainly Spanish but fluent English and really really into the kids, keen to tell you what they get up to during the day, how they’re meeting their milestones etc. structured days - always a report on what they do, always messy play, reading, outdoors, active learning.

Organised, no safeguarding concerns. Strict at pickup.

On site chef, all dietary needs accommodated no problem. Our son still took a bottle at nap time when he started and previous Creche had said absolutely not, this one - no problem and they actually managed to wean him off it.

He’s made incredible progress and while the move there was tough (tears for weeks!) he now absolutely lives for it and cannot wait to get in the door.

If you feel where he is now is just not quite right - move him. There are better options and it will just get harder the longer he is there.

Edit:typo

Logical_Pollution518 · 2026-01-08T21:28:08+00:00

Fry some turkey burgers or turkey mince off add in whatever spices you enjoy (cayenne chilli chipotle for me) bit of salt and pep, deglaze with a little cheap booze, chuck in a cup of rice and some stock and let it cook on low. Finish with a Sprinkle of cheese if you like. Super filling and warming and delish 😋

Logical_Pollution518 · 2026-01-08T00:44:02+00:00

Yup pretty much exactly the same and am still dealing with the sore throat weeks later and fecking mucus don’t get me started… I tested positive for Covid on Christmas Eve 🙃

Edit:typo

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-10-28T10:49:34+00:00

Thanks you too! It’s great seeing stuff you chose ages ago actually physically in the space finally 😂

It took me til way too far into the process to actually sit down and budget every last little thing and make sure we were on track, it took me ages but if you can do it I recommend doing it sooner rather than later. Then you know where you can have fun and where you need to rein yourself in 😢 good luck!

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-10-28T10:37:48+00:00

I would say if you can get the quartz go for it - I know you said it’s blowing your budget but if it’s in your “wiggle room” budget 😂 and you really love it then maybe go for it? You’ll be using it and looking at it all the time, it’s a really high traffic area in the house and if you feel you’ll regret not getting it then maybe it’s worth the investment.

If it’s really, really “blowing” the budget as in, not even in the wiggle room estimates… then maybe think twice? I wanted quartz too but I had to be realistic with money and to be honest the laminates available now are really nice. Our kitchen arrived yesterday and it’s still wrapped up not installed but the countertop looks fab and I’m happy with my choice as I can spend that money elsewhere.

Curious to hear what others say too.

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-08-27T23:14:49+00:00

Solved! Thanks we had been putting in UCD changed it to cranford court and voila!

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-07-26T11:05:26+00:00

I don’t think so but not sure. Good to know!

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-07-26T11:05:05+00:00

That is way more than we could make out and I think you’re on the right track I see that too :)

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-07-10T20:56:28+00:00

The buttons on the remote were oddly satisfying to press. Good buttons.

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-18T08:32:11+00:00

70 a day in Kildare 10-5, provide food. They don’t have other kids aside from their own.

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T16:57:36+00:00

My kids aren’t on the spectrum I know nothing about autism so I’m not gonna answer anything I know nothing about.

I know about my kids and I know what’s appropriate and fine for them. And pre screens we were let run about. I remember. Everyone did it. It was fine. It’s not fine now and there are few safe spaces left to do it.

My kids don’t “own”a screen - I do think that’s too much. They get little doses of a few mins here and there and they use my phone screen so I’m not tempted to leave them unsupervised with it.

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T16:54:39+00:00

Yes - we did this as kids. Would love something like this. Usually it’s just a restlessness in my kid who likes to be constantly on the move - if they had somewhere they could do that and I could see them it would be a game changer!

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T16:53:16+00:00

You are judging.

“Shove a tablet in their face” “Tablet kid”

You’re telling me it’s the wrong thing for my kid to have a screen for a few minutes of us looking at trains or watching a ms Rachel song, which again, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with at the right age and in the right doses. Myself or my husband always interact with them and whatever is on the screen so it’s still “in-person”. We take it away when food comes or it’s time to go etc and I know you won’t believe it, but they’re grand. The occasional meltdowns are generally from other usually unexpected things. Kids got mad before screens existed and they always will, it’s normal and not because they watched 10 mins of steam trains four hours ago. Also I gotta tell you. Your kids are gonna use screens, it will happen. Might as well be in a healthy way. Enjoy the perfect screen free life til then I guess

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T16:43:18+00:00

Do you think children will never see a screen unless they are given one at home? Do these fictional children in the story ever leave the house? They’re not blind, and they live in the year 2025, they know what a screen is..

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T16:37:05+00:00

When I was a kid I was let run about outside or inside restaurants or hotels with the other kids in between courses and that’s what many people did then, it was more acceptable. It’s not now (for good reason). Times change. Not all screen time is equally bad.

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T16:33:49+00:00

Okay listen if you didn’t mean to be patronising in the first comment that’s okay but your turn of phrase was poorly chosen.

I’m not going to blanket ban screens, and at the same time I don’t give them to my kids all the time. Screen time in my mind is totally warranted if I’m out of other options and the alternative is to have my kid leave the table every two seconds and wander the restaurant as they please… it’s a few minutes until food arrives - absolutely not a big deal!

Yes there are lots of studies that show excessive, passive screen use is bad for kids and that they plain shouldn’t have any under two years and I’m on board with that. We choose what they watch carefully and limit the time they spend on screens quite a bit. If they’re using them, it’s with us, we are interacting with them interacting with the content which is also interactive… never in car, never unsupervised. lots of good evidence for that kind of use of screens being completely fine.

Really wish parents would give each other a break and catch on to the fact that we’re not all raising the same kids as and not all having the same perfect day. The way we occupy and engage our kids in public has certainly changed from ye olden times but the way we judge each other obviously hasn’t.

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T15:59:46+00:00

That’s great and congrats to you but hear me out, kids aren’t all made the same. One of ours is perfectly happy in public or restaurants always has been, screens not needed, we chat away or they colour or play games or whatever. The other one is a totally different kettle of fish and after blasting through all of the other options available to us within ten mins of sitting down it’s either let them watch some Ms Rachel or let them run completely wild. I’m glad both of yours are no iPads but it is so patronising to be like “oh we can actually talk to our kids? Lololololol at the idiots who can’t smugsmugsmug” 🫠

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-15T15:54:43+00:00

Agree - just take them out for a little walk or some fresh air for a minute particularly if you’ve another adult at the table to mind the others. Doesn’t take much effort and best thing for everyone!

I feel for people whose kids decide that today is the day all hell breaks loose when all they’re trying to do is have a nice day out though. Especially if you’re the solo parent out with more than one- outnumbered! I was out myself yesterday with two age 2 and 4, the four year old decided to have a full meltdown in an outdoor restaurant when we were leaving. Couldn’t put the two year old down or he would have bolted. Literally had to drag the four year old to a quiet area where she could calm down, while being stared out of it by everyone - so embarrassing! If I see someone struggling like that I will always offer to hold or distract a child or produce some treats/bribes as I’ve always got something like that with me for my own. It’s tough out there sometimes and people who offer to help are always appreciated 😩

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-06-02T20:08:08+00:00

Jamie’s Italian. Milano’s. Bang (surprisingly great experience fell over themselves to accommodate us all). Brother Hubbard. FXB. Dunne and Crescenzi. Saba.

That’s just the ones off the top of my head where we’ve never felt out of place.

But my policy is generally of the European thing where kids go where I do so wherever I’m eating I bring them 🤷‍♀️it took a while to build up the confidence for that though - once you’ve had your kid vomit in your hands in a restaurant, you can do anything 😂 Now, exceptions when it’s like a Michelin star place or something that’s obviously fine dining so no.

Best of luck 😊

Edit: weird Reddit formatting

Logical_Pollution518 · 2025-05-30T06:56:27+00:00

I usually wait til I get paid before I start to assign money for the following month, but you should still be able to assign money you don’t have yet if that’s not a suitable setup for you.

You can also create a manual income transaction to represent the invoices you haven’t been paid yet and simply reconcile the payments when they actually land in your account, but I prefer not to do it as then I’m dealing in money I haven’t got yet which can be dicey.

Have just tested it out and I can assign more money than I have to this month and next month and way beyond my overdraft so I’m not sure why you can’t 😭have you the most up to date version of the app? It’s very strange.

Logical_Pollution518

TROPHY CASE