British childminder expectations for toddler behavior

Family & Children

I have a childminder (actually a husband and wife couple) who really goes above and beyond, she provides a really enriching early years curriculum and does weekly visits to the zoo, a local farm, a playgroup-- often all in the same week! I truly feel my daughter (2 years old, three in August) is getting an amazing experience and I have seen big improvements in her calmness and behavior over the year we've been with them.

They are a group of 5 mixed age toddlers/kids from 12 months to 4 years, and I am sure that the group setting with structure and instruction is good for my daughter as she prepares for reception next year. However, my childminder really texts ALOT about my daughter's behavior and our parenting strategies, often asking me for videos and examples showing how I deal with conflicts or lack of listening to instructions.

Its possible I'm way off, but based on my knowledge of child devleopment, my kid is on the low end of difficult. She's a bit dreamy and likes to direct play (like she's a bit bossy about who is the doctor and who is the patient) and doesn't listen to instructions every time the first time. She often has an opinion about stopping a desired task. But like, she does not have knock down drag out tantrums, she is easily soothed with a hug or an offer of options. She is definitely not out of control, running around or shouting etc if told to be quiet and still. She's fully potty trained and does great with that. Eats normal toddler diet, great with utensils, wiping hands and face, tidying up.

I sometimes feel like the childminder's instructions aren't exactly how I parent (for example she wants my child to obey adults the first time and not tell adults what to do "because they are adults and they decide what's happening"). I am much more laissez faire, though I require compliance with standard things like letting me brush her teeth, eating her meals, picking up her toys, and dont tolerate unkindness/hitting/unsafe behavior. We have probably given like 5 time outs in our entire life and never raise our voices at her. But if she wants to play in a particular way I let her lead, and if she doesn't want to do something unnecessary I will offer options (clothing choices, offer to watch a Bluey clip in exchange for brushing out a bad tangle in her hair etc). She gets pretty much zero screen time during the week and about 30 min on the weekend if I'm really tired (am in the third trimester with #2).

I'm not really asking for strategies with the childminder, I really love her and am happy to just explain that I'll try to enforce more rule-following and task focus at home to match her style, but I'm curious if this is the norm for childminders in the UK. I also wonder if its a cultural difference with American/Latino culture, which perhaps can be more free-range. Has anyone had a childminder/nursery request this much detailed feedback and provide this much instruction? I mean in a way its kind of awesome, but I feel like I'm getting parenting advice for what seems to be a pretty darn well behaved two/three year old.

Posted Jun 23, 2026, 10:32 AM UTC

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