Childminder Daily Record

Who this is for

The sheet that goes home at the end of the day. It records what was offered and how much was eaten, sleeps and nappies in the order they happened, how the day went in the carer's own words, and what to send in tomorrow.

Childminders and nannies handing a day back to a parent in writing, parents who want the day on paper rather than at the door, and anyone covering for a regular carer who needs the handover to be legible.

What this helps you track

• Meals and drinks as provided, and how much was eaten in the carer's words
• Sleeps with the times, where they slept and how they settled
• Nappies and toileting with times and who dealt with them
• How the day went — activities and mood in the carer's own words
• What to send in next time, ticked off rather than remembered

How to use it

1. Fill in the child's name, the date and the arrival and collection times at the top of the sheet.
2. Write each meal or drink in as it is offered, with what was actually eaten described plainly rather than scored.
3. Keep sleeps, nappies and trips to the toilet in one time-ordered table, with where they slept and who dealt with what.
4. Write the day itself in the box at the top — what they played, who with, and how they seemed in your own words.
5. Tick what needs to come in next time so the bag is right tomorrow.
6. Hand the sheet over at collection, or fill it in on screen, print it and keep your copy in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is this different from a nursery daily report?

A nursery report comes from a setting with a room, a routine and several staff. This sheet is built for one carer looking after a small number of children, so it has room for what was said at the door and for supplies that come from home.

Do I have to keep one of these?

What records you are required to keep depends on where you work and how you are registered — check the rules that apply to you. This sheet is simply a tidy way to hand the day back to a parent.

Should the food column say how much a child should eat?

It does not, and it should not. The column is for what was offered and what actually happened to it, written in ordinary words. Anything about what a child needs belongs with the parent and their health visitor or doctor.

Can I use one sheet for two children?

Use one per child. The sheet goes home with a parent, and a page that mixes two families is awkward for everybody involved.

What about medicine given during the day?

Record it in the notes with the time and who gave it, and keep whatever separate signed permission your setting uses. This sheet deliberately carries no medicine table and no amounts.