How much does daily diary app for childminders cost?

About £6–7 a month for the tools, on the plans the setup needs. Tapestry: Priced per year by number of children, excluding VAT, with all features in every package: up to 6 children £68 a year, up to 12 £85, up to 20 £132, up to 40 £164, up to 60 £212, up to 90 £290, up to 120 £370. Tapestry Pay is included; card and bank payments carry a small transaction fee the page doesn't state, and Tax-Free Childcare payments have no fee.

About £130 a month of the childminder's time saved (8.9 hours at an assumed £15 an hour). It pays for itself: in a few days, in the worked example.

Which tools do I need?

Tapestry: Online learning journal and management system for childminders, nurseries and schools: observations, daily care diary, accident, incident and medication forms parents can sign on their phone, invoicing and in-app payments.

How hard is it to set up?

Easy to set up. 5 steps: Start a Tapestry free trial and choose the up to 6 children package. Add each child and invite their parents or carers to the app. Set up the Care Diary entries you use most, such as meals, bottles, sleep and nappies. Log entries during the day instead of writing up at the end. Update your safeguarding policy on mobile phones and cameras to say which device you use for Tapestry and how it is protected.

Daily diary app for childminders: nappies, naps and meals

Log nappies, naps, meals and bottles in Tapestry's Care Diary as they happen, and parents see the day on their phone. From about $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month.

At a glance

What it costs$8–9£6–7€7–8A$12–13C$11–13 a month
Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$173£130€155A$250C$244 a month
Pays for itselfIn a few days
Sign up and configure; no technical skills neededEasy to set up

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked October 17, 2026. How we check prices

The problem

Parents want to know how their child ate, slept and was changed, and many childminders write a paper diary for each child or send WhatsApp messages at the end of a long day. Writing up 5 children at 8 minutes each is 40 minutes a day, about 14.3 hours a month over a five-day week.

What the AI does

Tapestry is an online learning journal and management system for early years settings, and every package includes all features. Its Care Diary logs feeding, napping, nappies, accidents, incidents and medication in one place, and parents see the updates on their own device. Entries are made on a phone or tablet through the day, so there is little left to write up at home time. Children's details and photos stay in a system built for early years providers, rather than on a personal messaging app.

A worked example

A childminder in Swindon cares for 5 children under five, four days a week plus one long day. They log meals, naps and nappies in Tapestry's Care Diary as they happen.

Before

5 paper diaries at 8 minutes a day: about 14.3 hours a month

After

About 3 minutes a child a day logging as things happen: about 5.4 hours a month

What it's worth

About $173£130€155A$250C$244 a month of the childminder's time saved (8.9 hours at an assumed $20£15€18A$29C$28 an hour). Tapestry for up to 6 children is $90£68€81A$131C$128 a year excluding VAT, about $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month, or $9£7€8A$13C$13 with VAT.

How to set it up

Start a Tapestry free trial and choose the up to 6 children package.
Add each child and invite their parents or carers to the app.
Set up the Care Diary entries you use most, such as meals, bottles, sleep and nappies.
Log entries during the day instead of writing up at the end.
Update your safeguarding policy on mobile phones and cameras to say which device you use for Tapestry and how it is protected.

What goes wrong

Using your own phone for children's photos needs care. The EYFS expects your safeguarding policy to cover phones and cameras, so say how this device is used.
Parents without smartphones can't see the app. Keep a short spoken handover for them.
The price rises with the number of children on the account, not just those attending, so archive leavers.
Logging as you go only saves time if you actually do it during the day. If entries pile up for nap time, the saving shrinks.

More ideas for Childminders

Visit bookings for childminders: no calls during care hours

Parents looking for a childminder book a visit slot from a link, so inquiries don't need answering mid-nappy change. Free, or about $11£8€10A$15C$15 a month.

Costs Free–$12Free–£9Free–€11Free–A$17Free–C$17/mo
Worth $93£70€83A$134C$132/mo
Pays for itself in a few days
Easy to set up

Learning journal for childminders: observations to reports

Record observations with photos in Tapestry and build progress reports parents can read, instead of scrapbooks. From about $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month.

Costs $8–9£6–7€7–8A$12–13C$11–13/mo
Worth $69£52€62A$100C$98/mo
Pays for itself in about a week
Easy to set up

Invoices for childminders: funded hours shown, paid in app

Tapestry invoices show funded hours separately from extras, and parents pay in the app, including by Tax-Free Childcare. From about $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month.

Costs $8–9£6–7€7–8A$12–13C$11–13/mo
Worth $45£34€40A$65C$64/mo
Pays for itself in about a week
Easy to set up

Making Tax Digital for childminders with Xero

Keep income and costs in Xero from bank feeds so a childminder is ready for Making Tax Digital quarterly updates. From about $24£18€21A$35C$34 a month.

Costs $24–29£18–22€21–26A$35–42C$34–41/mo
Worth $25£19€23A$36C$36/mo
Doesn't pay for itself within a month
Some setup needed

Policies for childminders: draft, then check against EYFS

Draft updates to policies and the parent handbook from your own notes, then check them against the EYFS. Free, or up to about $27£20€24A$38C$38 a month.

Costs Free–$27Free–£20Free–€24Free–A$38Free–C$38/mo
Worth $8£6€7A$12C$11/mo
Doesn't pay for itself within a month
Easy to set up

Accident and medicine forms for childminders, signed online

Record accidents, first aid and medicine doses in Tapestry, and parents sign the form on their phone the same day. From about $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month.

Costs $8–9£6–7€7–8A$12–13C$11–13/mo
Not measured in money
Not a money saving
Easy to set up

Last updated October 17, 2026.