I’m a lifeboat crew volunteer and am pregnant how do I find a babysitter

[pinklammma]

I’m a lifeboat crew and I want to ask if anyone had any tips for a good baby sitter

You mean to cover 'shouts' / call outs ?

I guess the best way would be to have a live-in nanny when you're on rota. Not easy to find and would cost you too. Alternatively the baby could stay full time with dad / family when you're on call.

Could you discuss alternative roles ?

I'm not sure it would be possible unless you had someone who lived with you who could be available 24/7 when you're on call.

For you have partner that could help? Or a willing neighbour or friend who could help at short notice?

What do the other parents in the crew do?

Yes, I'm sure other people on the crew have children young enough to need a babysitter -- ask them.

There are lots of good babysitters and lots of good lifeboat volunteers.

Yes, ask what others in the crew do. They will be best placed to advise you.

The same ways. you would find a babysitter for other situations surely? Not sure what you mean.

I did on call for my job. It's not something I could have found a babysitter to cover. I would need a cast iron guarantee they could be at my home with a moments notice, possibly in the middle of the night. So when on call, their dad had to be home/available. Single parents managed it but with close and generous family support. It's difficult.

Well, no. She needs someone who can show up at no notice when there's a call out. The vast majority of the time she's on call she won't be needed, but when she is, she needs someone who can guarantee they are close by and available, whether it's 2 pm or 3 am.

But crew will never know when a shout is going to come in.

I think it would only work if you had a family member nearby who would be available at short notice.

Are you a single parent OP?

But crew will never know when a shout is going to come in.

Or how long they will be needed.

I had exactly the same thought after I posted the comment.

I don't think you can carry on. It's hard enough to find good childcare when you work shifts outside of the usual 9-5.

Something you need is going to have an astronomical cost. Which isn't feasible for a voluntary role.

Presumably you can only be available for volunteering when the other parent of your child is home? Paying for childcare isn't feasible for an unpaid job.

Very few people are going to look after your DC with a minute's notice @pinklammma If you have no partner - or you have one that isn't around a lot, you will have to give it up.

Is that what you were hoping for OP? People to tell you somethings just aren't compatible with parenthood.

Either the child's other parent will have to step up, which is what I'm sure other parents do, or for a few years you'll have to find a different way to volunteer your time.

Once baby arrives you'll probably find the last thing you want to do is rush off on a shout anyway. It's hard enough going back to work.

Sure, but the usual framework applies; you need to approach family or other people you trust , paid or unpaid, to see if they are available at times you may be on call, and agree the details. And you have to consider what you can take on as a parent especially if you are a single parent. Anyone with a partner may be able to ask that person to cover night shifts for example. It doesn’t sound practical for the lone parent of a young child to be available at all times. If OP is used to doing this, she may need to reconsider.

So OP probably will have to reduce her on call availability to times she has backup.

Ask your fellow volunteers, it's much more likely you'll get recommendations locally than on here.

Totally left field idea:
If there are a few of you in the same situation, could the lifeboat team run a form of emergency creche. So that exactly like volunteers carry a bleep for a shout, the oncall creche person does the same. Probably a few crew members who each take turns to be the creche person.

Yeah unless you have a partner who can do it or very close and willing family, I don’t think it’s feasible to continue unfortunately. Maybe you can pick it back up when your child is older and if your circumstances change!

If you are a single parent your risk tolerance may change. If you have a partner it’s a conversation with them.