Is this a reasonable request of a nanny?

[solomam]

Ok so... please hear me out as I have never before had a nanny or considered one - I will openly admit I know nothing about the services they are willing to offer.

Can anyone who has either been a nanny or had one, tell me whether it's a reasonable ask to pay someone to come to my home for literally 1 hour every morning to help with the morning routine? That's all I need. Nothing more.

Or would they all laugh at me for being ridiculous?

@Beautiful3 Which is why this kind of thing works best if it is someone very close by. I would do this for someone on my street. But as it is rural she may have to offer more to take into account travel.

What’s op got to lose though? Advertise it and see.
It’s a decent rate of pay and fixed guaranteed hours plus a nice job with experience that may help future course or job applications. If I was recruiting I’d conclude a teen who had worked 6-7am daily caring for a baby was a good bet as a reliable trustworthy employee.

My 16-year-old would happily take a job with that few hours, in fact she used to do regularly two x one hour a week after school keeping the kids out of the mum's hair so she could make dinner for a while. But she wouldn't be up for getting up that early! But compared to a paper round or similar £10 or £15 an hour would be great so somebody who doesn't mind getting up early would do it. Definitely not a qualified nanny but it doesn't sound like that's what you need.

You said you’d have given up your part time job as you made the same amount.

No I didn't. I said I would be being paid considerably more, and I didn't specify whether I meant in total or per hour.

The point is that as a teenager, I would have found this to be an attractive proposition as I would be getting paid a lot of money (for someone with little to no fixed outgoings) to only work 5 hours and not on weekends. This would not be possible in a retail job.

Teens are often on 0 hour contracts though. And then fall into trap of too few or too many hours. If they are wanting to socialise or have hobbies a morning job won’t interfere. If you are near school or college bus stop I think you’ll do ok getting someone.

Great that you’d have done it! So there is obviously some market. Just think it would hard to find a sensible and reliable teen who lives nearby enough to be there extremely early in the morning and is keen for it.

It’s an awkward niche really.

If they are then please let me know as I’m obviously being scammed 😂

Oh yeah it's an awkward niche. And I was an uncharacteristically sensible teen 🤣

Just in case you can't find anyone then I have some potential routine solutions as I struggled also after going back to work after maternity leave and needing to maximise sleep for both of us.

Tbf this works more when baby/toddler has a reasonably consistent wake up time and also not needing breastfeeding.

So wake up and have shower before baby tends to start kicking off - I brush teeth in shower as well for efficiency haha. Put on work clothes sorted night before.

Bit harder but I do intermittent fasting so skip breakfast - fab time saver though!

Then sort bottle of milk (quick eye liner and put lunch for work that made last night in work bag by door while in microwave/sorting) and then go get baby and give bottle while doing nappy change for extra efficiency.

Then downstairs to couch where all clothes and jacket laid out including shoes on back of couch (do before going to bed night before.) We use weighted straw cups so baby can carry on drinking while being dressed and during aforementioned nappy change 😊

Grab ready packed nursery bag (add sleep comforter/sleeping bag if needed when coming down from nursery), own bag and own coat/keys and out the door.

Basically both of us sorted in about 30-35 mins.
Whoops that was an essay, hopefully you find someone instead!

I did something like this as a late teen in between school and university. I looked after the kids early before school and then did a few hours cleaning. Think that was 3 times a week but can't remember. I could walk to the house and I was fresh off 4 years doing a paper round so was no big deal!

I've also employed someone as a mother's help to do this for me. She was a trainee teacher and looking for childcare experience. 2 days a week she did an hour for us in the mornings, sometimes then an hour putting on the dishes/laundry/running the hoover round and sometimes she went off to another job she had nearby starting at 9.15. It was brilliant.

I've now got a mother's help who does 4 hours one night a week after school but she has said she'd happily do early mornings for us too. She's a local student as well.

It is possible OP! And makes life so much easier.

I only did one hour to begin with - they'd be dropped off at school at 8.30

If it helps you get through that manic time, do it. There will be loads of local people able to zip round to yours for an hour to help out, leaving their own family with partner while they earn extra money. I used to pay someone to bring my kids home from school, make them hot chocolate and watch TV with them as I rushed home from work. I interviewed 2 people, chose the grandmother type, worked v well for years. 1.5 hrs a day.

We had this when the DC were small. We got one of the girls who worked in DC’s Creche to come to our house an hour earlier than the creche opened and she took them in from there - dressed them, sorted breakfast and brought them with her to the creche. Worked perfectly for us and her.