Temporary Nanny For Help With Routine

[Bubandbump]

Does such a person exist?

I have a 6 mo DD who is lovely but high needs and a terrible sleeper. We now have rough nap times but she sleeps on me for them, she breastfeeds as refuses a bottle but has started taking some formula from a sippy cup and is showing a little interest in solids though it can be a bit haphazard.

She has been ill and is teething again but is a monumentally bad sleeper at night. She had reflux from allergies for the first few months of her life so not surprising.

The thing is my DH keeps getting ill every time she is sleeping badly and I now get no help whatsoever from him. I am starting to struggle to cope and am looking to go back to work in April, so I know things have to change. We did baby whisperer pick up put down with her about a month ago and it really worked but the current illness has seen it all just go out of the window and DH says he can't face helping to do it again.

Is there someplace I can hire a 'supernanny' for a week just to give me some guidance and maybe help me work out a routine and support me to do
pick up put down to get her into her cot for naps? My family is too far away and I just need someone who has lots of experience and compassion and can just help me work out a plan of action and execute it? I am a bit too tired and want to do what's best for my DD in a rational way rather than reacting just to try and get some temporarily more sleep.

Thanks lovely mumsnet ladies!

yes, me supernanny exists - sounds like you need someone to do some sleep training as well as just get in to a routine to make your life easier

you can either go through an agency (pay fees) or advertise your self on nannyjob/gumtree/netmums or ask about on here - what area are you in - and ask maybe health visitor for word of mouth/advice

not being rude, but tell dh to grow some balls and 'face' helping you - generally most problems can be solved within 2 weeks if CONSISTENT and i fear that even if you do have some help and sort dd out then dh will wimp out (sorry if harsh)

as only 6mths, it may take dd a while to get used to solids if havnt been weaned but again peserveve and things will improve

when you go to work in april - what childcare are you having?

Thanks - we will be looking for a nanny for childcare so I know that I need to have her napping in her cot and taking formula during the day, as I would like the transition back to work (part time) to be as easy on her as possible as she is quite a clingy baby.

We are in Blackheath, south east London. I know I need to get DH to man up but he looks like he is about to have a breakdown and to be honest, I do all the night wakings anyway so if they were just fewer it woul be good. This is has been prompted by a tirade from him last night as he is tired and not well.

Thank you for the information - do you know roughly how much I would expect to pay?

You might want to consider a sleep clinic who can help with the naps and night sleep and weaning will fall around that? They Csn give you different options too on methods to use.

for a good exp nanny to sort out dd now - prob £12/15 gross an hour - agencies vary but many charge £20ish per day for temp nannies

You may be able to get someone directly, rather than using an agency. For example, this person is listed as offering Night Nanny service and is quite local to you. Also try this search of Childcare.co.uk which may list some people who do Night Nannying in your area.

You could also try agencies:
Silent Night Nannies
Night Nannies

Night Nannies website gives cost for a Sleep Trainer being £140 per night plus £17+Vat per night to the agency plus introduction fee of £100+Vat.

we will be looking for a nanny for childcare so I know that I need to have her napping in her cot and taking formula during the day

A daytime nanny will cope whatever the situation is. I've certainly started off with children aged around 5-6 months who were only used to breast milk. They adapted to bottle reasonably quickly - babies won't starve themselves, though do go on feed strike at first (refusing much during the day but then taking lots when mum gets home).

Thanks guys that's really helpful. I now know where to investigate!

I know I have to do sleep training with her, it's just that she responded well previously to baby whisperer techniques so I would prefer to use them again.

I think as much as anything it's some moral support and just some validation that we are heading in the right direction. Oh and it would be nice to have some sleeeeppp!

By April your DD will be 10 mos, she doesn't necessarily need daytime milk feeds. Perhaps a 2:30 formula cup feed. Esp as you are only going back part time you can feed before you leave and when you get home and a good feed before bed or once in the night will see her fine. Nannies will prepare lots of yummy solids so she will be good to go on that front.

Mmmm some milk monsters will want daytime feeds but it won't kill her if she strikes for PT work.

DS refused bottle, cup, syringe, everything little sod and I was at my wits end, having successful introduced several babies to the bottle before. 1 day with nanny and she managed to get him to take some and now no fuss. So you don't necessarily need to introduce it beforehand as it's no real predictor of eventual success.

The sleep on the other hand...all I can say is I hear you and I want blondes to come and be consistent for me!

Or I'll do yours, you do mine?

I think other people find it easier tbh and babies respond quicker when it's not nice milky mummy picking them up.

Hmm I have a definate milk monster here! Will put anything else in her mouth apart from a bottle and a dummy. She took a dummy for 1 whole day, settled herself to sleep with it that night and thereafter clamps her lips firmly shut if she sees one of the 20 different types I have.

Also while I will be going back part time, it will be 3 days a week of probably 14 hour days so it will be a long time for her and the job requires a high level of concentration so I could do without hourly wake ups at night!

Thanks for all of your help though. I think I will do some sleep training at night this weekend, someone kindly pm'd me a good idea about understanding routines and then after Christmas, I think I will hire a (super) nanny or a sleep consultant to help me crack the daytime naps.

Thanks for the offer Fraktious. You can come round anytime for coffee, cake and a moan sleep training DD!

yep def people who exists either to come and support you in the day or support you/take over at night or do a bit of both.

I have done work where I have gone in and advised on routine and given email and text support and follow up visits and for some families then covered some nights and others who didnt have the set up to facilitate this just continued to give advice.

I am sure there is someone on here who must be local to you - I only cover the east midlands and warwickshire.

also my 15mth old refused a bottle and was breastfed on demand til 8mths when I cut him down to 3 feeds in prep for my going back to work at 9mths and timed these feeds to 7am, 4.45pm (when we would get back from work/childcare) and 7pm. He was fed to sleep for naps at the time - we got him going down in his cots for naps and even now he had a 2hr nap at lunchtime.

It was as difficult as I imagined to cut the feeds down initally we held out til 2pm, then extended it over a week til 4pm then nearer 4.45pm when I went back to work. we did it over a long weekend so my husband was around to distract.

Fortunately I did have him in a good night time routine from 12wks and sleeping 8pm-7am from 15wks.

Good luck with everything/

frak I am seriously tempted to fly over to you and train ds :)

Millpond sleep clinic were brilliant with my ds2.....