where do i start?

[mumat39]

Hello everyone.
I have two kids, girl aged 4 and a boy aged 2.

DD is at nursery 5 afternoons per week and DS is at home. I have been at home for the last 4 years and find myself feeling like i need to get out and maybe try and get back into work of some sort.

We have never used babysitters apart from family so I'm clueless about the various options. Al i know is i don't want to use a childminder. My DD has multiple food allergies to so many everyday foods that i can't seem to get comfortable with the idea of placing her in someone elses house.

I'm looking for someone to look after them during the day including cooking their meals and and making their days fun and stimulating without taking them to cafes and the like. I'd also want someone who is first aid trained as my daughter occassionally needs medication and also has 2 epipens in the new jext style.

The thought of leaving them makes me very nervous but I really feel like I'm in need of something else for myself. I hope that doesn't sound too awful.

Is it a nanny that I'd be looking for? I don't trust my own instincts about finding someone i could trust. I often like people that turn out to be not who i thought they were. Would a nanny also do babysitting in the evenings every so often?

I don't want anyone living with us as i wouldn't enjoy that besides which we don't have the room.

How much could I expect to pay for this? From September my DD will be in full time school and my DS will be going to nursery for half days.

Does this sound possible?

Many Thanks in advance.

It's perfectly possible. It would be a live out nanny and they may babysit by arrangement. Cost will depend where in the country you are and the experience and qualifications of your nanny. Where are you and what is your budget?

You are definately better off with a nanny, and ALL ofsted reg nannies must be first aid trained.

If you use an agency, they will check references etc for you, but you can expect it too cost quite alot for placing fee. I dont know the exact amount.

As a nanny is youre employer, you have the right to specify what activities your children do in the day.. if you didnt want cafe visits then a professional nanny would respect that, and fill your childrens day with fun and educational activities (btw a cafe visit can be educational you know) You can negotiate a babysitting clause in contract..but this would normally be paid extra for live out nannies.

Cost depends on location and hours, for example. If you dont pay your nanny whilst your ds is at nursery, then please dont expect them to be on call should a problem arise e.g sickness.

hth

Thankyou.
We're in KT6 which is near kingston upon thames. Budget, i truly have no idea.

You want a live-out nanny.
First aid courses do not include epipen training, so you will need to teach that to someone yourself, or find a special course on that for someone to do.

Location?
What would the nannies working hours be? 7am-7pm Mon-Fri would be 60 hours a week. Would you need that much, or would 8am-6pm be sufficient? Less hours = less cost.

Need more details about working hours to give an idea of cost of a nanny.

Yes, some nannies may well be willing to do some evening babysitting on occasion - at extra cost.

Thanks I'maummy
The cafe thing is to do with DD's allergies. We don't go to cafes or resaurants with her at all as crumbs are a nightmare.
What are the alternatives to using an agency?

Hi Nannynick
It would depend on what sort of work i get but say 8 to 6 as this will be the most likely hours.
thanks for replying.

How many days a week?

Oh yes. forgot to add tgat. 5 days a week

That is likely to cost in region of 32 -36k per year for salary before you factor in other costs (kitty , additional food, heating costs). Just doing that off top of my head as live not that far from you. Also there will be employers nic too on that.
Obviously salary range can vary depending on experience and qualifications but you may want someone with experience given your dd food tolerance issues.

Wow! I had no idea that it would be so expensive.

It might still be possible depending on what sort of work i get. Are there any other options I could consider? what does nanny share mean?

Thanks so much.

Nanny share is same kind of care as nanny but you share with another family so split the costs. Issue I guess for you is you would prefer care to take place at your home and other kids would presumably have to follow some kind of restrictions on diet cos of the food issue. Doesnt make it impossible but does mean have to find someone like minded and near who
Would share with you.
Does nursery really not work? Good nurseries can be very experienced with food issues.

Also costs may be a bit less as you are slightly further out but probably not a lot less.

Thanks Gigondas.

Nursery is the other option but because DD is allergic to so many everyday foods i know they'd struggle to feed her.

If i looked for a nanny part time, say 2 days a week at the same hours, would the rate be simply 2 fifths of 32-36k? or is it a more complicated calculation than that?

Thanks so much. You've been really helpful. :D

I'm a CM and have looked after a fair few children with allergies,one of which was a severe food allergy. Most CM's should be able to accommodate this and certainly wouldn't expose your lo to cafe's etc.
All CM's are also paediatric first aid trained, and not all nannies are.
Just giving you the option as I know nannies are a lot more expensive but provide more or less the same service, but in parent's homerather than CM's.

Thanks moogster.

My daughter is allergic to wheat, eggs, dairy, all nuts, all legumes (eg peanuts,chickpeas, beans, kidney beans, peas, soya etc.) sesame, cats, rapeseed oil, oats plus a few others. i spoke to a really lovely lady who is a childminder who herself suffers from allergies and she was so helpful but in the end decided she wiuldn't be able to accommodate DD. We wash oyr hands and miuyhs after handling foodz and also ask othrrs to do the same. our dd has had reactions after being kissed by someone who had eaten something before they came over. she also had a bad reaction in her eyes from crumbs at nursery. One eye looked like a boxer's at the end of a fight.

I haven't really come across anyone who has to deal with this locally so I'm really not confident about leaving her in someone elses care in someone elses house. i mean i don't even feel cimfortable leaving her at my parents house for the night withoug me being there as their diet consists of pretty much everything she has to avoid.

Its good to know that a child minder are trained in first aid so could still be an option so maybe i should have another think about that.

Thankyou for your help.

Sorry for my terrible typos. trying to send this from my phone and still don't know how to use it.

I am a cm and have looked after children with wheat, dairy, egg, milk, fish, nut and all sorts of allergies. My own DD had a nut allergy and had to be wheat, dairy and all sorts free for 3 months. I am Epipen trained as are many of my colleagues.

Cm's are very vigilant, and at toddler groups we are all aware of which children have allergies and always ask before letting a child eat anything at snack time.

Give a cm a chance! We renew our 12 hour paediatric first aid every three years, we have food hygiene training. e probably have far more experience than most nannies with different children's diets. I was a nanny, but gained all my expertise as a mother and childminder)

Hey I work for 2 families part time, in my experience part time is usually paid on a daily rate eg. Between £75-100 per day (that's net) depending on hours. For example, I work 7-7 so earn the higher end of that figure.

If you didn't want to pay agency fees, you could advertise on child are.co.uk, net mums and nannyjob....I'm sure there are other places as well. It means doing all the legwork yourself though.

You can specifically advertise for a nanny with first aid (every nanny I know has this because we are all professionals) and as for epipen training, it would be covered at basic level in first aid course but you should be willing to pay for your nanny to undertake the training if they don't have it.

If you require a car driver remember you will also need to pay the nanny petrol costs per mile during work hours, which is recommended 45 ppm, or provide a nanny car/ travel expenses if using public transport.

Nanny shares are definitely a more cost effective way of having child are. Although you may also want to consider a nanny with own child. Some charge considerably less, as we find it harder to get jobs.. I've had my daughter at work with me since newborn (now 6) and I've always got very positive feedback for ths!

I currently work in a nanny share with one charge who has epi pens for nuts and eggs plus is also allergic to dairy pet hairs dust wheat has excemza as well I had epi pen training as part of my first aid as well as extra stuff.
Last role also had allergies. Have several friends with the same experience if you do your homework then you feel a lot happier at leaving them. We often get phone calls from school if they are unsure of something or need to send her home. When go to soft play will wipe down the table get them to clean the area and warn them that we have our own food its never been a probelm she takes a pack lunch however last term when they had school xmas dinner this i cooked and brought in.

Hello again.

Moogster and allibubbles, I'm really sorry if I come across as anti child minders. I'm really not at all. I'm sorry if I have said anything out of order.

Bottom line is that I'm just not comfortable with the idea of leaving them at someone else's house. This is a big issue for me so I'm really sorry if I sounded rude.

Iamamummy, thanks again for the info.

Stepmad, Can I ask, how do you deal with kids running around and eating in soft play areas? I've been to a few and as crumbs are a nightmare, stopped going. Also, do you go to one that doesn't allow food in the play area? I know you said you take lunch with you, but is the area where you eat separate from the play area?

I live in fear of allergic reactions and having seen my daughter have a bad one I avoid certain situations if I think they are higher risk.

Thanks again.

I see things have moved on a bit since I posted earlier.

If it's of any help Spreadsheet - I make it around £30,000 including Employers NI and £5 per day Activities/Outings allowance, for a live-out nanny working 50 hours a week in Surrey. That's based on £10 gross per hour. Actual salary the nanny accepts may of course differ from that.

I don't know enough about nannyshares to give an indication of how much that would cost, there are lots of things to take into account.

Hello again NannyNick

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. 30k sounds better than the previous no, but still too much for us, unfortunately.

I'll have to think about maybe looking for partime work and maybe doing a day or two. What worries me is I'll still not be earning enough to pay a nanny, which is such a shame as I really do need a bit of a change.

Thanks again for your help.

We tend to get their early to pick the best table usually with friends who all stick to the same rules. Eating i not allowed in the soft play bit they are very strict on people having their own food for hygeine reasons . Most settings for under fives are very allergy aware. Our local sure start centre would do cooking once a week and in the two years that we went they made sure that nothing used would cause her any harm. As did the playgroup we used. We have been to a cafe at a swimming pool in prewarn them and they will clean up also found it to be in starbucks . Not that we go too often maybe once a year.

mumat

have you been on special need board?
do you get DLA and carers allowance for you daughter? though these benefits are changing
you might even be to get other benefits which will give more money to pay with
can you get the child care vouchers this will bring your costs down.?