Need some help with finding a part time live out nanny/mother's help - please.

[mumat39]

Hello

Can someone help me with finding a nanny/mother's help please?

I have 2 kids, a 4.5 year old who will start full time school on September, and a 2.5 year old who is at home.

I am thinking of returning to work on a part time basis, but the work would be adhoc with maybe a weeks notice at the most. It would be 2 days a week between 8 and 6 and as a result of the adhoc nature of it, some days I'd be at home and on others I'd be at work or just out.

My DD has multiple food allergies and I am also looking for someone who could help me with cooking and meal ideas. I am not a very good or imaginative cook and due to the long list of foods DD is allergic to I am stuck in a rut with what to feed my kids.

I also wan someone who will take them out for walks etc, but not to cafes etc. due to DD's allergies. I'd be happy with a soft play as long as the person looking after them was doing that and not having a chat with the other nannies in a huddle whilst the kids run riot. Unfortunately I have seen this so often, and many mums I know have also seen this.

I would also want some help with cleaning and any other household jobs that need doing.

I would want whoever to be trained in first aid as well as in adminisering Jext/Epipens. I would expect them to not bring DD's allergenic foods into the house.

I'd also want this person to do some babysitting during the week and on say 2 saturday evenings a month.

I am confused as to what I am looking for really. Is it a nanny that I need?

My kids have never been looked after by anyone else so how long would it take on average for them to get used to this person?

Am I being unreasonable to expect all of this from someone. I really need some help especially with the food side of things and as my work is now coming into the equation it would be good to get someone in place soon.

If my expectations are ridiculous, then could someone help me with what I could/should expect.

I have looked on childcare.co.uk but I'm not sure I feel confident yet to make contact. Also, how would I know that one person is a better fit than another? Also the average hourly rate on the site is £9 - £10 per hour but I have no idea if that is good or not. We're just outside Kingston Upon Thames, if that makes a difference.

Many Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can offer.

Hi.

You're not asking for anything unreasonable IMO.
A nanny is supposed to be a flexible form of childcare that will work with your family setup and not all nannies are 'Starbucks nannies' or see it as an easy job to hang around with their friends. Some nannies will do household type jobs and others won't. It helps to be upfront to begin with about exactly what you expect. Too often employers can be very vague then expect a nanny to do something that would not necessarily fall into a nannies job description hence it is not done and the employer can feel aggrieved. Communication is the key.

Each child responds differently. An experienced nanny should have ways and means so providing the optimum environment for the children to form a relationship but they also take their cue from their parents. If the children do not feel their parents are very anxious around the nanny it can take much longer. Given what you said I imagine you might find it hard. An experienced nanny will understand this and there are many ways you can make sure your nanny is behaving as you would want but beware of scaremongering people who may have formed a judgement having seen one third of a situation.

The food allergies is a complication but not impossible to be overcome. A proper nanny should be first aid trained and willing to do the extra training necessary if required.

The difficulty I see is the nature of your work but again this may work for some nannies. Some nannies will need more a a definite commitment.
If you were offering a higher rate of pay it would make it more appealing but it's an employers market so...

Are you willing to pay tax and national insurance?

I might be interested potentially having said all that.
I'm looking for part time live out work. I have a full CV and references
[email protected]

Please stop posting this all over the boards. You have to pay MN a fee for these kinds of requests.