Is this possible? WFH mum

[analogue]

Hi all,
I work from home and am self employed. My work is quite intellectually intensive and I need blocks of time to concentrate (I'm a copywriter).

What I'm wondering is if I can get someone to play and occupy my six month old in my home for a few hours a couple of times per week. I know childminders charge about £3.50 per hour round here, so I would be happy to pay that, I would just rather he didn't go to a childminder at the moment because I feel he is too young. The same for nursery. I work from home so I can be here for him full time, but I really enjoy working too.

I realise many will say work when he has gone ot bed, but unfortunately, I am usually knackered and prefer to work during the day.

Can I get someone to do this for this price? If so, what are they called and where can I find them?

I do find au pairs appealing but we live in a tiny 2 bed cottage undergoing extensive renovation so this is out of the question until we move.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

The reason childminders in your area may charge £3.50 an hour is because they will be looking after several children at once, hence £3.50 per children x 3-6 children.

To have 1-1 care in your own home will cost more I'm afraid unless you do get a live in aupair. I don't know where your based but on the basis of your childminder fees I would say you are looking at £7-8 per hour net. Depending on hours per week you would need to be paying tax and ni on top

You're looking for either a nanny (sole charge) or a Mother's help (looks after but under your supervision, IYKWM)

You could try advertising locally and see who applies - eg you might be happy with someone younger without much experience, because you will be around. But you will need to pay more than £3.50 per hour. Or you might find that even with someone else there to look after your baby, you don't get the peace and quiet you really need to work, especially if your house isn't that big, so a couple of hours with a childminder would be OK.

Hi thanks both for the replies. It's looking like it will have to be a childminder if I want to work then! A bit of a shame. I was hoping it would be good for a college or uni student during the summer or whatever, but yes, I realise the constraints of the minimum wage and agree witht hem in principle but it stops people like me employing someone casually at home for a few hours per week to hardly do anything except shake a rattle and tickle a baby! If I'm going to pay employee wages, I may as well send the little one to a childminder, qualified and reasonably priced.

Thanks though, it makes the situation clearer.

As an aside, what is a mother's help, what do they do and how much do they cost?

You could probably get away with paying £5ph to a teenager or uni student. I'd have looked after a 6 month old baby for £5ph when I was at university. It's good experience if the person is planning on working in childcare and the minimum wage for 18-20 year olds is £4.98ph so you'd be paying above that. Plus it's got to be a nicer job than shelf stacking in Tesco.

From a slightly different perspective I would say that a childminder is exactly the right kind of childcare for you. Your work is intellectually demanding, requiring deep concentration, and you live in a relatively small property. In which case you will almost certainly be distracted by your baby even if they are in a different area of the house - I know cos I've tried it, and you have to be incredibly self-disciplined for it to work (I wasn't lol).
Assuming you find the right childminder, who you develop a good rapport with, your child can only benefit! He will get used to being with another trusted, familiar adult before the prime age for separation anxiety to kick in, which can be a godsend (and another mistake I made) when times come that you do have to leave him with someone, plus the childminder will provide a loving secure, homely, sociable, challenging and stimulating environment.

There's some useful stuff about a Mother's help here

I do copywriting and translating freelance. I also teach as my day job so we have a nanny to cover those early starts. I can't do copywriting or translation when they're there because there isn't enough space and I can't concentrate. It is immensely distracting having someone playing with the baby, moving around etc. so now nanny and I have an agreement that either I go out or they do and I block those times in the diary!

A CM is definitely better from a getting work done POV and more cost effective.

I have worked from home and used a CM. If you find the right one it is a great childcare solution. For me I loved the family environment.

I currently use a fantastic CM who lives just round the corner from me, many CMs will offer part-time places so you could have a couple of mornings (know what you mean about not wanting to be away from such a young baby)

Hi everyone,
Thanks for some great replies. I think things are much clearer now and I will grin and bear it for a couple of months then find a good childminder. It is the best solution. My only reservation is that he is too young, I feel. But he does spend one day a week with my aunt so I am used to him being with someone else. But this is someone I know very well.

CM is the best and most cost effective solution, I think I was just trying to have it all ways. I am kind of working now and baby is in the kitchen with my husband and, yes, you're all right, it's a pain to concentrate because he is whingeing and husband keeps coming in with him for a change of scenery lol.

If it was just shaking a rattle and tickling you wouldn't need any help

Do also consider than in a couple of months separation anxiety will kick in. It's generally better for babies to start building a relationship with someone before around 8 months as then they feel secure going to them and not having a parent around.

I second what Fraktal says, waiting a few months might be easier for you, but probably won't be for him as he'll be right in the middle of the sep anxiety phase. Best to start him now and let him build up a relationship. You also need to think about how much time he spends with the childminder. A few hours a week may not be enough for him to build a relationship with her. Can your aunt not have him for a few more hours a week?

I third what Fraktal says! It's a good age for him to go to a CM and settle in. And it'll be loads easier for you to concentrate. I do a similar job at home and both my DSs have gone to CMs at around 6 months old. Before that, I used an ad hoc nanny service that charged £8 an hour, and got my mum to stay for blocks of days. We got by, but it was so much easier when we could used the CM and I'd know they were out of the house, having a lovely time, and I could crack on with the work. Hope you find someone good - and close by, that helps.