Advice needed re. an afternoon off...

[Sarimillie]

My first ever mumsnet post, tho the site has been a lifeline for me for a while! My little boy is seven months old, and we have always spent almost all of our time together. I'm really enjoying being with him, but would like a bit of help - ideally one afternoon a week to give me some time off (for e.g. appointments and exploring work options, but also just for me). Can I ask for your advice and experiences?
The options I'm considering are a) paying for a day's childminding - but would it be too disruptive to bring a child into a group situation just one afternoon a week? b) one-on-one care from the same person (babysitter, nannyshare) for the same afternoon each week: could be perfect - has anyone done this? How would you go about finding someone? Have registered on a few nannyshare sites, but no match yet. CMs are about £45 per day in my area -does anyone know how babysitter/nannyshare costs would compare? Thanks for your help!

I think nannyshares are similiar rates to childminders.

With a babysitter, if the person was un qualified you would be looking to pay a little less, but be careful with this option. Due to the age of your baby you shouldn't really be thinking about an au pair or anyone with no experience. Maybe a nanny with own child might be a good idea?

Not all childminders would charge you for a whole day. Most will but some might not if they can fit you in. Might be worth ringing round a few.

Whereabouts do you live?

All depends on what area you are in?

Wow, quick replies - thank you! We live in South London. Will certainly call some more childminders - I went to see one, but there were quite a few children (she and her husband are both CMs). Things seemed, understandably, geared to bigger kids, and I worried about my little one getting a bit lost! And thanks for the tip re. experience, HappyMumof2 - that's my instinct, but I did wonder if it's just new mum paranoia.

Going rate in SE London/Kent borders is about £80 per day net - tax and NI add about another £35. So you are looking at £115 for a day's nanny per week in total.

where abouts in south london. i would only charge half a day if it could be fitted around my other childrens playgroups etc. i am in south croydon

I;m not in London, but i had a parent approach me with this same question when i first started. I charge hourly not daily. I agreed to care for her son one day a week 3 years ago, so she could find a job and get some time away from home. I still have him now, and he's a pleasure.
I can't see why a childminder wouldn't consider doing this, as long as they had the space to accomodate you, and could give your baby the care that he required.

Good luck

Bigisbeautiful - thank you! Would have been perfect, except that I'm dependent on public transport. We live in West Norwood.

It's good to hear that this can work so well, Diddle! Soapbox, thanks for the figures for nannies - very helpful.

I have frequently had children just come for a single afternoon/morning or day, usually for the same reasons that you have given. It has usually been someone that I know (or someone who knows someone I know!!) and they've heard that I have had a space at that particular time. I would also charge by the hour.

what a shame. good luck anyway

what a shame. good luck anyway

ooops. sorry

My DS (ten months) started one afternoon a week a couple of monhts ago at a Kids Inc nursery (we live in Kent by Bluewater). It costs £20 for a half day session and they are brilliant. He now does two afternoons a week. My firm does Busy Bee voucher scheme and so it costs me about £120 a month for the two afternoons a week. They are really good with him and he has really started enjoying it. Being in the south east it may be an option for you if you have a Kids Inc nursery near you. HTH

one thing to consider is whether you;d like the house to yourself when you have your time off. If you want to get on with things at home you might find it a lot easier if your ds isn;t there - if you get a nanny for the afternoon/day she'll be based at your house - yes they'll probably go out a bit but I think you might not get the break you're after. I think most childminders do short slots like this and I think you might also find it's not as big a group as you think - I had a childminder who had 2 kids she used to take to school and pick up, but for the rest of the day she only ever had dd and one other kid of similar age - so it worked really well. If you're set on a nanny for a day you could try simplychildcare.com - you quite often get people advertising where the kids are now school age but parents want to keep the nanny but reduce the cost a bit by finding her some work whilst the kids are in school

Really good point about having the house to myself: at the moment I think I could convince him that I've gone out, but that won't last long! Thank you for these kind responses - makes me feel that I do have some good options, and that it's OK to ask for this help.