Oh knickers, b*ll*cks - I'm in deep poo and I need to rant (could do with some happy ending stories of finding perfect nanny at extremely short notice, too....)

[Gizmo]

This serves me right - I was so smugly certain that I would find the perfect childcare option before I had to go back to work after DS2. I mean, all it needed was a bit of organisation and proper planning, right? And I'd started thinking about it in August (yes August) last year. So what could go wrong?

Weeeeelllll, it seems that plenty can go wrong. Firstly I spent until December looking for a nanny share family. No joy. So I asked around among friends re a nanny share. Some friends said yes, then they said no - January. Another friend said yes, her husband then got cold feet and decided he'd prefer an au pair. Mid February.

I redo our sums. We can afford (if we live on beans and I tolerate much sulking from DH) a nanny salary which isn't generous but is just about adequate. I start interviewing on this basis and we find....a wonderful woman. She's Canadian, well educated, experienced, caring, reliable, organised and available to start asap. Her references are hagiographic. I'm in nanny heaven.

And this morning she has emailed me to say she can't take the job . AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I am committed to go back to work on the 19th March. After the first nanny share friend backed out I did reserve a back up nursery place for DS2 and DS1 can go to an afterschool club. But I'm not totally comfortable with either institution and the logistics are going to be a nightmare.

Oh whinge, whine, whingetty whinge. Anyone have any experience of finding a perfect nanny for a minimal salary with one week's notice?

Anyway, thank you all for listening - I feel better now....

I think it's true that actually there is a greater range of nanny salaries than people tend to realise. I've had applications (and as I say, I've been totally upfront about the salary on the advert) from a variety of people - overseas students who want to stay/move here, people looking to move on from nursery work into nannying, even a couple of experienced and highly qualified nannies who want work close to home or want to bring their baby with them. Many of these people have a variety of qualifications, some are extremely qualified (including degrees and even postgraduate work in other subjects).

For us, the priority is that we should click with the candidate and share similar views on activities, routines, educating kids, food etc (I know good nannies will adapt to most family's ways of doing things, but nonetheless I'm sure it helps if the nanny thinks your views are sensible) as well as trusting her to be kind to the kids and love them. Thinking about it, I don't see why these qualities should be confined to someone who is able to command a high salary.

AmyJo, that's a very kind offer and actually it might help bridge a gap with the notice period of some of the people I'm talking to. I'll email you shortly, when I know a bit more from the latest round of interviews.

Eleusis, sorry I wasn't actually aiming that comment at you.