Mothers Help? Nanny?

[turtlecave]

Hello,

I am not sure what I am looking for really so some advice would be great!

I am a sahm; children are 11 and 2.

Partner works a lot and also works away at times.

My 2 year old has never slept through, currently waking 1-2 hours and I'm just exhausted.

Someone has suggested a nanny or mothers help but unsure if that is what I need?

But someone to come to my home and perhaps help me entertain toddler if I need to have a sleep, maybe prep her food or just watch her while I do housework/laundry.

I obviously don't need this all day everyday. Maybe twice a week for a few hours? No idea; curious what other people do. (No family around to help).

Or do I employ a cleaner to come over a couple times a week so that helps me lift that load?

I'm just absolutely shattered and exhausted 😴 I am starting to lose patience with both children and that is making me feel awful.

That sounds more like a mother's help type role than a nanny to me. Nannies tend to be focused on providing childcare, and other domestic tasks are more up to negotiation and are often limited to just preparing a meal for the child and not the rest of the family, you wouldn't expect any cleaning/tidying. You sound like you really need a paid version of a grandma/aunt who can flexibly help you out - whether that's taking the child for a few hours or helping by blitzing some washing up. I'm an unpaid family friend version of one of those! I'm equally happy to help unpack the weekly shop delivery and put it away or tidy up the living room and run the hoover around, or can take kids out to the park for a bit or keep them occupied playing upstairs in bedrooms.

You'd ideally need someone very local who is looking for a small top-up job. It wouldn't suit someone with their own small children. You might find a student looking for a part-time job, or someone who has another part-time perhaps just mornings job they'd like to top-up, or someone mostly retired. You'd need someone with a bit of initiative, it probably wouldn't work out well if you just had e.g. a typical teenage babysitter who you had to effectively supervise and closely direct. Mother's help isn't a universally defined/understood role so it would be up to you to spell out what you are looking for, and you can then try to agree what works between you.

I'm a nanny but am working as a Mothers help at the moment two mornings a week. I entertain the toddler and take them out, prepare and give them their lunch and put them down for a nap before I leave. I tidy up the play area and kitchen as I go throughout the morning. I work around what the mum wants to do. I also have another part time job so two mornings suits me. I usually get my work from Childcare.co, maybe have a look on there and see who is advertising in your area.