Childminder, Nanny, Nursery -- combination platter or just one main meal?

[oregonianabroad]

I've posted on another thread about this but wanted to know if anyone out there uses a combination of childcare. Does it work? What are the pitfalls? Is one better than the others?

I have 2dcs in nursery 2 days per week, and a babysitter comes once a week while I am at an evening course. I am also expected to do some work from home, and am considering increasing my workload from September.

We live in a rural area (I think an au pair is out of the question) and don't have any family near us, so we really struggle with getting the housework done, finding time for studying, getting any time for ourselves, in case of illness, etc.

We also commute 20 miles in opposite directions. The nursery we currently use is 20 miles from our house and near my work, which is convenient, but less so in the case of illness or on an ad-hoc basis.

I have been really happy with the nursery and would like to continue using it, at least 1 or 2 days per week. My babysitter has also been great, but she lives about 10 miles from us and doesn't drive. Plus, she is going to college and very busy, so not very flexible.

I'm exploring the option of extra childcare perhaps 2 afternoons per week, and we'd like to find someone who could do weekends occasionally.

how old are your children?

if you like the nursery then continue to use it when you are at work, esp if close to you

maybe advertise for a nanny/mothers help/hands on person to help you out when you have to work at home

many nannies will do nursery duties, ie anything to do with children, but not the parents washing and ironing

again some nannies dont mind weekend work

might be worth puttin an advert up on netmums and see what response you get and also read the posts there as there might be someone already in your area who is looking for something like you are offereing

Thanks again Imananny.

I'm in Co Durham, if you are interested??

Also, I meant we struggle getting the housework done ourselves, not that we were looking for a nanny that also does cleaning.

Also, won't it be useful to get the dcs used to someone now as opposed to when they get to school, as it is unlikely that I or dh will be able to collect them every day?

def a good idea to introduce new people to your children,as you never know when you might need an extra pair of hands

im very flattered by your suggestion , but I am many miles away from you

some of my friends are happy to clean/iron for extra money, so sure you will find someone who will either look after children, or to help you with housework

def worth a look at netmums to see whats about, or look on cv's on NJ, or even on gumtree

Shame.

I'm inclined to think, since they are already getting plenty of socialising in nursery, that a nanny might be a better scenario, in the sense that it might be a bit stressful for them to cope with two different social situations, or is that just daft?

not daft at all - it would be nice for your children to spend a bit of time at home if they can, but not essential

its good they like their nursery ( some are dreadful) but seems silly to drive 20 miles to take them there, if you are not going to work nearby.

if you can find a nanny who is happy to ad hoc as and when they all should be solved

You have dismissed the idea of an au-pair, does that also mean that a live-in nanny would not be an option?

We have an extra room, but it is used very often for visitors.

Also, I am not sure about sharing our space. I think we might like to gradually dip our toes into this and then see if we could think about an au pair or live in nanny.

But from what I've read (admittedly, very limited to today's lurking on here and NJ), it is difficult to find someone willing to live in a rural location?

Yes, certainly with au-pairs you will find it hard to find one who wants to live anywhere other than a major city. Live-in Nannies may be more inclined to consider other locations, but rural locations may put many off (doesn't tend to put me off).
Finding a Live-Out nanny can also be hard in rural locations, as you want a nanny who lives close to your home... so they don't have a long way to drive (you also need a driver with a card, as rural transport links can be poor).
Therefore, for a local live-out nanny, you would probably be best advertising very locally - such as local Spar/Co-op shop type places, newsagents, local paper, anywhere which permits classified advertising.

its amazing what you learn if you lurk

tbh if you dont need someone full time,then no point in having a live in, as they would be under your feet

how rural are you?

You say that the nursery is 20 miles away, is that the nearest town?
In Winter especially, how is the commute between that town and your home - is ice and snow an issue? How long is the drive-time... winding country lanes can make a 20 mile drive take a long time.
Someone who is live-out will need to arrive at your home, for a particular start time. The risk of them arriving late for work, increases with the length of the journey and drive-time.
Would you need someone to arrive at a specific time, or they would only be working on the days you would work from home, is the start time flexible?

Well, it's a crappy village in between a crappy new town and a beautiful historic city (which is so small, it really should be called a town in my book, but there is a university and a cathedral, so it's a city). transport links are rubbish, and there is a lot to do around here if you can drive, but not much if you can't.

so you def need to drive then

how do your current bs get there/home?

No, nannynick, we are only 5 miles from a city centre, but as you say, it is about a 20 min drive there.

it takes at least 45 minutes to get them to nursery near where I work, more if traffic. #

our bs-- i pick her up from college (20 mins there, 20 mins back to our house), then go to my course (50 min drive in the other direction). her mum comes to collect her when my dh gets home.

If we have an evening out, I get her at her house (30 min drive on back country lanes) and her parents come to collect her.

OMG

think you def neeed to find another bs, she may be good with your children,but thats no good if you are in car for 2.5 hrs just to go to your course by the time you have picked her up

5 miles from city is better than I was expecting. It makes it possible for someone from the city, to come to your home.

I know, Ima!

It means that something that is supposed to be a bit of 'me' time ends up being a struggle and a demented rush through traffic.

I only have 3 more weeks for this term, and the dcs are only in nursery term time as dh and i both most have school hols off. Thought it might be a good time to start thinking about all of this to have some extra help during the summer hols (although we will be away in July), and then gradually increase time with nanny when I get back to work more hours.

True, nannynick, but they still need own car as the bus only runs about once an hour.

least buses run to your house, they dont to where i work

hope you manage to find someone

Thank you for all your help!

So we have concluded I think, that you must put in your advert:

Driver with Car.

PMSL Nick but true

always good to state what you want and need in and advert - saves time in the long run