thinking about nanny/aupair/mothers help

[littlemisschatalot]

hi can you help me? we have 2 ds, 3 and 4
.i currently work 3 days a week, both boys go to private nursery on these days. it costs around 600 per month. i am thinking of going full time in a job where i would leave the house at 6 and be back at 6ish. dh would leave at 7.45 back at 5.45. he also travels a lot so is not reliable for regulr nursey drop offs. oldest goes to school in sept.if i go full time we obviously need help to get kids readay and to school/nursery and pick up. i would also need help with housework/ironing. i wouldnt be too bothered about the younger one staying home with nanny and just accessing nursery for his free sesssions the term after hes 3.
so. what is the best childcare soultion for us and how much will it cost? we are in the north, ruralish village.nanny could walk kids to school and nursery.i dont think our house is big enough for a live in.
thanks x

We have an ap in a normal 3 bed house. She has the smallest room (still big enough for a double bed and furniture), and our two DS's share a bedroom. We only have one bathroom, but two sep. toilets.

I think if you had an ap, you would have to have the little one in full-time nursery with the ap just doing the drop off and pick up when required. However, you might struggle to get an ap in a rural village in the North, as they usually prefer to be near London, or near a city to access language classes.

Based on the hours, a live-out carer does not appear to work for me (you out 6-6, DH out 7.45-5.45 but travels a lot). When DH isn't travelling, a carer doing say 7.30-6 would work, but what about when DH is travelling?
A nanny may not do much housework and probably won't do ironing at all. An au-pair could do housework/ironing but may not be good at childcare. A mothers-help (which I feel is more someone to work alongside you, rather being left in sole-charge for long periods) with luck will do anything you want.
During school/nursery holidays (now or in the future) your childcare requirement will become greater, as the boys will be at home all day.
Working full time can mean juggling carers, as during school term time your requirements may be different to holidays.
Location may be tricky - for example an au-pair may not want to live in a rural village (some might, but most I feel tend to like being near a city). If having someone live-out, then your pool of potential candidates may be quite limited due to location - you don't want someone travelling far each day to get to your home (I would say you want someone within 10 miles ish).
Not sure there is ever an ideal soluition.
Possibly a combination of carers... someone who comes to your home to do mostly housework, and having childcare provided by a Childminder could perhaps work, if you wanted to avoid live-in.