Needing help but perhaps not every day. Au pair? Mother's help, what?

[GrumpyOldHorsewoman]

I am just coming up to a very busy time of year and between now an the end of October could do with a bit of extra help now and again. There may be several occasions through the coming months where DH and I will need to be away overnight, or going early morning and back late evening. I would need school runs, dinners made and evening/overnight supervision, so it would be someone living in. I had considered going down the au pair route, but the only problem being I would need to give up one of my precious bedrooms on a permanent basis and we often have visitors (mainly family) needing somewhere to stay when they visit. My parents spend half their time in the US and live 200 miles away when they are in the UK and MIL lives in Ireland, so family help is not an option. Is there any solution?

A temporary mother's help might suit you OR a professional temp nanny. You will almost certainly have to employ someone full-time to guarantee their availability when you need them, even if just on some kind of retainer. They'll also need to be avaiable during the day in case you need them/children are sick/school is closed. That doesn't solve your bedroom problem unless you find someone local willing to do that kind of ad joc work.

The other huge problem with an au pair is that they may not necessarily be capable of doing overnight sole charge like that and (read another current thread) may want to take English classes so won't be able to cover when your children get sick and you're away.

Local CM who does overnights?

I'm a childminder and I do this for a local mum. I had to get nanny insurance but apart from that I can work as a childminder during the day and then a nanny at night. It works for us because the children are at the same school as mine. So I pick up, feed the children at mine and when my husband comes home I take the children to their house, bath them and put them to bed, sleep over and then bring them back to my house for breakfast and then to school.Then work all day as a childminder!!!!!