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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Cleaner bringing baby to work

36 replies

Mini2017 · 27/08/2017 19:18

Hi,
What do you guys think of a cleaner who wants to brink her baby to work with her. She's currently pregnant and baby is due in December. She will have a replacement but would like to comeback after 5 months( not a problem for me) but, she would like to bring her baby along( 5 hours, two times week) and stop to breastfeed. Her reason is that she's not comfortable leaving her lo with anyone with him. Separation anxiety etc.
What would you guys do?

OP posts:

turquoisequeen · 27/08/2017 20:57

I would. Happily. I went back to work when baby was only 4 weeks old and she slept in a pram. Once a little bigger she was in a carrier on my back and that was absolutely fine. I worked on a livery yard so very physical job mucking out and feeding etc. It may well not work out for her but at least allow her to give it a try

Maryann1975 · 27/08/2017 21:07

I'm a cm, and don't do cleaning during the day because I'm trying to entertain babies and toddlers all day. A 5 month old baby like dd1, this might have been possible for A couple of months, but long term, once she could move, would have been a nightmare. Ds would have been a nightmare from the start. I can't imagine how it would work, moving baby from room to room all the time. I think she needs to sort proper childcare out tbh.
I can't imagine there would be any legal implications for saying no to this. There are very few jobs that employed parents are allowed to take their children on to the job with them, the only one I can think of is a nanny with own child, A nurse, teacher, police man, factory worker, office worker- they don't get the perk so I don't see there would be an exception for a cleaner.

expatinscotland · 27/08/2017 21:11

It's a no from me. Too much risk of accident.

seven201 · 27/08/2017 21:15

This will not work. A woman from my antenatal group planned to go back to work as a housekeeper (they had a cleaner too) when her baby was about 5 months, taking him with her, full time. She ended up taking off 13 months and has gone back 1 1/2 days a week with her son going to nursery! The reality is often different to what is imagined. You certainly can't pay her for a full 5 hours as breastfeeding alone could take an hour of that if she has a slow or on and off feeder.

HopelesslydevotedtoGu · 27/08/2017 21:21

I imagine she really needs the money and I wouldn't want to leave my baby at that age either. If she's been a good cleaner until now I'd give it a go, but with an understanding that it's a trial. I'd agree a volume of work she will do for the fee, rather than hours, and that she can stay longer to finish if she gets interrupted a lot (assuming that works for you). Also that this is a short arrangement until baby is old enough to leave, it won't work when baby is older and crawling.

Is this her first baby?

I did know a mum who did a full time professional job whilst caring for her baby. She returned from mat leave at 3 months and worked from home full time. Baby was really easy and napped for long stretches, she worked whilst baby was napping or lying in baby gym, and also did some in evening when husband got home. She said this wasn't unusual in her country. So depending on the baby and the mum it could work....

In honesty I think most likely it won't work that well, but in sympathy I would let her try, it sounds like she is in a difficult situation money wise and I would have been devastated to leave baby at that age, esp for a relatively poorly paid job.

Flimp · 27/08/2017 21:29

no chance. what's the baby going to do while she cleans? She may get lucky and have a weirdly placid baby, but all mine at that age wanted jiggling and entertaining and cuddling etc constantly.

If she wants to work she needs to sort out childcare like everyone else does.

Also, how does she know the baby will have separation anxiety at 5 months when it's not even born yet?!

3rdrockfromthesun · 27/08/2017 22:20

My only concern would be the insurance side of things.

Does she have her own insurance? What happens if something happens in the house to the baby whilst she is cleaning?

Sorry if that sounds morbid

QueSera · 27/08/2017 22:37

Absolutely NO from me, for everyone's sake!! It would be a nightmare at best, a dangerous disaster at worst.

daffodil10 · 27/08/2017 22:39

I would have thought that any employers liability under your home insurance for the cleaner will be void if she brings the child. There will be no cover for injury to the bAby either. if the house burnt down and it was an electrical fault you would be personally liable for both of their deaths and I doubt your public liability under home insurance would pay out

MrEBear · 28/08/2017 00:45

Sorry it would be a No from me. You get nothing done looking after a baby. I can see her dilemma but looking after a baby is fulltime it's self.

MummySparkle · 28/08/2017 00:59

I have a feeling she may change her mind once her baby is here. I do paid cat-sitting from time to time and took the DCs along when they were babies. It wasn't so a bad when they were tiny as I'd just carry them in in the car seat and then get everything done, however I was only there for half an hour at a time and even then it could get difficult. The bonus of cat sitting meant that if I had to stay longer because I had to feed DS everyone was a winner as dS got fed, I got a sit down and the cats got more attention. But with cleaning it would be a nightmare. I can't see how anything over half an hour or so would be feasible either. I remember when DS discovered stairs and I left the car seat in the car:
Say hello to cats
Remove DS from stairs
Put cat food into bowl
Remove DS from stairs
Remove ds from stairs
Turn tals on to run sink to wash up old bowls
Remove DS from stairs... you get the idea!

That was when I stopped taking him along unless DH was with me. He's 4 now and will happily play with the cats whilst I clean / feed but for a long time he was a nightmare.

I'll add now that the family knew I had small DCs and never minded me bringing them along. First time I met them I was 8.5 months pregnant! I have some clients I've never taken the DCs too because I know they'd rather not have them there

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