Feeling Isolated - how to get friends to help me look after kids sometimes

[winipig]

Hey !

I have a twins who are 3 years old but i'm mostly at home taking care of them. Sometimes I have to pop out to the shops to get emergency supplies and sometimes I want to go to the dentists/gym but can hardly get help. I have a few friends nearby who have kids and I know they would be happy to look after the kids sometimes but it's hard to keep track of when they're also free - does anyone else have this problem? Any solutions you could recommend?

If anyone does know a way to ask friends for help other than stating the bloody obvious: 'Hello friend! Yes it's a pretty sticky situation I'm in and I need some help. Yes. From you. I have no one else to ask for support with childcare.'

Can you ask the staff at the pre-school? I've used nursery staff for babysitting in the past, they know the dc's and I know they are CRB checked and first aiders.

TBH I would rather stick pins in my eyes than have other children stay over here, I can't think of anything more stressful. I wouldn't inflict my dc's on someone elses house, heaven knows what they would damage.

Yeah, if I go out, I want to just go. Just take keys, purse, phone, say goodbye to the babysitter, come back 3 or 4 hours later and drop thankfully into my own bed.

If I have to spend hours making phone calls in advance, pack bag for DS, drive 10 miles out of my way to a friend's, spend an hour lying down with DS to get him to go to sleep in a strange bed, drive another 12 miles to Going Out Town, drive 12 miles back, either sleep on floor and get no sleep or cart drowsy child back into car and drive another 10 miles home and THEN still have to put DS to bed.......That's not having a carefree, relaxing time. Which is the point of going out, rather.

(I appreciate most peoples' friends aren't as spread out and rural as mine, but still....).

I would much much much much rather go without other things to just simply pay a babysitter.