Anyone else have no-one to turn to for emergency babysitting?

[JoshandJamie]

Just have to have a little moan. I have no family living in the country - closest family member is in Ireland, the rest in the very far south of the southern hemisphere.

Which means that if I ever need someone to help me watch my children because something unexpected comes up, I am forced to ask friends. And my friends do try to help, but I don't want to end up being the one constantly asking for favours - even though if they do help out, I insist on returning the favour and don't let it just drop.

But there are times that my friends can't help and I'm just stuck. And it sucks. This week I have been invited to a great opportunity for work (I run my own business). DH can't watch them as he has some important people flying in from out of town and really can't not see them. Nursery can't fit them in. childminder can't take them. Friend can't take them. Don't want to ask other friends as I know it would be a HUGE ask.

So it means I just have to not go. I feel there must be someone else to turn to but there isn't.

I have similar problems and have often though I would try a babysitting agency if it came down to it - was thinking of evenings though, not much good if you need it for during the day. mu nursery have always been able to fit us in in that case - could they not get some extra cover for another member of staff if you would be giving them a days fees?

Me!

My mum lives nearby but works full time, and most of my friends work too, so I haven't got someone I can levae my DSs with at the last minute.

I am meant to be going to a funeral in the next few days, but can't go because I have nobody to babysit

Could you say which part of the country you're in - another MN'er might know a CM or someone round there who could take them.

me too. pita isn't it?

Me too - have full set of gps - but apparently we live too far away from them so rarely see them and when we do it is like we are a hotel !

Me too... closest relative is in Hong Kong.
I do have one close friend who I can call on in real emergency ... but I accept that basically I have to deal with it myself (and DH).

I'm in West Berkshire. I did ask the nursery if any staff were free to watch them but they're not. I use Sitters for evening babysitting, but they don't do days and I also wouldn't be comfortable leaving them with someone I didn't know and who they had never met. Which would probably rule out a mumsnetter helping, sadly.

It's just such a pain. I have two different friends who I owe 'overnight' babysitting to because they did it for us and I keep trying to pin them down so that I can repay them as I hate being beholden to someone else and I also don't feel I can ask them again without having done it for them.

Aargh. Maybe there's a business opportunity here. Emergency daytime babysitting by qualified nannies. There must be something like that. Bet it costs a bomb though!

I think there are babysitting agencies that do daytimes but like you say it will cost and you will have the smae problem of not knowing them - they would be qualified nannies though I think. One is advertised here where i work if you want me to have a look for it.

Barbamum - if you get a chance, that would be great - would be useful to know for the future anyway and it seems there are a few of us in the same situation.

ME - I have absolutely no-one near me who I could turn to (or even trust) to babysit.

I had two reasons already for going into London this week but now I've just been asked to go see a company for a big new business project. If i could just go, I could kill three birds with one stone. But there's no way I can ask someone to take my two boys from 8am till late afternoon which is when my DH would be able to pick them up.

Thunk - that's me banging my head against a table. Why is being a mum and trying to work so bloody hard??????????

I presume you've asked the company for another date as you are unavailable on this one ?

Am in the process of doing that. It just means another trip into London when I only have childcare (i.e. working days) 3 days a week. There are solutions. They just take a lot of hard work. Anyway, enough whinging from me. My sympathies to all in the same boat.

we have the same problems thou we have 3 kids with autism and a poorly DH, all the mate i have also have kids with SN so i don't like to ask them to help thou they have helped a lot when DH is in hospital.
is there a college nearby that has nursery nurse students?

J&J - where in West Berks?

Yes - I have found that my working life has had to fit with my childcare - rather than my childcare with my working life if that makes sense !

Before dd started school I had childcare on Tues/weds/Thurs and work were forever asking me to do something on a Monday and Friday - eventually they got the message - so much so that even though I am now full-time some people still say "sorry to bother you on a Monday but...."

You just have to be firm that you are not available apart from on these days - in some ways it makes you more desirable as it suggests you have other things on ! They don't need to know it is swimming or soft play !!

Good Luck !

me. I have nobody at all.

dp will watch them if I want to go out, but I don't know anyone to go out with either.

If there was a problem which meant that dp and I were both unable to look after them, our eldest (13) would have to mind the others.

(which sounds great, but she's not the most responsible of teenagers and I wouldn't ordinarily trust her to look after a goldfish!)

sorry I've just had a look and the one advertised here is for evenings only - no good for during the day.

Try this website:

www.emergencychildcare.co.uk/index/index. php

Sorry can't do links!

Potoroo, in the countryside, north of Newbury, just north of the M4.

Ordinarily, I do arrange my work around my childcare - in fact all my clients are mums in business too are we regularly schedule calls around naptime! But in this instance, it's something that I can't shift taking place on a non-childcare day. I think I need to realise that until my children are old enough to go to school, work has to take a back seat (although how people juggle work and school runs and extra curricular stuff is beyond me).

advertise in local shop for a granny

I did this when my mum was away in australia for months

she still occasionally helps us out!

Have you a community centre nearby or ask H/V if they know of anyone. There maybe a childminder who is able to help last minute? I know how you feel, I have had to rely on friends for the past 6 months as been unable to pick up DS who is now 11 mo. Don't know how I would have coped otherwise. Surestart have been helpful don't know if you have anything like that in your area? Sorry can't be of more help.

Same here. MIL 3 hours away (and as useful as a chocolate teapot), my parents 4 hours away (if I drive, 7 if they do). Dh works silly hours so can never babysit in the week.

He looks after ds at the weekend if so I can do things like go to the dentist, get my hair cut etc, but going out isn't an option for us.

I'm in Hungerford... if you're desparate

Thanks for the offer potoroo - very kind :-) But I've cancelled it all. Disappointing but there you go. Good to know there's another mumsnetter near me though!

And thanks to everyone else for the suggestions.