New business idea, help for new parents. Would love your opinion!

[MrsRLH75]

Hi, I’d really love your thoughts and opinions on a business idea I have been toying with for some time. I would like to set up a service to help new parents (ie parents with a baby up to 12 months old). Having had 4 kids of my own, I know that the first 12 months can be really tough and we’re not all luckily enough to have a supportive family/friends network around us. So I would offer services such as minding the baby while the new parent/s catches up on sleep, helping to bath baby, taking baby for a walk in the pram, babysitting so parent/s can go out, help with weaning, help with simple domestic chores and food prep, maybe school runs for older children.

I’m 45, clean license, full dbs and first aid trained.

Would this be something you would have used/benefited from when your baby was small?

Please be kind!

It's like a mother's help idea really isn't it?

In theory, it's a great idea. In practice, I think lots of people are very cautious about leaving their babies with strangers. I remember when my DC was a baby, I'd used a babysitting agency...I had lots of friends who were horrified I left my baby with someone who wasn't a family member or friend. Most of them didn't have family support locally either yet they still wouldn't have contemplated a babysitter. Sorry, I know your suggestion isn't just baby sitting, just giving you my experience of how many people react to outside help.

Are you describing a nanny? But you wouldn’t be full time with any one family, but rather have a number of families you would be available to? I am worried that wouldn’t work very well as I could see multiple families needing you at the same time? Eg 6pm to do bedtime routine then baby sit to let them go to dinner. Bet all your customers would want that on a Friday or Saturday!

Sorry op but it's not really a service I would have used, I understand you have dbs etc but you would essentially be a stranger. You would have to build a relationship with a family which would cost a fortune and be more worthwhile for actual childcare (like a nanny or cm)rather than casual or occasional help.

Someone I know does this, she’s a doula who does post natal care as well as prenatal. It’s a great service for those who can afford it, the help is really welcome.

She does a mixture of things - takes the baby for walks so the parents can sleep, does laundry and ironing, cooks meals, cleans etc, and had advice on feeding / general baby care etc.