Need a short break from your YO?

[0MumOf2]

Has anyone here used a service (paid or volunteer) where you can get a tea and a few hours break from your YO, while someone is looking after them? What did you like / not like?

If you haven’t used this, would you ever want to?

YO? Young one? youth Offender?

Definitely young one!

We use a childminder.. and sometimes she goes to the childminder while I’m not at work for a couple of hours to catch up on life/house admin. Is that what you mean ?

Mine are teenagers now, but I'd have been banging on the doors of a service like that. I had severe postnatal depression and was really struggling to cope. A service like that would have been a lifeline to me. Sure Start offered a similar service but I wasn't eligible for it.

As babies or toddlers, no, not unless an emergency. Neither of mine would have been happy to be left with someone they didn't know (which is entirely reasonable of them!).

Once a bit older and able to understand, I would potentially use something a bit more like a gym crèche, where I could drop them off to have fun for a couple of hours whilst I got things done or had a break. The more fun they genuinely have, the more I'd use it.