Can you pay someone to hold the baby

[LJ642]

. Can you pay someone to hold a newborn in the day while you sleep - or is this a nanny?! Probably wouldn’t actually do it - I’m just vvvv sleep deprived and wondering 😅😅😅 if baby could go down in the day or be held I’d be able to grab a couple extra half hours of kip. No local family to help

I'm a nanny and care for newborns from 7pm to 1am so the mum can get 6 hours sleep. I have the baby downstairs in a crib and while it is asleep I wash up the dinner things and sterilise the days bottles. When it wakes for a nap I change the baby and feed it (either formula or expressed) then pop it back to sleep. If mum is actively breastfeeding I quietly take baby up to the mum.

So is Bubble.

Nanny.

I hired a part time nanny when baby was 3 months (as he still wasn't sleeping more than 2 hour chunks and I was about to kill myself after 3 months of severe sleep deprivation).

Best thing i ever did. I'd remortgage my house if I didn't have the money. She saved my life.

Yes, ive been paid to hold the baby whilst the mum did a school run, (which took her around 90 minutes twice a day

I ould literally go in a cuddle the baby, as that was what she wanted and she would do the school run with her dd

sometimes her dh was upstairs asleep, so not like I was lawyers their alone.

Baby was 5/6 weeks and I did this for 6 weeks

then her dd moved schools to the local school and I was no longer needed as babu cuddler

look on babysitting websites and get someone with references and dbs check

A childminder if you send the child to their house or a nanny if they are in your house, lots do.

Sorry I know this isn't the point of the thread (btw I would happily cuddle a newborn for friends/family so they could sleep) - but have you ever worked with babies who wouldn't be put down? Ours would only contact sleep for the early months and I'd have paid a significant amount of money to someone to come and take over so we could get a solid block of sleep. I'm past that point of life now but really interested to know if this sort of help exists!

Yes, a postnatal doula does exactly this. As would a night nurse.

That said, they sleep all the time when they are little so I’d just make a safe sleeping space and sleep with them. Alternatively, if you have a partner, I used to hand them to Dh as soon as he walked in after work and go to bed. He did evenings, bathtime, got them dressed for bed, etc while I slept and stayed up holding them until midnight ish so that, apart from feeds, I could just sleep.

Yes any nanny or babysitter.

Contact home start. Trained volunteers that come to your home and help with families with under 5 year olds.

Literally every nanny does this.

A post natal doula is experienced for this I think.

Maternity nurses do this. They are an absolute godsend. Take a look at agencies.

A doula could help with this - did you go to any classes pre birth where the person who ran them might also be a doula? Alternatively depending on your circumstances home start might be able to help? Other than that, please just ignore anything else you think you need to do and the minute your baby sleeps put them in a crib next to you close the curtains and lie down immediately. You might only get 20 mins but it’s better than nothing. Xx

That said, they sleep all the time when they are little so I’d just make a safe sleeping space and sleep with them.

Hollow laughter. I'd hazard a guess that mums of babies who 'sleep all the time' aren't those who need the help. I had five. Not one of them slept properly until they were about six.

Haven’t RTFT so someone else may have said this, but for London try Sitting Pretty Babysitters. Have used them for years and all their people are excellent.

This! Would happily volunteer!

Postnatal doula.

I get that it sounds idyllic snuggling a baby but it would be very much a one off favour, realistically. How many people are hanging around during the day regularly with nothing to do - no housework or hobbies or work of their own - and regularly can commit to holding a baby?

I used to take a neighbour's baby for a walk if I was going to local shops or the library so she had a quiet hour.

I do think it’s kind of ironic that there are so many threads about making plans to stop….older female relations….from holding babies!

It’s sweet and I am the same. Of course I’d love to hold a baby, but would I let someone I barely knew take my newborn to the shop or sit unaccompanied in my home while I slept? Realistically I wouldn’t and to be honest I’d kind of hope most women wouldn’t!

I did this with DS. Were living abroad with no friends or family and DH had to travel with work when DS was 3 weeks old. Used a reputable agency and had a lovely lady hold (reflux, allergy ridden) DS for 3 hours so I could get a chunk of sleep and function. He slept in 50 minute stints and I was broken (significant health issues of my own). She then became a trusted babysitter we used for ages.

Do you have any mates nearby? If not reach out to a postpartum doula for some guidance and support.

I have loved every stage (although 6 year olds have always been v intense) but newborn is my favourite. I couldn’t even sleep when baby did because I was so happy to hold them. DH would take them out for walks so I would actually give them up and have sleep. I love it when my friends have babies and need sleep. I am there instantly 😂

That's why mums and babies have been co sleeping for millennia.
Sure babies get squished once in a while (if you're a druggie) but for 99% of families it works

I would happily hold anyone’s newborn for as long as they needed for free.