Advice for new SAHM re: family support

[Anonymous]

I have recently decided to leave my job and have a 6-month-old and toddler at home. I would like to bring someone on in a part-time nanny/mother’s helper role who can essentially be an extra set of hands to do a mix of childcare and household tasks (tidying kitchen, washing bottles/dishes, food prep, etc.). I am hoping that by having this extra help this will also allow me to do some 1:1 activities during the day with each child. Would appreciate any insight from stay at home parents who may have had a similar arrangement to hear what worked well and what didn’t. Many thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have recently decided to leave my job and have a 6-month-old and toddler at home. I would like to bring someone on in a part-time nanny/mother’s helper role who can essentially be an extra set of hands to do a mix of childcare and household tasks (tidying kitchen, washing bottles/dishes, food prep, etc.). I am hoping that by having this extra help this will also allow me to do some 1:1 activities during the day with each child. Would appreciate any insight from stay at home parents who may have had a similar arrangement to hear what worked well and what didn’t. Many thanks.

Congrats on your decision!
Id recommend you read through a lot of the posts here and put together a job description. Based on what you wrote, I think you need more of a housekeeper who loves kids than a nanny. We had this and it worked out great, our lady was really organized with cleaning and laundry, but she also cooked for the kids and could take care of them if needed.

[Anonymous]

OP- I run a local nanny agency and we place a ton of nanny/household manager hybrid roles. These are the most important things to consider:

-Are you seeking household management help or housekeeping help? These are different roles and will attract very different candidates with skill sets accordingly.

-If you only need part time, the schedule HAS to be realistic to allow for a candidate to get a second job. When families post for a nanny M-F from 11-4pm for example, it would be very very dfificult for someone to find a position from 8am-10:30am and/or 4-6pm to make full time hours. You have to either do 5 half days morning or afternoons (8-12 or 1-5) or 2-3 full days.

-PT jobs pay on the higher end of market rate. There are SO many full time jobs available right now that there has to be some incentive for a candidate to be open to two part time positions.

-In order to retain a long term candidate you'll have to offer industry standard benefits (modified for a PT role).

-Be very clear in your description that this will be a role along side a SAHM. Many candidates are ok with this set up, but some aren't and you don't want to waste your time (or theirs) speaking with candidates that won't be a good fit.

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

OP here - thank you for the replies! Good considerations to keep in mind. I would largely be handling the household management but seeking help with light housekeeping and cooking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have recently decided to leave my job and have a 6-month-old and toddler at home. I would like to bring someone on in a part-time nanny/mother’s helper role who can essentially be an extra set of hands to do a mix of childcare and household tasks (tidying kitchen, washing bottles/dishes, food prep, etc.). I am hoping that by having this extra help this will also allow me to do some 1:1 activities during the day with each child. Would appreciate any insight from stay at home parents who may have had a similar arrangement to hear what worked well and what didn’t. Many thanks.

What do you mean by family support? Your extended family or hiring someone?

[Anonymous]

I would hire someone who primarily cleans homes + does cooking duties who also is willing to babysit.

However unless your children nap well on a consistent basis or there will be times where you could juggle both kids - it may be tough for someone to do household/cooking duties while also completely caring & supervising a young child.

Also I have to disagree on the response Re: Part-time employment.

In no other field do companies offer a higher salary/wage for part-time work due to the supposed demand for full-time hours.
Believe it or not >> there are many folks out there who actually prefer part-time employment.
And especially so when it comes to watching young kids!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would hire someone who primarily cleans homes + does cooking duties who also is willing to babysit.

However unless your children nap well on a consistent basis or there will be times where you could juggle both kids - it may be tough for someone to do household/cooking duties while also completely caring & supervising a young child.

Also I have to disagree on the response Re: Part-time employment.

In no other field do companies offer a higher salary/wage for part-time work due to the supposed demand for full-time hours.
Believe it or not >> there are many folks out there who actually prefer part-time employment.
And especially so when it comes to watching young kids!!

PT work in the nanny field *always* commands higher rates, because it's harder to cobble together two PT positions that will actually work (no possibility of being held over at the first, no or minimal transportation time between the two, no expectation of full days for either *ever*, etc.) and because there's no possibility of overtime and overtime rates from either one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have recently decided to leave my job and have a 6-month-old and toddler at home. I would like to bring someone on in a part-time nanny/mother’s helper role who can essentially be an extra set of hands to do a mix of childcare and household tasks (tidying kitchen, washing bottles/dishes, food prep, etc.). I am hoping that by having this extra help this will also allow me to do some 1:1 activities during the day with each child. Would appreciate any insight from stay at home parents who may have had a similar arrangement to hear what worked well and what didn’t. Many thanks.

Why do parents think that while using the word nanny also means housekeeper? I didn't go to school for 4 years to do your dishes. What you are looking for is a housekeeper who is willinbg to watch the children when you want. A Nanny is someone who has sole charge of your children and full responsibility. A babysitter (I have never sat on a baby) is a younger less experienced childcare person who also usually does not do domestic work. I think you need to be exactly sure and commucative to whomever you hire exactly what you require instead of using a title incorrectly or you will go through help over and over again, exposing your children to that revolving door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have recently decided to leave my job and have a 6-month-old and toddler at home. I would like to bring someone on in a part-time nanny/mother’s helper role who can essentially be an extra set of hands to do a mix of childcare and household tasks (tidying kitchen, washing bottles/dishes, food prep, etc.). I am hoping that by having this extra help this will also allow me to do some 1:1 activities during the day with each child. Would appreciate any insight from stay at home parents who may have had a similar arrangement to hear what worked well and what didn’t. Many thanks.

Why do parents think that while using the word nanny also means housekeeper? I didn't go to school for 4 years to do your dishes. What you are looking for is a housekeeper who is willinbg to watch the children when you want. A Nanny is someone who has sole charge of your children and full responsibility. A babysitter (I have never sat on a baby) is a younger less experienced childcare person who also usually does not do domestic work. I think you need to be exactly sure and commucative to whomever you hire exactly what you require instead of using a title incorrectly or you will go through help over and over again, exposing your children to that revolving door.

Thinking the same. They are so so wrong.

[Anonymous]

A mother's helper is a little girl not quite old enough to babysit without an adult present.

WHen I was a SAHM we had a nanny from 2-7pm every day. We have four kids with a big gap between the oldest two and youngest two, so we did a lot of divide and conquer. I spent the mornings with the younger ones, then the afternoons after school with the older ones while the nanny was with the little ones during nap and could do kid laundry, prep dinner, etc.

[Anonymous]

Hire a weekly housekeeper and separate babysitter.

[Anonymous]

If you think that it wil be cheaper by saying mother's helper, you are wrong. It will be $25+ per hour. So, jus think of it as a part time nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have recently decided to leave my job and have a 6-month-old and toddler at home. I would like to bring someone on in a part-time nanny/mother’s helper role who can essentially be an extra set of hands to do a mix of childcare and household tasks (tidying kitchen, washing bottles/dishes, food prep, etc.). I am hoping that by having this extra help this will also allow me to do some 1:1 activities during the day with each child. Would appreciate any insight from stay at home parents who may have had a similar arrangement to hear what worked well and what didn’t. Many thanks.

Why do parents think that while using the word nanny also means housekeeper? I didn't go to school for 4 years to do your dishes. What you are looking for is a housekeeper who is willinbg to watch the children when you want. A Nanny is someone who has sole charge of your children and full responsibility. A babysitter (I have never sat on a baby) is a younger less experienced childcare person who also usually does not do domestic work. I think you need to be exactly sure and commucative to whomever you hire exactly what you require instead of using a title incorrectly or you will go through help over and over again, exposing your children to that revolving door.

Thinking the same. They are so so wrong.

OP: Pay attention to these post. I'm a SAHM who hired a help when I had three under age 4 and (wrongly) assumed that a nanny who did light housework would be willing to do light housework most of the time. This may be the case but not always.

*Most people who see themselves as true nannies expect to be doing childcare the majority of the time, and view light housework as things like doing the kids' laundry or cleaning the kitchen only after the kids have had a meal. They do not want to come in first thing and clean the kitchen that you've left dirty from the night before. Also, they are more likely to want to be "in charge" and may not gel well working with a stay at home mom.

*Then there are people truly open to doing either childcare or housekeeping. You can identify them because they've usually had housekeeping jobs, typically involving deep cleaning and not just tidying, where they were just housekeepers and not childcare providers too. They'll have had babysitting and nannying jobs too though. These types are what your are looking for, but are harder to find.

The first group typically prides themselves on being childcare professionals but in my experience are not necessarily better than the second group.