One of the first things to consider when looking at your child care priorities is how to go about choosing the right au pair or Nanny for your children. This is a very personal decision, because on the one hand you want someone who is responsible, someone who can take charge, and someone who you know your children will be safe with. But on the other hand, you want someone who you like, who your children get on with, and who makes your day to day chores easier, because they are fun to be around. Now, most of us know that this person exists! Unfortunately she is called Mary Poppins, and only lives in a Disney film.
So, how do you go about getting your own version of Mary Poppins, without going mad? Choosing the right au pair, thankfully, need not be a nightmare. There is a structure which you can go through in order to ensure that you end up with someone that you feel comfortable with. Because in reality, there is a fine line to be walked between having too much childcare, and not having enough. Naturally, you do want to spend time with your children, and so you don’t want a nanny or au pair, all of the time. You only want them, when you have other priorities, such as work commitments, that MUST be met.
So here is your first choice in assessing your childcare priorities. You need to know how much childcare, you need! A good way to decide on this number, is to actually sit down with a notepad and pen, and write out your current commitments. Next to each allot an amount of time they used up. Next, write down the amount of time it will roughly take to complete that commitment. Then, compare this to your weekly diary, and see where you both have spaces in your diary, and where you have multiple commitments. Where you are most busy, is where you should initially be looking for au pairs or Nanny’s to help you out.
A good rule of thumb, is that it is easier to increase the amount of hours that someone works, then it is to decrease them. So, if possible start out by hiring someone for a few hours a week, and then if you need more assistance, then talk to them about potentially having them in for more hours.
One of the advantages of au pair’s or Nanny’s over more conventional childcare facilities, is that they take care of your children in your own home. And this can be a great source of comfort for your children, because they are used to the environment, and hence feel less uncomfortable. So it is worth taking the time to choose the right one for your children! For more great au pair, child care, and Nanny resources visit the links below for up-to-date child minding and childcare information.
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