Mother’s Help options or similar?
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Topic: Mother’s Help options or similar?
Posted By: KiwiWonder
Subject: Mother’s Help options or similar?
Date Posted: 13 August 2012 at 8:29pm
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Been wondering about this for awhile now.
I've been really struggling with getting everything done (or even things half done) lately - combination of bad mental space plus pregnancy plus moving house and juggling three kids 6 and under ;) Plus we've recently moved house, DH is further away from work and thus away longer hours - meaning that although he's normally around for the morning crush, when witching hour hits in the evening he's still either at work or stuck in traffic and really the dinner / bed prep needs to be done without him. Normally that wouldn't be too much to ask, but lately I'm so exhausted even by 4pm that we're resorting to tinned dinners and/or takeaways far too much, or kids are kept up later than they should be to wait for him to get home and help out. Anyways - I've been thinking that a part time mother's-help type person would be super handy. Someone that doesn't need the experience (or pay rates associated with it) to help out, ideally in the afternoons / evenings. Someone to juggle kids while I juggle housework, or even vice versa - just keeping the kids contained while work still gets done, one way or another. However the options for such seem to be very slim indeed.... I can get a part time nanny for upwards of $21 per hour, or a school kid with limited transport (we're away from the city a bit so problematic) and limited experience. I'm not age-ist, but I do worry that taking on a 15 or 16 year old for help will just wind me up with one more kid to look after, iykwim - plus likely either having to rely on their parent(s) for transport, or piling everyone in the car to do it myself, which kind of defeats the purpose. I've been really surprised that there's not more options out there for a non-sole-charge helper in the $14 - $18ph price bracket. We've also been considering an au-pair, mainly for the reasons above, and the new place officially has room for one. However I have somewhat the reverse worry in that case... most ask for at least 30 hours work and I'm not sure I realistically have that, without either feeling useless myself or having an actual job :) Also, it'd still be quite a stretch for us financially, especially with the increase in food bills etc that would come with an au-pair. Plus I'm not sure I love the idea of living with someone else, even for the extra help. Anyone else been in this situation? Is there something I haven't considered - or am I better off just getting a cup of harden up? ------------- Margo |
Replies:
Posted By: SethsMama
Date Posted: 14 August 2012 at 7:14am
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Hey,
I haven't hired anyone for help before but I do have a bit of experience because I was an 'au-pair' in my early 20s. Usually an au pair is an international person, but I was moving back to NZ after sometime overseas so was just using the au pair site to find a placement. It would have been slightly different because I was watching school age children but it will give you an example of what was expected. In the mornings I was expected to do some household cleaning (not heaps just laundry, clean morning kitchen mess, vacuum, ironing etc) They had a house cleaner once a week so it wasn't intensive. Then I would have free time for a good few hours. I would do school pick ups then entertain children, get their homework done, bath them and do something towards dinner (usually a salad or veges). I also watched the kids one sunday a month when the parents went to golf. The parents would have them on the weekend and in the evenings (but that was basically just putting them to bed). For that I was given room and board (in a garage room with ensuite) and $150 a week) I'm not sure if that would be within you budget but I hope it gives you an idea :) ------------- 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 14 August 2012 at 3:24pm
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What about just getting a cleaner a couple of hours a week to do some of the big stuff and free you up for other things. It can be hard with 3 young ones and then add the tiredeness of pregnancy... so maybe you just need to change the way you do some things. Bath them in the mornings instead of evenings or only every other day...Or at 3.30 after school just before the tired hits you. use the crockpot (if you have one) and either make the meals in the morning after the madness then switch on for the rest of the day or get hubby or you to throw the stuff in the pot the night before. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 14 August 2012 at 5:05pm
| Ive found bathing the kids about 4pm helps heaps too, they are way less tired,...and after dinner when they are tired there is nothing left to do with them except books/teeth/bed! |
Posted By: Lightning McQueen
Date Posted: 14 August 2012 at 6:39pm
| A friend placed an ad through Student Job Search and got a Uni student (studying ECE) who helps out from 4-6pm during the week. I'm not certain what she pays her, but I think it's in the $14 - $18 p/hr bracket. |
Posted By: susieq
Date Posted: 14 August 2012 at 7:40pm
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where abouts in Auckland are you, I could be interested in Mothers help roles, have been nannying finish tomorrow. pm me ------------- susie |
Posted By: pumpkino
Date Posted: 15 August 2012 at 8:46am
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I want the same thing when I get preggers with No 3 - I work 3 days a week and with both pregnancies have had terrible hyperemesis right up to delivering the babies. I know I didn't do a very good job when I was preg with DS2,due to sickness/exhaustion and don't want to make the same mistakes again (nothing major, just way too much TV and toast for dinner!!).
Even when not preg I find it near impossible to juggle everything - DH and the boys generate so much laundry!! So we have a cleaner who just does a couple of hours once a fortnight, to do the big stuff like vacuuming, proper bathroom cleans etc so I can just do quick spot cleans in between. Wish we could afford that weekly but not at the moment. That def helps though, costs us $60 per fortnight. When I was at uni I helped a family two days a week by picking the kids up from daycare/school, amusing them for an hour or two, preparing their dinners and getting them ready for bed. Something like that would be great - they were family friends so you could ask around (maybe friends of your parents have a 20ish son/daughter) or def recommend Student Job Search. Would be interested to hear of any other ideas in Wellington!! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: pumpkino
Date Posted: 15 August 2012 at 8:52am
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Actually now that I think about it you could also look at finding someone through RockMyBaby which is a babysitter service. I have used them when away on holiday when we needed a sitter for a wedding and they were great. You pay about $13-14 ph from memory. That would give you the flexibility to try a few different people out as well. Don't know if they would be keen to help with housework but could def amuse the kids and do pickups etc. If you found someone you liked you could then negotiate a private arrangement with them which suited you.
Just a thought. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Danda08
Date Posted: 15 August 2012 at 9:05am
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Check out the nanny school in Welly. I'm not sure what the hourly rates are but I know a few multiple mum's have used them as they are cheaper than a qualified nanny and since you don't need sole charge that would be ok. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: _Soda_
Date Posted: 15 August 2012 at 3:10pm
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theres always Porse, or similar, im sure they have people who come to you aswell? and they should be reasonably priced. even just asking around school and seeing if one of the mums there wouldnt mind dropping the school aged child after school so thats one less thing you need to do and maybe even have them to play one or two days a week for a couple of hours? otherwise i agree with others- nanny schools would be good to approach/student job search and you can get a uni student which would be cheaper than a qualified nanny- try here: http://www.sjs.co.nz/ good luck! ------------- My little miracle 6/1/2011 My angel in Heaven 9/5/14 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: MumtoMany
Date Posted: 16 August 2012 at 11:34am
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I have a cleaner 4 hours a week. That helps so much. And i also feed my kids afternoon tea and bath them at about 4pm every day into pjs and then we have tea at 5.30pm bed time is 7pm. Makes life so much easier. ------------- DD 12 DS 9.5 DD 6 DS 4 DD 23 months and here comes number 6 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  |
Posted By: pumpkino
Date Posted: 16 August 2012 at 2:46pm
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A friend just told me that she knew someone who would put her kids in the bath, put a plank of wood across the bath and serve dinner on it while the kids were sitting in the bath. After they got out she dressed them in their clothes for the next day and put them to bed.
That's certainly one time saving strategy! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 20 August 2012 at 8:43pm
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At Uni i worked as a part time nanny for a family in the afternoons. I picked up the kids from school, did the afternoon tea, laundry, meal, homework etc, just an extra pair of hands. She was home before bath but would've done that too if asked.
It was my second time at Uni so i was about 28yo and had nanny experience but i could only do those short hours so it suited me well. Maybe student job search at uni/AUT? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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