Mother's helper

[mana8503]

I've been thinking about "hiring" my cousin's 15 year old daughter (K) as a mother's helper. Maybe a Saturday or two a month. She has offered to babysit and seems really good with E.

My thoughts are:
1. Not quite ready to leave lo with K alone just yet. But this way she can kind of see how we do things, where things are, etc. when I'm comfortable we can ask her to watch E for date night.

2. (My main reason) it'll free me up to do some house work. H works Friday night into Saturday afternoon. Lo has given up any kind of nap schedule therefore I've given up trying to clean. But I need organization for my mental health. I think the state of my house is intensifying my normally manageable winter blues. I hate using our only day as a family cleaning.

Anyone with experience using a mother's helper? How much did you charge?

[jmski]

I would absolutely have her come while you clean.
It could be weird if your little one naps when the helper is there since you said she doesn't have a schedule. Maybe give her an organizing job to help then.

[Deleted]

I used my neighbors teenage daughter. She was 17 maybe. I paid her $10 an hour and she came from 3pm-7pm, so I could pick up DS, get a nap, nurse DD, make dinner. Her job was mostly to take care of DS and she also did dinner dishes. She held the baby so I could eat. DD was a newborn at the time. We only had her about a month when the sleep deprivation was at its worst as she had another job.

[theborg7of9]

Why not just hire a maid?

[mana8503]

Feb 14, 2015 17:00:01 GMT -5 theborg7of9 said:

Why not just hire a maid?

I thought about that, but I really need to go through things and get rid of what we don't use/need. Like I need to go through the closet, I don't wear half of what's in there.

Also, I'd like to have someone who can watch E for date night once a month. My parents watch her all week. And while they say they don't mind watching her while we go out, I'm sure they need a break too. I'm probably being a paranoid FTM, but I'd like E to get used to her before I leave them together.