AuPair/Nanny (share?) Support guidance: Widower & Two small Children in Barnes/Putney Post Reply

[Greg_SW13]

Good day, 

My wife passed away in February, and we as a family consist of me (42), my son (nearly 5) and daughter (2.5).

We have a 3 bedroom flat in Barnes (with two cats), I work full time, and I now my son has started school (after school clubs until 6pm M-T, 5pm Friday), whilst my daughter is in nursery (M-F, 8-6) it is time that I sought help.

I would like to find assistance with things such as: school and nursery pickups on occasion, preparation of the odd meal, laundry and shopping and perhaps occasional weekly & weekend babysitting so that I may have some time for myself for whatever exercise/social one may. 

I do not know if an au-pair is the solution, or a shared nanny etc. and of course would look for some consistency for the sake of my children.

Any advice or recommendations is much appreciate.

Many thanks,
Greg

 

[Anon1234]

So sorry to hear about your wife. As a widow myself, I would recommend getting a nanny if you can afford it. Au pairs are cheaper but as they are younger and less experienced, you may need to help/supervise a bit more, whereas an experienced nanny can relieve some of the burden completely. A shared nanny is a good way of sharing costs but it depends if you know/can find a family where this arrangement would suit you both, plus you may need to share the time in each of your houses, meaning they can do less washing/cleaning etc in your own house. If you contact a nanny agency, they can also talk through options and help you find the right person. Hope that helps and good luck!

[Resident1]

Be sure to find out how much housework the nanny will do. Will nanny also prepare a meal for adults or do their laundry? Have that conversation.

You might try contacting Universal Aunts who can provide mother’s helps, housekeepers and babysitters.

http://www.universalaunts.co.uk/      020 7738 8937
 

[mememe]

Join facebook - sw15 mums network and others similar on there local to you, they are your best bet for everything family related. Good luck, awful time :-(