Figuring out childcare can be one of the trickier sides of parenting.
From creches and montessories to a childminder or babysitter, there are various options to consider but whatever you choose has to suit your family and budget.
As parents of two kids aged 4 and 2 who have moved house and family three times in the last four years, we have engaged ALL of the above childcare options at different stages.
But now that we are all settled down in our 'forever home', we have a great childminder who takes over the house and kids when we are at work.
We were lucky to find her at a time when she is studying to be a primary school teacher and her schedule matches ours but also.. because she's often just sooo much better at parenting than I am.
And here's why:
1. Dinner Time's A Breeze
Jacob, our eldest, hasn't eaten a green vegetable that hasn't been pureed and hidden into a sauce for two years. Cue last week's pics from home to my phone of him happily shoving peas into his gob - for Katie, his childminder. He was actually smiling, the turncoat.
2. Schedule Time Is On Point
I have no fucking idea what day it is most of the time, living one crazy whirlwind of laundry, meals, work and cuddles to the next. Katie is not only on hand to inform me that it is, in fact, Thursday and not Wednesday, but also that Jacob has music class today. Doh.
3. Nappies Are In The Bag
I have left the house for work with absolutely zero nappies or wipes in the house more times than I should be admitting to. I live in a chaotic, disorganised mess. But Katie goes and gets us stocked up, because she is clearly thinking about the kids way more than I am (scarlet for me).
4. The Kids Are Mobile
'We're just back from a morning at the park!' is the text I will get at work at noon as I am contemplating my seventh coffee. Had I been at home with them, I would have been JUST thinking about leaving the house to go do something and most probably trying talking myself out of it altogether.
5. She's Always Chill
I get into a flap way too quickly with the kids if they're being problematic, misbehaving or whining to the point that I try to hide in the loo for a few minutes. They don't have to deal with that with Katie because she's unflappable. I feel like a day with her is a break for them from this nagging, narky mammy that I can sometimes be, and that has to be a good thing for everyone!
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