Balancing Childcare when at home and on holiday

Being apart of the Millennial generation as well as being a self-employed work from home mother of two active boys I know my life like many others is pretty hectic as well as very different to our parents generation. Now more than ever people work digitally and nomadically, offices have been exchanged for coffeeshops, hotels and even city centre parks and we are seeing more and more woman taking advantage of being able to work around their children and from home. Also with the rising cost of living we see a more move away from the traditional setup of there being one breadwinner in a family and now two incomes are usually needed.

Working flexible hours means that occasionally I need flexible childcare and even though I strive to get a good balance of working around my children that is not always possible especially when deadlines are looming. Personally I have found that not having a defined place of work with define working times is both a privilege but can also be problematic especially when it comes to childcare.

With my eldest because I struggled to find something that worked for us as I looked into nurseries but having to commit to set days was not what I needed at the time and as he got older I felt he wasn't going to be one of those early starters to school so we simply extended his time at home and I worked in the evenings and around him with my mother having him the odd day here or there when I was desperate, this worked well until I had my youngest. Not only did our lives become busier as we went from a family of three to a family of four but also my work and business continued to grow which meant the system I had before just didn't work anymore.

We have also always been a family who travel and while we love sharing the world with our children travel can also intensify the family dynamic as you are in each others pockets from morning to night and in unfamiliar surrounds, which doesn't always make things easy. With travel becoming a bigger part of my work it's important that I allow time to get myself ready, be professional but also be present for the kids and enjoy the moments with them so it can be quite a juggling act. Even though I have always been apprehensive about things like nanny, daycare and nurseries it gets to the point when you have to look at the options for your sanity, work-life balance and to make everything a lot more stress-free especially when you have unique working hours. As time has gone on I have talked to more and more parents who have started using private childcare services and all have said the same thing, your nerves soon fade away when greeted with friendly, experienced and highly trained individuals and I am now starting to feel a bit more comfortable with exploring this avenue especially when travelling.

Baby sitter agency like Sitters.co.uk offer a professional service whether at home or away and offer both short-term and short-notice childcare that really works around being flexible which feels is what modern mothers need these days more than anything, not only to work but also to relax and have a moment of peace. The idea of being able to pop down to a hotel restaurant for a couple of hours to eat delicious food while the kids are well looked after only a few floors above by someone who has years dedicated to childcare reading them a bedtime story and making sure they are okay sounds like a great idea to me and now making that happen is easier than ever as you can book online as well as read reviews of other local parents giving some real peace of mind.

It can also help to relief some of the daily stress and get a break from routine and having a few friends who have tried out hotel babysitters they have all mentioned how much those few hours with their partner did a lot of good for their relationship wellbeing and a chance to just have a moment of calm and gather your thoughts which is especially helpful when you are travelling. Of course having access to reliable short term childcare is also great when you have an event you need to attend such as  a wedding or work conference and not everyone is in the position to have family members close by to step in. I think as long as you do the research first, ask around, try and get personal recommendations from other mothers in your local area and check what requirements are needed for any agency you are thinking of using are the first steps to offering you some flexibility which is what many of us need today. Have you ever used a baby sitting or child care service when at home or away?

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