To Hire A Nanny Or Stay At Home: A WORKING MUM’S DILEMMA
MANY young mothers have battled with this question as their maternity leave, usually of two months, draws to an end. It may sound like a simple question but if you ask around, you will discover that this is the hardest part about having children – finding a suitable person to care for them.
Tina, a mother of two attests to this. She has changed house helps more frequently than she pays her electricity bills! Just when she was getting used to her longest serving help, she discovered she was good at housework but terrible with the kids. She says it is as if most of the girls she has hired read from the same script – they work for the short term and change their goals daily.
Another young mother voiced her shock and dismay at finding soil like particles in her baby’s milk bottle! She had left her ten month old baby in the care of a helper who she felt was experienced enough to take care of her child. But many other mothers have expressed satisfaction with house helps and nannies, with some even maintaining the same nanny for up to 10 years!
Child care has traditionally been carried out by one or both parents. But with parents, particularly mothers, working outside the home, childcare is left to (paid) child minders – going by the title of house girl, maid, house help, ayah or nanny. Child minders could be people sourced from employment bureaus or members of the extended family. There ace so many options to choose from.
Ian and his wife Judy had resulted in getting relatives from his home area to work as house helps and nannies. This may act as security for some people since some house help run away from employment stealing property or harming the children under their care. But not so for Judy, one of the male relatives brought to care for their four-year-old son used to molest the boy until he was discovered and sent back home.
The first few years of your baby’s life are vital. They form the foundation for a good education, a sense of morality, self-discipline and social interaction. Every parent wants to improve their child’s chances of achieving their full potential. Therefore, ensure the consistency of approach, skills and qualification.
Child Care Options
Live-in nannies/house helps live with you in your house or compound. They give more hours of care to your child on an almost round the clock basis. You in turn provide them with food and accommodation in, addition to their salary. Because of your close association, she tends to be “like family” therefore it easy to train her and detect any wayward behaviour. Assess their experience to match your expectations.
Daily nannies operate as ‘day scholars’. Those who choose this option do’ it for reasons that vary from space constraints in their house to cultivating a bonding culture with their kids and avoiding over-reliance on the help. However, the main disadvantage with this arrangement is that should you have evening engagements or are running home late without prior agreements with the daily nanny, you may have to hire one or have the day one sit in but for extra pay.
Nanny-share—this is an agreement between two families to share a nanny. Of course depending on the ages of your child(ren), it may or may not be workable.
Mothers’ helps (put this in the African/Kenyan context. Is it a maid or house girl?) – this is your typical maid or house girl that helps with childcare and general household work. These helps usually have no formal childcare qualifications, but may be experienced.
Maternity nurses are trained to look after new babies for the first three months. They generally live with your family.
Baby sitters are typically called in on a short-term basis due to emergencies, probably for a weekend, an evening or a day and paid by the hour. They are usually (teenagers) young girls.
Relatives are sometimes called in to act as childcare givers. They could be mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law or even distant relations.
The person
Nannies are employed to look after children in the family home, usually while parents are away working. They are meant to provide high quality, flexible childcare in the familiar surroundings of the family home. However, note that not all nannies are trained (in childcare) and there are no legal requirements for a person applying for a job as a nanny. So it is up to you to make sure that the person you entrust with your baby is making a good job out of it.
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