Working with family to meet your childcare needs?!

If you are like me as a new mom, I had high hopes that the seasoned parents, especially moms, in my family would blissfully take my baby for several hours while I slept or that they would know *exactly* what I needed after having a baby.

Interestingly, 8 years later, I've been able to reflect on this assumption and why it was so terribly off.

Not every family member, or sometimes zero family members, are cut out for the babysitting or nanny role.  You may think they could or should be, they might think they could or should be, but the reality is it's honestly quite rare (in my experience and opinion) when family members are able to offer the consistent and enduring support new parents and moms really crave and need.

I had to get over a lot of guilt-related hurdles to hire a nanny or a babysitter in the beginning.  But, I'm so glad I did. 

Raising my first baby in a major metropolitan city had its perks in terms of access to career/professional nannies who knew the ropes.  In the beginning, I worked with some of these nannies for just a few hours at a time.  But those hours provided the *real* relief I needed.  When you find a great nanny who can come in with that "nanny knowing," experience, and education it can make such a difference.

Setting up the work relationship with a work agreement, boundaries, communication, and respect is 100% a recipe for success and what I teach inside my course www.sameteamchildcare.com to new parents or any parent working with a nanny.

In the end, working with folks whose work and interests squarely aligned with my new mom needs took the pressure off of everyone.  Family could be family with the baby while I knew what to expect when the nanny was on duty (some real relief!).

So, I'm wondering, have you worked with family members on the childcare front?  How has it worked out?