Sleep is important. Everyone knows it. But you really start understanding the value of sleep, when you are lacking it. As any parent will know, one big side effect of having kids can be very short, or sleepless nights. It can drive the sanest person mad having to function on little or no sleep. But did you know that you can invest in childcare to improve your sleep? Having someone help out with the children can really make a difference – and having a good night’s sleep is really something worth investing in!
So what childcare should you consider to improve your sleep?
Why is Sleep Important
Having a good night’s sleep is as important as it is for your physical as well as your mental wellbeing. There are many studies that link poor sleep to weight gain – or at least linking a great night’s sleep to helping you to lose weight!
When you have slept well, you will feel more concentrated, active, and focused during the day. Lack of sleep can make you struggle to focus or to complete even simple tasks. Not something we need when trying to look after little ones!
Poor sleep can bring along a lot of health risks as well, including heart disease , stroke, and diabetes. Finally, poor sleep is linked to increased inflammation and depression. A good night’s sleep, on the other hand, can help in building up a strong immune system.
All in all, there are enough reasons for you to try and improve your sleep. When you have kids, and perhaps also working a busy job besides that – you will need all the high-quality rest you can get to keep you going!
How Childcare Can Help
Know your budget
There are many different types of childcare you could consider for you and your family. Some might be more suited for you than others so it is important to look at your household’s needs, what suits your children, and your realistic budget too. Different types of childcare can come at different prices. so make sure you have a realistic budget in mind. Once you get used to a certain setup, it can be very difficult to change that. Especially the disruption it can cause in your children’s lives. Children thrive by consistency and routine. So getting a form of childcare in their life is something they will come to rely upon!
Therefore make sure you have a clear budget set that can be realistic for the medium to long term so you can stick to the same type of childcare.
Maternity Nurse
Perhaps the most obvious form of childcare that comes to mind when thinking of improving your sleep, is investing in a Maternity Nurse. A Maternity Nurse comes in at the time when you probably will mostly find a lack fo sleep: with a newborn baby.
The Maternity nurse is there to support you with anything you can think of regarding your newborn. How to feed and doing the actual feeding, changing and bathing the baby. But most importantly, they will often be hired for approximately 12 weeks on a 12/7 or 24/7 basis. Meaning they will normally cover the night shift for you. The Maternity Nurse normally sleeps in the same room as the baby. So that they can be at hand straight away when the baby wakes up during the night.
Even if you are breastfeeding the Maternity Nurse is still of great help. Normally they would bring the baby to your room so you can peacefully breastfeed, and go straight back to sleep after as the Nurse will take care of the baby again. Having a Maternity Nurse is definitely an investment worth making if you are looking to improve your sleep – as no more sleepless nights with your newborn! The nurse will set up a (sleeping) routine for you and your baby, which most of the time means your baby will pretty much sleep through the night by the time their booking with you comes to an end.
Maternity Nanny
Would you still like all the benefits of a Maternity Nurse, but are you out of the newborn stage with your little one? Fear not – that is what the Maternity Nanny is here for!
A Maternity nanny is an experienced nanny who has worked with lots of babies and young children during their careers. Maternity Nannies are there to fill the gap when your Maternity Nurse will have ended her booking. The Maternity Nanny will typically start from when your baby is about 3 months old. Maternity nannies usually have long term roles and can stay with your baby until they are toddlers or beyond. This is a great long term investment to make. As if you have gotten used to the Maternity Nurse being around, it can be a little daunting having no help at all anymore when they leave.
The Maternity Nanny is really a longer-term contract. They can stay with you for years sometimes. Really being there for you and your child in all the early stages of development. They are trained to do night shifts to should you wish them to do so. To help with any more sleeping routines if needs be. A Maternity Nanny can be an absolute gem and pool of knowledge to help you giving your children the absolute best start. And giving you all the help you need, especially during the night!
Nanny/Housekeeper
When your children are getting a bit older, having a Maternity Nurse or Maternity Nanny might not be so suited anymore. But you can still find great benefit in investing in a different type of childcare to help you to improve your sleep. Think about all of the tasks that can pile up during the day and in the evening. Managing the household, keeping it clean and organised can feel like a fulltime job in itself. That is because it is! Add on top of that to take care of the children, making sure they are attending all their activities in time, and it can simply leave you completely exhausted and stressed. A recipe for disaster if you are trying to improve your sleep.
Having a Nanny/Housekeeper can be a real solution and a great investment. This person will be responsible for the general care of the children, organising their activities and doing the school run – as well as doing the cleaning and housekeeping. The cleaning and housekeeping duties are often undertaken when the children are at school or nursery. If needs be they might do housekeeping work whilst with the children, but always ensuring the children are suitably supervised and safe. Often a Nanny/Housekeeper will be responsible for shopping as well, including doing some meal prep or even cooking. A great way to get all the household and childcare tasks done!
How can P&T help?
Polo & Tweed work worldwide with families and parents looking for the ideal form of childcare. We are based in the heart of Mayfair and provide our clients with an extensive vetting and registration processes to ensure they are introduced to the most suitable candidates. If you would like to find out more about the recruitment services we offer please get in touch with us here. We look forward to helping you find the perfect form of childcare for you and your family!