How to Hire a Virtual Nanny
How is this simultaneous “work from home” and “parenting” going? Wouldn’t it be great if you could just, you know, get a little help from a nanny every now and then? We don’t care about dating anymore; It would just be nice not to juggle two completely different roles at any given moment.
Here’s a solution that’s not very good, but it’s something – merge it into a “better than nothing” folder, which is pretty crammed up these days. And this half-good tip: Hire a “virtual” nanny.
A virtual babysitter isn’t as good as a real one, just like a virtual happy hour, a virtual birthday party and something virtual isn’t quite as good as the real deal. But if these last couple of months have not been devoted to constantly lowering standards, then I am definitely doing it wrong.
The virtual nanny cannot free you to go out for dinner (which you still cannot do) or run errands (which you should limit as much as possible). But they may be able to interact with a small child and distract him long enough for you to have time to do something. They can while away a little time, they can be a different person with whom the child can interact, and if they are good, they can really entertain children more than you can imagine.
Set realistic expectations
Before hiring a virtual nanny, it will help you avoid unrealistic expectations. This is not a suitable solution for full-time childcare. Discuss in advance with the caregiver what activities are most likely to grab your child’s attention; Sittercity offers us a good list of tips for activities virtual nannies can try, including playing games like Simon Says and I Spy, read a book together, put on a simulated cooking show, or even help them with their homework. Try working an hour or two at a time to see how it goes.
Just remember that if your child is small enough and usually needs constant supervision, you still need to stay close while he interacts with his virtual nanny, because this person will not be able to provide them with physical safety.
Find the right one
Finding the right virtual nanny is just as important as finding the right guardian, perhaps even more so because they really need to interact and keep in touch with your child all the time. Think about who in their life can take on this role well, be it a nanny you’ve hired in the past, a beloved aunt, neighbor, coach, or even their daycare or preschool teacher.
A lot of people aren’t working right now, and if they don’t raise their own kids all day (or they have some flexibility in their schedules and want to make some extra money), this might be a good option for everyone. You might also think of the teens and teens in your life who are at home, cut off from their friends, and feel boredom settling. Your niece, nephew, or friend’s older child can have fun “looking after” the little one and earning a little money. extra money for video games.
You can also hire a “professional”
If everything in your life are busy as well , like you, many companies that pick up the nurse with parents, such as Care.com , Sittercity and UrbanSitter , are now encouraging members to request and carry out virtual services childcare as needed. Since these sites (at least not yet) do not have the option to specifically select a “virtual” caregiver, potential caregivers can add “virtual care” to their bio to indicate that they are willing to provide this service, and parents can advise potential sitters to ask if they are willing to try it.
In addition, since there is no separate approval process for virtual caregivers, a Care.com representative told me that they will go through the same background and safety checks that are already being done to become a permanent approved caregiver on the site.