It may take a bit of time, but you can find a mother’s helper that you can trust and works well for your whole family. You’ll never regret it!
When I first realized I needed help… I had no idea where to start!
So, I literally started praying that God would put someone in my path we could trust.
My nature is to distrust others with my children, therefore I am slightly paranoid about my kids’ safety around others. I knew I needed help, but I wasn’t sure how to find a mother’s helper I could trust.
Without a doubt, there are many ways to go about finding a mother’s helper. I hope this post will help you figure out which works best for your family so you are one step closer to help!
And a relationship with your family that will last for years.
How To Find A Mother’s Helper You’ll Love And Trust
Let’s take you from having NO mother’s helper to having a mother’s helper you love and trust with your children.
You can find one, let me help.
Find Friends Who Have a Mother’s Helper
The first thing I did when I wanted to move forward finding a mother’s helper, was to text a friend or two who had one.
If you don’t have a friend with one, then consider me your friend :).
I asked a few questions:
- Where did you find your helper?
- How much do you pay your helper?
- What do they do for you? (here’s an in depth job description)
- Would you mind asking your helper if they know of someone else who would be interested?
In some cases, you may even find someone who has friends that are interested in doing the same thing. You might have a pool of candidates straight off who you can interview.
Read: Must Ask Interview Questions For Your Mother’s Helper
- pinpoint an issue
- draw out how it’s affecting you
- label what you don’t like about it
- determine areas of responsibility
- figure out how it’s showing up
- say what you’d rather happen
- brainstorm solutions
Ask In Your Church (Or Social Group)
This is actually how I found my mother’s helper.
There was a group of young ladies in the church who were friendly and so I asked around. One wasn’t able, but she suggested another and…
Voila.
She is the most lovely and wonderful mother’s helper We all adore her!
Let’s get into how to do this.
- Announce to your Sunday school group, mom’s group, friends group, etc. that you are looking to find a mother’s helper.
- Post on a message board (literally or virtually) asking for leads.
- Ask other people in your social circles that you trust if they happen to know of anyone.
On the same note, finding someone who is a mutual friend or acquaintance might give you peace of mind as you begin the whole process of finding a helper.
Ask On Social Media
Now, If you are a private person or don’t use much social media, this might not work for you.
However, if you’re game, try putting the word out on your social media that you are looking for someone to become your mother’s helper.
Tips on how to do this
First, you can reach out to your friends by posting on your personal page.
Secondly, you can join and post in a mother’s group in your area. These can be found through a simple search.
Either way, list a few things from this job description to give people an idea of what you’ll need.
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Learn MoreAs an example, you might say something like…
I need some help (literally). I’m looking to hire a mother’s helper and need someone who can come about [insert number] hours a week who can watch the kids, help me around the house, and sort of be a right hand woman.
If you know of someone, can you send me a private message so I can reach out? Thanks!
Care.com And Other Sites
If you aren’t familiar with your area or don’t have a close social group, care.com might be a great alternative.
Also, Here is a list of babysitting apps you may find helpful.
Remember, a mother’s helper is generally someone who is with you at least part-time if not full-time.
Here are the benefits of using third-party sites:
- References are available
- You can post your own job description and needs and those who are interested will contact you, so no “hunting.”
- Mothers can see the experience of potential applicants and can narrow it down that way.
Reaching out in this way may be a great option if you’ve come up blank in your own local searching.
Grab A Free Printable!
Print this off and use it to create your own job description to start getting some help, stat!
Read all the posts in my Mother’s Helper Series
- How to find a mother’s helper you can trust
- 10+ mother’s helper interview questions
- How much to pay a mother’s helper
- Your mother’s helper’s AGE: key considerations
- An in-depth job description for a mother’s helper you can use
- The ultimate guide to finding, hiring, paying, training & keeping a mother’s helper
Questions on finding a helper you trust
Part of this is instinct, and part of it is vetting them beforehand. Make sure you know the person’s parents (if it’s a teenager) or that you interview them well. Ask the right questions.
Then don’t extend trust until they’ve earned it. Stay around while the helper watches your kids for a while. Be in another room and let the helper learn the ropes with your kids. Then, if you trust her, you can go a bit further afield, etc.
We don’t extend trust to someone who hasn’t earned it. Instead, we allow them to prove trustworthy and then we extend trust. Same with a mother’s helper since this baby sitter or nanny is watching our most beloved people.
First, set clear expectations and guidelines. No scrolling while watching, etc. Make sure and name what times they’re able to have screens for the kids, or not. Make your daily routine clear for your helper (I have tons of posts on this in the menu item routine).
Then, don’t go to far for too long while your helper watches the kids. After a while you’ll know if you trust them or not.
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When you search via care.com, since they don’t have an option for a mother’s helper, do you just choose “Babysitters and nannies”?
Yes, I choose babysitters or even nannies and you can in your listing say the amount of hours you want. A lot of people are students, etc. and can only do limited hours anyway so it’s easy enough to find someone who can do a few hours here and there!