s/o: SAHMs, would you rather have a housekeeper or someone to help with the kids?

[maylips]

So, if you had to choose, what would be more important to you?

I see value in both and can't really decide. I'm about to stay home and we can probably only afford one or the other with the loss of my income.

[WatchingThemGrow]

housekeeper.

[Melaine]

Housekeeper all the way.

[elektra]

I voted housekeeper too.

[niccig]

Could you swing a little of both. The housekeeper every other week, and a sitter for just one morning a week. I would want both - help with the house and a morning to go to the Dr. on my own. DS is in school now, so I'm fine for time to do errands.

[SnuggleBuggles]

If I had a housekeeper then I would have time for all the other stuff! My neighbors have a housekeeper that comes every day to clean and do all the laundry. Total bliss, imo.

I get my errands done during ds2's 2 mornings of preschool.

Beth

[Clarity]

I had the choice after dd2 was born. I took the housekeeper!

[KrisM]

I had a housekeeper, but got rid of her. I hated the stress of having to pick up the day before she came to clean. It's too hard for me to have all the rooms picked up and neat at the same time. And, if I've done that work, I may as well run the vacuum and clean the bathrooms. Saving an hours work a week wasn't worth it for the stress.

I'd rather have someone watch the kids while I worked on one of the many reorganizing projects I have going in the house.

[egoldber]

Housekeeper. I actually like that it makes us up pick up at least every other week.

[pinkmomagain]

I didn't respond because it depends....how's DH with the kids and the housework? If he gives you more of a hand in one area, then I'd vote for help in the other area.

Without knowing that (and seeing the ages of your kiddos), I might look for someone who could watch the kids and allow you to get out and do some errands/appts on your own. Like maybe 6 hrs a week (3hrs 2x/wk). I know that I do need to get out sometimes for sanity's sake.

eta: I actually have the housekeeper though, because I have my mom close by who is a very willing babysitter when needed.

[BabyMine]

Definately housekeeper.

[bnme]

Help with kids for sure. We don't have a babysitter and now that my parents have moved out of state I often end up in a bind with no one to watch the kids. I wish (I really need to find, not wish) I had someone that I could have come a few hours a week who may also be available randomly. I could use help occasionally while DS#2 is home (half day kindy) so I can volunteer and attend DS#1's class events. We could also use the occasional date night.

[mom_hanna]

[QUOTE=KrisM;2530430]I had a housekeeper, but got rid of her. I hated the stress of having to pick up the day before she came to clean. It's too hard for me to have all the rooms picked up and neat at the same time. And, if I've done that work, I may as well run the vacuum and clean the bathrooms. Saving an hours work a week wasn't worth it for the stress.

****

My feeling too. I would rather have a nanny/babysitter come during the week so I could go for a run or a ride outside during the day. I currently run outside at 5am in the dark and do my rides on the trainer. Yuck. And doing errands without toting a 2 year old in a body cast with me would be heaven.

[niccig]

My neighbors have a housekeeper that comes every day to clean and do all the laundry. Total bliss, imo.
Beth

EVERY DAY!! Oh my gosh. That would be wonderful, but oh so expensive too.

I have someone who comes every other week. I used to stress about picking things up too, now I start on Sunday tidying up for her on Tuesday. When I leave it to Monday to do the pick up, I'm running all over the house. I'm also getting better at making DS and DH pick up after themselves during the week. It means I have to be a nag though. Nag shoes. Nag toys. Nag soda cans. Nag Nag Nag.

[daphne]

Housekeeper. I actually like that it makes us up pick up at least every other week.

:yeahthat: Otherwise, my house would always be a disaster!

[alexmommy]

Housekeeper most definitely. I love playing with DS :love5:, hate housework.

[jgenie]

My neighbors have a housekeeper that comes every day to clean and do all the laundry. Total bliss, imo.


Wow!!! I can't even imagine what that would be like - total bliss for sure!!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Wow!!! I can't even imagine what that would be like - total bliss for sure!!!

Sometimes I just stare out the window and watch the air coming out of the dryer vent and then see the housekeeper carry trash out and clean the porch. I can't even imagine. It is with great restraint that I don't go over there and beg her to even come just help me for a day!

Beth

[gobadgers]

I love our housekeeper, don't know what we'd do without her. She only comes every other week, but that's enough to keep things in relative order. Sometimes I hate it, but it's good that we have to straighten up at least that often :loveeyes:

Since I know she's coming, I don't feel the least bit guilty about spot cleaning in between. So as I wipe up a mess from a meal, instead of thinking "oh, I really should be mopping the whole floor", I think, "good thing S is going to get the rest of the floor." It's worth it right there.

[daniele_ut]

Not a SAHM, but if I was, I'd want a housekeeper. I love spending time with my kids and don't get enough of it, but I HATE housework.

[Neatfreak]

Ideally, I'd love a split - 60% housekeeping, 40% child-minding so that I could tackle some projects around the house or run tedious errands ...

[hellokitty]

I know I will sound weird, but I don't trust a housekeeper to clean my house the way I want it to be cleaned. So, I'd probably just hire a mother's helper to play with the kids while I try to get some stuff done a few hrs a wk. I'd go with a mother's helper over a regular babysitter, b/c I think regular babysitters don't really play that much with the kids compared to a mother's helper.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i'm not a SAHM yet but i voted housekeeper, hands down. i could use one already, lol.

[twowhat?]

For the 1st few months, a housekeeper hands down. Especially if you are breastfeeding...you are so consumed with baby care that there isn't much time for anything else. But after that, when you start getting into the toddler stage, a split of housekeeper/babysitter would be nice. Because it is physically exhausting to entertain children all day, every day. And there are times I just want to fold laundry or wash dishes in peace instead. Or go to Target without worrying about tantrums. Or make a phone call and be able to hear the person on the other line instead of the screaming and fighting going on at your feet. And I think sometimes my girls get bored with ME and someone else who has a different style of entertaining is very refreshing for them. When you're a long-term SAHM, you start to think about opportunities to do something...ANYTHING...without having babies attached to you. Not all the time, of course, because the point of being a SAHM is to be with your child, but you do have to maintain some level of adult sanity!!

Anyway, I'm a SAHM and we only have a housekeeper come every 2 weeks because that is all we can afford. When my husband comes home from work, he gets the kids and I go fold laundry:)

[twobabes]

I voted housekeeper, but the answer for me is really some combination of both. I prefer spending time with my kids to cleaning, but it is nice to get out and run errands without a child.

I think what you need varies based on the ages of your kids, of course. Having a new baby is hard, but at least they nap. I have a hard time keeping the house clean because my kids are very active. My older child doesn't nap, but goes to preschool when my younger child is awake. So there's no down time to keep up on the house. Some days I feel like as I'm putting stuff away, someone is making another mess!

[TwinFoxes]

Wow, I'm surprised it's so lopsided! I thought for a minute, but then picked help for with the kids. Maybe it's the age my kids are, or the fact that there are two of them. But if someone could just watch them for two hours a day, even while they slept, I could get so much done. I'm dealing with contractors now, and it's really hard to have two toddlers with me. Even grocery shopping is hard. I can't use a cart, except at Wegmans (thank goodness for their double seaters!) Target is a nightmare...I can't manage a big thing of wipes, a big thing of TP, and the strollers at the same time. I'll stop complaining now...but please, someone get me a mothers day out or SOMETHING!:praying:

[kayte]

We have someone who cleans the house twice a month. Having a clean house makes me a better, calmer mommy.

[baileygirl]

I voted for mother's helper. Now if it was a house keeper every day, I would change my answer in a heartbeat. We had a house keeper who was coming every 2 weeks, but I found it too stressfull having to deal with getting everything in order for the day they came to clean (when I was working though it worked out a lot better). Plus I feel weird having someone clean my house when I am there, and haven't found anyone I trust enough to clean it when I wasn't there. I don't know if your dh travels or works late, but to me having someone come help with the kids a few hours in the evening would be awesome!

[LexyLou]

Housekeeper!

[lchang25000]

I know I will sound weird, but I don't trust a housekeeper to clean my house the way I want it to be cleaned.


:yeahthat:

[Nooknookmom]

Definately a housekeeper.

[Melanie]

A housekeeper! With, the rare or occasional babysitter/mother's helper if you can eek it out. Unless of course you have friends and family willing to do it for free. There was a time that I wanted nothing more for my birthday than a day to myself. So my Dh would take that day off and so would I!

[JTsMom]

I think it depends on so many things, especially the age of the kids. With kids under about 2 or 3, definitely a housekeeper for me. With DS, his PMO program is much more important to me b/c it's pretty easy for me to clean when he's home, but doing other things, like running errands, are a nightmare.

[MoJo]

Since I only have one DC and she LOVES to run errands with me (as long as there's not much waiting and doing nothing involved), I definitely voted for housekeeper.

As I mentioned in the original thread, at this point in my pregnancy, all housework is making me nauseous with the combination of bending and smells, so I could really use some help.

At this stage, I'd only want a babysitter for an occasional date night, an occasional Dr appointment, or to return to work more than the six hours per week I'm currently working.

[nov04]

We have someone who cleans the house twice a month. Having a clean house makes me a better, calmer mommy.

Exactly!!!!

I work evenings and weekend (15-20 hours per week) while dh works days. I run lots of errands at night coming home from work and go out after kids are asleep. And i can do lots with dd2 while dd1 is in SK afternoons. On our full days off (a few times a month), dh watches the kids while I do stuff around the house.

[baymom]

Housekeeper, all the way! I was initially really reluctant to get one, but DH convinced me after ds was born 5 years ago. They only come every other week, but, now I can't imagine not having them. It's so nice to get the cleaning taken care of in one morning. It really frees me up to do other things and to have more time with the kids.

[niccig]

I know I will sound weird, but I don't trust a housekeeper to clean my house the way I want it to be cleaned.

That depends on the housekeeper. Mine uses the products I buy and cleans how I want. There are things I don't want her to do, and she doesn't do those. I am particular about some things, so I take care of those. Five years later, she still does things the way I want - I'm normally home when she's here, so I see how they do things. I still clean my house as she comes every other week...

[jk3]

Housekeeper

[vonfirmath]

NOT a housekeeper. I don't like someone in the house seeing how it looks. We'll cope with waht we can do.

MAYBE A mother's helper, if I could find one I trusted... But even then there would be a lot of guilt I couldn't do it myself so I don't know how often I'd use it.

I think I'd rather put the money into classes/camp for the kids/etc.

[ThreeofUs]

I voted someone to watch the kids, but that's so I can CLEAN. After countless renovations, back-and-forths between our lake place and here, and 2 kids in two completely separate wardrobes, my house is a wreck. A housekeeper couldn't help. I need the time to sort, store, and otherwise dispose of all the stuff.

[JMS]

I would rather have help with the kids. Even at times so that I can clean :) I need a break once in a while whether I leave the house or not, and cleaning gives me a great sense of accomplishment (and I'm anal and no ones cleans as good as me, IMO). When my house is clean, my life feels more orderly - I'm happier and a better mom/wife. So I'd rather pay for childcare and get both a break from the kids and a chance to indulge in a little cleaning frenzy. Also, my babysitter is fun so it's a nice break for everyone.

[JamiMac]

I would like someone to come in and put away my laundry. Seriously. I don't even mind folding it and I don't mind washing it at all. I really don't like putting it away. It's my least favorite household chore, and I don't know why.

[teedeedee]

I actually like to clean- it's therapeutic for me....it's getting time to do it that is difficult. So someone to help out would be nice sometimes.

[salsah]

i voted housekeeper because i thought it meant houseKEEPER, not house cleaner. from the other responses, it seems that people mean house cleaner. i differentiate because most people i know have a house cleaner -- someone who comes once a week to clean the house (dust, vacuum, mop, scrub the bathroom, kitchen, etc.). some people i know have a housekeeper -- someone who comes daily (or every other day) to pick up, clean, do laundry, dishes, make the beds, and other household chores.

to be fair, i assumed that the choice was between housekeeper (as i understood it) and help with the kids as a nanny who spend most of most days with the kids, rather than a baby sitter who might spend just a few hours, once a week with the kids (so comparable hours, i guess).

[hellokitty]

That depends on the housekeeper. Mine uses the products I buy and cleans how I want. There are things I don't want her to do, and she doesn't do those. I am particular about some things, so I take care of those. Five years later, she still does things the way I want - I'm normally home when she's here, so I see how they do things. I still clean my house as she comes every other week...

No, it's not really the products. I know there are housekeepers who will be more than happy to use the products that we provide. It's more about the actual cleaning. Like it just totally grosses me out when they use the same rag to wipe everything down, etc.. I'm very peculiar about stuff like that. I'm not going to wipe something on the floor with a rag and then wipe the sink with it. I don't know. I just got really icked out watching the housekeepers at the hospitals I've worked at, b/c if that is the way that housekeepers clean, I don't want a housekeeper. It just grosses me out, but then like I said, this is one of those things that I am really anal about.