But you don't know what type… A Nanny, Nanny Housekeeper, Mothers Help, you may even need a day Nursery. The choice is bewildering. What you can expect from a child carer is easily explained.

You may need a Maternity Nurse to help you through those first few awkward weeks at home particularly for multiple births. A maternity nurse is normally available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for up to 12 weeks but 6 weeks is the norm and will live in with the family - often sleeping in the child's bedroom. A maternity nurse will help with breast feeding, creating and maintaining a good routine, helping with feeding, and will normally wash the baby clothes and keep the nursery clean.

A nanny can be live in or out and will normally be employed when a mother returns to work. They are normally qualified or with many years experience and many nannies in their 50's are highly sough after. Taking older children to and from school and often cooking for the entire family and keeping the children's clothes and room/c clean and tidy.

A nanny / housekeeper is often the right answer for a busy working family with older children and will in effect run your household. They will do the shopping cooking cleaning and take care of the children and any guests. These 'little gems' are worth their weight in gold and many keep the same job for many years

A Day Nursery can be a godsend to many parents - care is often available 5 days a week 8 am to 6 pm which suits many families. A day nursery provides a stimulating, caring environment for children and children over 3 receive a funding contribution of up to £400 per term to help with the cost.