Pros and Cons Of Au Pairing for a Stay At Home Parent

Hey Au Pairs!

As you search for au pair families to work for you might just come across the possibility of au pairing for a stay at home parent. Now, maybe you prefer to au pair for a family without a stay at home parent, but having recently served as an au pair for a stay at home mom myself, I thought it useful to write up a list of the pros and cons for this family dynamic.

Here are the pros and cons for au pairing for a stay at home parent:

Pros

1.Develop a Closer Relationship with the Stay at Home Parent

During my au pair stay in Paris I was an au pair to a stay at home mom on maternity leave. I would look after the toddler and she would care for the three month old baby she had just birthed. As she was at home caring for her infant, this allowed us more one on one time. I was able to truly get to know her and develop a deep and meaningful relationship with her.

2.Someone is Around if You Need Help

As sweet and cute as my toddler was during my au pair stay sometimes he had awful tantrums, as any kid does. It would sometimes be impossible to calm him down, and this is when au pairing for a stay at home parent came in handy! My au pair mom would help me try to discipline and relax my au pair kid. I was always tremendously grateful for her helping hand in these types of situations!

Cons

1.Host Kid Might Not Listen to You

I consider myself to be very lucky as my host kid loved being around me! It was never a problem to get my host kid to listen to me and acknowledge that I was in charge. However, I do know that many au pairs to stay at home parents have a difficult time getting their kid to listen to them because all they want to do is be around their parent. I thanked my lucky stars to not have to suffered from this particular issue, because it was something I worried about.

2.You Might Feel Uncomfortable

In the beginning of my au pair stay I recall feeling uncomfortable being around the stay at home mom while I was with my host kid. I felt silly having to play pretend with my host kid while she sat in the same room with the newborn. I felt as though I was being watched and couldn’t really be myself.

About a few weeks into my au pair stay I realized my host mom was more concerned with looking after the baby and that she was not even paying much attention to my host kid and me. After realizing this, I didn’t mind making a complete fool of myself as my host kid and I played.

Have you ever been an au pair to a stay at home parent? What was your experience like? Let me know if the comments below!