New mom Charly is back…

While Charly rubs the sleep from her eyes: “It's going great. I am very happy that we have a healthy child and that she is doing so well. Motherhoods is lots of fun, but also very intense. All focus is now on Olivia and Charly Cares, meaning I hardly have any time for myself at the moment. I find that balance quite a challenge. I notice that I am getting closer and closer to the point where I really want to do some fun things again.”

“Officially my leave lasted about 4 months, but I secretly regularly checked to see how things were going. I tried to let it go, but it proved quite challenging because all of the Netherlands were facing a crisis. So are all companies, including Charly Cares. During such times, it's all about switching gears and seeing what the best step to take is. Normally, I always do that together with Xander, but because of my leave everything ended up on his plate. I found that quite annoying, but he did a fantastic job. Together with our amazing team, we got through the crisis and I am VERY proud of that.”

“Our fixed babysitter Charlotte has been babysitting since Ollie was 10 weeks old. She came to babysit for a couple of hours about 2 days a week. I really like that, at home in a familiar environment. I knew Charlotte has lots of experience with babies and really knows what she's doing. In fact, Olivia always slept better with Charlotte than with me haha.’’

“Since we introduced Charlotte to Olivia and us as a family before, it immediately felt very familiar. I am and still remain a control freak who writes down everything so that Charlotte can find everything. But such a first meeting already gives so much peace of mind. For example, that you can show the babysitter where everything is and they also have a chance to ask any questions she may have. I think that as a parent you should invest time in that. She also won't immediately know where all the new onesies are. Very handy in case of an accident of course haha”

“My partner and I spend a lot of time with Olivia, but also like to keep our own ‘me-time’. Get out the door, even if it's only for an hour. That is why I am now investing in a good network of Angels, so that there is always a babysitter available who knows Olivia and I don't have to look at the last minute when we want to go out.’’

“We now have three fixed Babysitting Angels who can babysit when we want to have a night out. As a mother, I've really noticed how great a Babysitting App like this really is. Sometimes I stop to think about the fact that co-founder Xander and I made that together. I'm secretly very proud of that. But, also super critical. I now look at it from a different perspective, which means that I run into other areas for improvement.’’

“As I said; invest time in getting to know each other. Really sit down with each other, give a tour, and discuss expectations. I think it's wise to explain what you expect from the babysitter, so that the chance of a successful babysitting service is very high.’’

“Furthermore, I can imagine that many parents are a bit nervous about leaving the babysitter alone with your child. In that case, I would build it up slowly. The first time, I only left for an hour to go to the gym. Still, that hour was a very nice way to start. It meant that Charlotte could get used to Olivia while I was still close by. The second time it was much easier. I felt comfortable closing the door behind me.”