Deborah

My Requirements

We're looking for someone with demonstrable experience in caring for disabled children with additional needs. This would be to provide occasional babysitting, but also an overnight session once a month. For this, you would stay in our home for around 12 hours, e.g. 7.30pm-7.30am, and tend to Arizona during the night. We would also be there but in a separate room, so we can get some sleep - but you'd be able to grab us if you needed something. We will of course provide all bedding, and access to free tea/coffee, WiFi, and Sky TV.

So, onto Arizona... He is three years old and full of joy! He has multiple brain abnormalities and developmental delays. He can't sit up, stand, crawl or walk - but he's adept at spinning himself around on his back, on his play mats. There are limits to his abilities to 'play' in the traditional sense, so you'll have to be adept at using your own initiative. He mostly enjoys bashing away on his toys, listening to nursery rhymes, swinging on his swing in our back garden, and going for walks in the fresh air. He eats orally. And though he doesn't have words yet, he has plenty to say!

Arizona sleeps for a few hours - usually around 8pm-1am or 2am. He will then will be awake as if it was the middle of the day, during which time he'll need hands-on care. He sometimes will go back off for a couple of hours around 4/5am. On the odd occasion, we do have good nights, where he sleeps around 8pm-4am, but these are rare. As you can imagine, 3 years of this means my husband and I are truly exhausted!

Overall, Arizona is just a wonderful boy who just loves being with people. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.