5 reasons your kids should spend more time with a babysitter.

By NICKY CHAMP

There is nothing like parenting to transform you into a super-efficient person.

Suddenly, you have no time to yourself and you’ll wonder what on earth you used to do with all your free time. Which was nothing – you wasted it drinking and sleeping in.

By 8am you’ve usually done a load of washing, made two or three different breakfasts, wiped bottoms, been responsible for getting two or three people dressed, picked up everyone’s breakfast remnants off the floor, wiped up tears, removed excruciating Lego from your foot, battled over not watching another episode of Peppa Pig for the umpteenth time and attempted to make it out the house with everyone’s emotional states intact. This last one rarely ever happens.

So while you’re 200 times more efficient as a parent, there are some things you can only ever do while your kids are being looked after.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Best&Less. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words. 

1. Shopping.

I never realised how much I loved shopping until I had kids. Actually, that’s a lie. I never knew how much I liked doing it on my own until I had kids. I remember trying to navigate into a clothing store with my four-month-old baby in her huge pram. The music was too loud, she started crying, the shop assistant was judging me, and I took out a rack of clothing trying to back my way out of the shop. It was one of those clear moments where I stepped outside my body to see my old life vanishing before my eyes.

That definitely wasn’t the last time I attempted shopping with my daughter, but now the stakes are much higher. As a three-year-old, she’s too old to be in a pram (or refuses to be anyway), has a habit of opening the changing room curtains when I’m half naked and likes to go AWOL when she’s hit her boredom levels, which is usually after about five minutes. (Mums, if this scenario sounds horrifyingly familiar to you, make sure you check out the video at the end of this post – guaranteed to make you chuckle.)

When I’m on my own, it’s like I’m in my own version of Supermarket Sweep (remember that show with Ian Turpie growing up?). I can buy four tops, two pairs of jeans, a pair of sandals, three presents for upcoming birthday parties and meat for dinner all in under an hour.

2. A long, hot shower.

Ask anyone what the best thing about giving birth is, and aside from the baby (naturally) and the drugs (obviously) it is the shower afterwards.

Seriously, it is the best shower of your life. Even if you’re a fan of camping, there is nothing like that long, glorious, post-birth shower. What you don’t realise at the time is that it’s made all the more special because this is one of the last times you’ll be able to have a stress-free shower.

When you have a newborn, they have a sixth sense and wake up just at that exact moment you’re about to step into the cubicle, and when they’re older you worry about what they’re getting up to, or have to field 37 questions about your body, the water, the shampoo or the shower screen while you are sudsing up.

It doesn’t exactly make for a relaxing experience.

When my kids are being looked after, I can spend a good 15 minutes in there (hey, I figure it all evens out with my mostly one to two-minute showers) relishing the opportunity to shave my legs, apply a conditioning treatment, and basically just stare at the tiles and not have to be responsible for anything other than rinsing for the next few minutes. Ahh, the serenity.

3. Sleeping.

No explanation needed.

 4. Exercise.

I’m going to confess that I’ve never been big on exercise. I prefer to read a book than hit the pavement running, but never have I missed exercise as much as I do now. My childfree friends make plans to take advantage of unlimited yoga passes and schedule in soft sand running to get fit for summer. My attempted exercise mostly involves incidental walking, which is usually halted every minute to smell a flower or play with a rusty gate or argue about why it’s not such a good idea to run onto the road.

To squeeze in a regular exercise plan I’d have to get up at 5am while everyone’s still in bed, and I can count on one hand how many times that’s actually happened. When I get some time to myself, one of my favourite things to do is try a new exercise class or bliss out at an extended 90-minute yoga session. Heaven.

5. See a movie / not exist in a pop culture black hole.

I am in a pop culture black hole. The last movie I saw at the cinema was The Descendants and that was at one of those mums and bubs sessions. I had to feed and change my baby during the course of the film so I can’t even tell you how it ended or what it’s even about.

What I can tell you is the name of every single character on Peppa Pig, recite the words to several Dr Seuss books with my eyes closed and bore you with endless details about my firstborn’s toileting habits.

See? This is why I need to get out more.

The next time I can arrange a babysitter I plan to see Gone Girl before it hits DVD. Wish me luck.

What would you do if you had a whole day child-free?

Here are a few ideas…

http://youtu.be/I3u4iUM6ad8

The latest promotion from Best&Less offers mums a chance to win a babysitter for a year, plus 100 opportunities to win one of 100 vouchers for a half day of babysitting. Simply make a purchase of $25 or above during October for your chance to win!

The month-long promotion comes as Best&Less heralds a season of change, spearheaded by CEO Holly Kramer. “We have been undergoing  a business and brand transformation over the last two years. We have made comprehensive improvements to our product offering in terms of look, quality and pricing, and we have refurbished all our stores. All the changes we have made, we based on extensive research of our customer. As a business run mostly by women, serving mostly women, we understand what our customers really want.”