Could I do an ad-hoc contract for this care?

[Miss freckles]

Hi,
Just looking for some advice if anyone can share any on this matter.
I had someone knock at my door a few days ago asking for care for her 17mth old, when I said I only had 2 mornings available she said this was fine as she didn't work but just wanted some time to herself and she would only need a few hours a day. we exchanged numbers and she said she would get back to me.

She got back to me the following day and said that she would like care for just one of the mornings for just 2 hours. Now this would be an income of £8 a week for me which is def not worth the extra paperwork however mum seemed very hassled and like she just needed some 'me' time, shes coming to sign contracts next week but the more I'm thinking of it, a 17 mth old who i've been told is very clingy to mum which at this age is completely normal however a clingy 17mth old who is going to only come 2hrs a week does not sound good, I have visions of spending 2 hrs a week with a screaming child who will never have enough time to settle and adapt. I'm going to explain all this to mum when I see her.

I also only work 2 days a week in the school holidays which I've mentioned to her and mentioned that she could maybe change her day in the holiday to one of the days I work. sooo with all that in mind I'm thinking of putting her on more of an ad-hoc basis so It's more of a pay as you go service which she can use on the day she wants, swap it in the holidays and also it gives me more flexibility if another child comes along and needs the space, this is a business after all and I'm not going to turn down a child with a lot more hours for one that comes 2 hrs a week.
I would explain to mum that she is on an ad-hoc contract and why but just wanted to know if you felt as a parent this sounds perfectly reasonable. Mum has also mentioned he will only be with me til he starts nursery but not too sure if she meant at age 2 or 3 yet.

[Kiddleywinks]

Sounds good to me if she's just needing a bit of a break from a clingy toddler. Just make sure that she pays before leaving LO with you

[Mouse]

That all sounds fine to me.

I looked after a little boy for just 2 hours, one day a week so that his granny (who he lived with) could have a break. During term time I only had one morning free, so that's when he came, then in the holidays I swapped him to a different day to take the place of one of the term time only children. It meant I had a day off a week during the holidays. I explained it all to his granny before we signed contracts and she was happy with it. It worked really well and I had him for a year before they moved away from the area.

I did charge £10 for the 2 hours (my usual hourly rate was £3.50 at the time), but I didn't charge if he didn't come. I couldn't really have filled the space so I just saw it as an extra £10 when he did come.

[Miss freckles]

That's great, thanks