Infant care OR hire a helper?

I hired a domestic helper 6 years ago when my son was born. partly cos my in-laws wanted to help care (play) with their grand child but don't want the hassle of the diaper changing etc etc. my brother, whose daughter is the same age as my son, sent their' s to infant care. admittedly, i do find my niece a lot more sociable and vocal in the first few years. now , thankfully my son seems to have caught up on both factors. having an extra person at home does takes some adjusting to. as the other parent commented, it also saves you time and some money too (which seems surprising but true). I see my brother sending my niece to weekend enrichment classes, practically taking up the whole Saturday so that they have time for housework, shopping and personal time. subsequently, groceries are all bought online to save time too. My son is 6 and my daughter is 3 now. both do have strong bonds with the helper. I do make it a point to spend quality time with them on the weekends. make sure they understand who their parents are. in the first 2 years, my kids sleep with the help. now I make my kids sleep together in a room w/o the helper. from time to time, I'll bunk in with them. And sometimes, i do allow them to sleep with their 'aunt' too. I see the bonds being useful too cos it means that the helper also develops that link to the children. both options have their pros and cons. you'll have to decide what works best for you.