Terms & Conditions

Client Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 01/09/2026

These Terms & Conditions apply to services provided by The Extra Pair, operated by Ellen Boucher, to clients in their homes.

The Extra Pair provides practical, non-medical support for new mothers and their families. These terms are here to make sure we both know what to expect and that every visit is safe, comfortable and straightforward.

By booking a visit with The Extra Pair, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms & Conditions.

1. The Extra Pair service

The Extra Pair provides practical support to new mothers in their own homes.

Every visit is tailored to the individual family and may include:

• caring for, holding, soothing, feeding or changing baby

• caring for baby while Mum rests, showers, exercises or leaves the home

• taking baby for a walk locally

• washing and sterilising bottles

• laundry and folding

• loading or unloading the dishwasher

• light tidying and household resets

• preparing meals or snacks

• dog walking

• small local errands where agreed

• companionship and general practical support

The exact priorities for each visit will be agreed with the client.

2. What the service does not include

The Extra Pair is not a medical, nursing, maternity nursing, cleaning or professional childcare service.

The service does not include:

• medical advice, diagnosis or treatment

• administering medication unless specifically agreed and appropriately permitted

• deep cleaning

• heavy lifting

• hazardous household tasks

• garden maintenance

• cleaning animal waste

• transporting babies or children in Ellen's vehicle

• tasks that Ellen considers unsafe, inappropriate or outside the agreed scope of the service

The Extra Pair reserves the right to decline any requested task where there are reasonable safety, insurance or service-scope concerns.

3. Baby care

Parents/guardians remain responsible for providing accurate and relevant information regarding their baby's routine, feeding, allergies, health considerations and care preferences.

The Extra Pair will follow reasonable parental instructions regarding baby's care provided those instructions are considered safe and fall within the scope of the service.

Parents are encouraged to explain any preferences regarding feeding, sleeping, settling, walks or other aspects of baby's care before or at the beginning of a visit.

4. Leaving the home during a visit

Where agreed in advance, the client may leave baby in Ellen's care during a booked visit.

The client must:

• remain contactable by telephone

• provide an emergency contact

• disclose information reasonably necessary for baby's safe care

• provide everything reasonably required to care for baby during that period

If an emergency occurs, Ellen will make reasonable efforts to contact the parent/guardian and/or emergency contact and will contact the appropriate emergency services where necessary.

The Extra Pair does not transport babies or children by car.

5. Safe sleep

The Extra Pair will follow current recognised safe-sleep practices when placing a baby down to sleep.

If a parent requests a sleeping arrangement or practice that Ellen reasonably believes to be unsafe, she may decline to follow that instruction.

6. Illness

The health of babies, clients and Ellen is important.

Clients should inform The Extra Pair before a visit if the baby or anyone in the household has symptoms of a contagious illness.

Depending on the circumstances, the visit may need to be rearranged.

Likewise, Ellen will not attend a client's home if she has symptoms of an infectious illness that could reasonably present a risk to the baby or household.

Where The Extra Pair cancels due to Ellen's illness, the client will not be charged for a service that is not provided. Any amount already paid for that visit will be refunded or, with the client's agreement, transferred to a rearranged visit.

7. Booking and payment

The standard rate is currently:

€80 for the first 2 hours and €30 per hour after these initial 2 hours.

with a:

2-hour minimum booking (€80).

Any different package or promotional price will be confirmed before booking.

The total price and payment arrangements will be confirmed with the client before the visit.

Payment is required in full following the visit.

A booking is considered confirmed when written confirmation has been provided.

No additional charges will be made without agreement with the client.

8. Client cancellations

Life with a baby can be unpredictable, so The Extra Pair will always try to be reasonable.

However, genuine emergencies or sudden illness involving the baby, Mum or household will be considered individually.

Any cancellation policy operates subject to the client's statutory consumer rights.

9. Cancellation by The Extra Pair

Occasionally, illness, emergency or circumstances outside Ellen's reasonable control may mean a visit cannot go ahead.

The client will be contacted as soon as reasonably possible.

The client can choose when to rearrange the visit.

10. Late starts

If Ellen is delayed, the client will receive the full booked service time where reasonably possible, or an appropriate adjustment will be agreed.

If a client is unavailable or unable to provide access at the agreed start time, the booked visit may still finish at the originally scheduled end time.

11. Home environment and safety

Clients are responsible for providing a reasonably safe environment in which the service can be delivered.

Please let The Extra Pair know about anything that could affect safety, including:

• aggressive or nervous pets

• smoking in the home

• access or parking issues

• hazards within the property

• anyone else expected to be present

• any other relevant safety concern

Ellen reserves the right to leave or decline to enter a property if she reasonably believes that remaining there would be unsafe.

12. Pets

The Extra Pair is happy to assist with ordinary pet-related tasks such as dog walking where this has been agreed.

Clients must disclose any behavioural concerns, history of aggression or other relevant information about an animal before requesting pet care.

The Extra Pair may decline to handle or walk an animal if Ellen reasonably considers it unsafe.

13. Food preparation

Where meal preparation is requested, the client is responsible for informing The Extra Pair about relevant allergies, intolerances and dietary requirements.

The Extra Pair will take reasonable care when preparing food but does not provide specialist dietary or nutritional services.

14. Emergencies

In an emergency involving a baby, child, client or another person in the home, Ellen will prioritise immediate safety.

Where appropriate, this may include:

• providing first aid within the scope of her training

• contacting the parent/guardian

• contacting the nominated emergency contact

• calling emergency services

By using the service, clients acknowledge that Ellen may need to take reasonable emergency action where delaying action in order to obtain parental permission would not be appropriate.

15. First aid, vetting and insurance

Ellen is:

Child & Baby First Aid trained
Garda vetted
Insured

Copies or further information can be provided where appropriate.

16. Privacy and personal information

The Extra Pair collects only personal information reasonably required to manage enquiries, bookings and provide the service safely.

This may include contact information, address, information about baby and emergency contacts.

Some information voluntarily provided by clients may constitute health data, which receives additional protection under GDPR. Homepage | Data Protection Commission

Information will be handled in accordance with The Extra Pair's Privacy Notice, which should explain what information is collected, why it is processed, the lawful basis relied upon, how it is stored, how long it is retained and the client's applicable data-protection rights.

Personal information will not be used for marketing without an appropriate basis for doing so.

17. Photographs and social media

The Extra Pair will not photograph or publish images of a client, baby, child or the inside of a client's home for marketing/social-media purposes without separate permission.

Booking the service does not constitute consent to photography or social-media use.

Any request for a testimonial, photograph or other marketing material will be made separately and participation is entirely optional.

18. Confidentiality

The Extra Pair recognises that working in someone's home involves a high degree of trust.

Personal information learned during a visit will be treated respectfully and confidentially, subject to circumstances where disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to address a safeguarding or serious safety concern.

19. Personal belongings

The Extra Pair will take reasonable care when carrying out household tasks and handling the client's belongings.

Clients should not ask Ellen to handle particularly valuable, fragile or irreplaceable items unless specifically agreed.

Any accidental damage should be reported and discussed promptly.

20. Service concerns

If something about a visit hasn't met the client's expectations, please contact Ellen as soon as possible at:

Email: ellen.theextrapair@gmail.com

The aim will always be to resolve concerns promptly and fairly.

These Terms & Conditions do not restrict any statutory rights the client has under Irish consumer law. Irish consumers have legal rights where a paid service is not supplied as agreed or does not meet applicable legal requirements.

21. Changes to these terms

The Extra Pair may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time.

The terms applicable to a particular booking will be those provided or made available to the client when the booking is made, subject to applicable law.

22. Contact details

The Extra Pair
Ellen Boucher
South County Dublin
ellen.theextrapair@gmail.com
www.theextrapair.ie