Adelaide mum develops MyRnR app, allowing mothers to book hotels by-the-hour for naps

Mother to young kids? Chances are you’re tired. This new app, created by an Adelaide stay-at-home mum, could solve mother fatigue for good.

It’s no secret that mothers of young children are, well, tired.

But a South Australian mother is looking to tackle mothers’ sleep deprivation head-on-pillow, with what is believed to be an Australian-first concept.

Karissa de Leeuw, 34, will soon launch MyRnR – an online booking platform allowing mothers of children aged 0-5 to book a hotel or holiday room by the hour, to take a rest or nap.

“It’s like Airbnb, but by the hour,” said Mrs de Leeuw, a stay-at-home mum to four-year-old daughter, Isla and 20-month-old son, Kobe.

Mrs de Leeuw came up with the idea after reaching breaking point at home, last winter. She said while napping in one’s own bed is the preferred option, it’s not always realistic.

“My husband and I had made this arrangement that he would take our children out every Sunday so that I could get a couple of hours’ sleep or at least rest,” Mrs de Leeuw said.

“But every week for six weeks, someone was sick or someone was in isolation, or it was raining, and I thought, why is this so hard?

Karissa de Leeuw, founder of MyRnR, at The Top Shed in Blewitt Springs. Picture: Tom Huntley

“I needed to get out the house. I called the local hotel to see if they had a spare room and he (the manager) said, ‘yeah, I’ve got this room, you can have it from 8.30am for three hours.’
“I only had four minutes’ sleep, but it was good; I needed that rest to decompress.”

A study conducted in recent years showed new mothers get as little as three hours sleep per night.

Four accommodation businesses have so far joined the cause since Mrs de Leeuw launched her Pozible crowd-funding campaign just one week ago. She seeks $6000 to get her MyRnR website and app, under the parent company Sleep Hotel, off the ground.

“Hotels can make revenue on rooms sitting empty,” she said.

While day hire of hotel rooms does exist for the corporate market, by-the-hour hire is not believed to be available in SA.

Airbnb host Becky Hirst, of The Top Shed in Blewitt Springs, is one of the accommodation providers on board.

“It’s crazy that at a time in our lives where we have the most responsbiltiy we’ve ever had, whether that’s at home with our children or in our careers, that we are exhausted,” Ms Hirst said.

“We can provide a really peaceful and private retreat for anyone looking to rest and recharge.”

Mrs de Leew has been accepted into the Founder Institute to pitch her concept to investors in San Francisco next year. Her campaign can be found at pozible.com/project/sleep-hotel-testing-1-2-z