We have the nanny field narrowed down to two candidates. I really like both of them. Right now, I’m feeling really good about our decision to hire a nanny as opposed to putting I in daycare. There are a few reasons. First and foremost, with B home, he gets to see I all the time when she’s home, too. He probably visits with her five or six times a day, just for a couple minutes sometimes, but it makes a big difference to him, and I think to her. Second, I plan to come home every day for lunch. While I could obviously visit her at daycare, I value the comfort and convenience of my own home. Third, the nanny will be able to give I individual attention. Fourth, the nanny will help us with household chores, including doing baby laundry and preparing dinner every night. I’ll be working roughly 8 to 6, so this will make a big difference to us. I don’t want to spend my limited free time on baby laundry, and having dinner on the table when you come home is just huge. Fifth, the nanny can take I places, from outside in the backyard to the library and so on. I don’t like the idea of I being in one room all the time as she would be at daycare.
The one major downside I can think of is losing the socialization of being with all the other kids all day long. That’s a big loss, but I think it’s worth it in view of the advantages. Oh, the other disadvantage is clearly cost. The going rate around here is $15 to $16 per hour for a nanny.
One thing I hadn’t considered before we began the hiring process is that we are an extremely attractive family for most nannies. The majority of people hiring nannies live in Belle.vue, Issa.quah, Re.dmond, etc – Micro.softland. Meanwhile, most nannies live where we do – Ke.nt, Au.burn, Ren.ton, Map.le Valley. The commute between these two locations is an absolute nightmare. I did the reverse commute for a few months and it drove me insane. The commute in the regular direction is over an hour on a good day if you’re travelling at rush hour. Many of those I interviewed have current jobs they’re perfectly happy with but ready to ditch due to the commute. People are willing to work for us for less because they save so much time and money by living right down the road from us. Anyway, it’s helpful.
We really need to pull the trigger on this, and the plan to do it this weekend. I’m still very ambivalent about returning to work, but that’s another post.
On the socialization thing, you could encourage your nanny to use play groups. My aunt used au pairs, and the au pairs always had social groups where they would all bring their kids to play together and such (also improved sanity for nannies), there are Mommy-and-me style programs are also geared toward nannies, etc.
as for the cost, its a huge downside for one child, but I presume that’s also the going rate for 2, which becomes pretty equivelant to day care.
dinner on the table is a big plus – I’m p/t and G is in daycare and it is still a struggle for us.
I never looked into the cost of a nanny, but even for 2 kids, doing the math for the amount of time I spend at work…a nanny is still significantly more expensive than daycare for 2 kids. (I’m making assumptions about the number of hours, which may or may not be true for you.)
Still though, there are definite upsides. The household chore and dinner thing is HUGE. OMG. That alone makes me want to get a nanny now. 🙂
Sarah, depends how you do the math and what kind of nanny you use.
An au pair is cheaper, closer to $400/week when you include the visa fee + the weekly pay (which is quite low, I think $150/week). But you have the added expense of including her in the household, providing a car, feeding her, and limitations on household chores (washing children’s clothes – usually allowed, cooking family dinners or general cleaning – not allowed).
Jen is paying closer to $600-700/week which is definitely more expensive than Houston day care for 2, but may be very on par with Seattle (I know someone in DC paying $500/week for one child at a very modest day care). I suspect Houston nannies hourly is lower, probably closer to $10/hr, which would change the math too.
Also, totally awesome you are finding a nanny that will do your household chores – that will save you so much time and is totally worth every penny for more quality time when you are home from work, especially with those hours!!