Would you consider a guaranteed-hours babysitter once a week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could you split the month with another couple? Two Sat nights per month would be ideal for us.

[b]

Nanny here- No. the guaranteed hours is for one family. The perk is the family never uses all the hours yet you have a nanny on standby every Saturday. No incentive for me to do it if there’s no perk and I’ll have to actually work every saturday. If it’s every Saturday for one family that’s fine, but I m not a cow you put on loan to the neighbourhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I should clarify that we have a 3.5 year old and a five month old. - teenage babysitter is not an option for us at these ages - I wouldn’t be able to relax. With this nanny I know I would.

Meh. When my baby was 5 months old I would not have wanted to go out every saturday night. Though I would have liked to go to a yoga class or massage during the day, but staying out late at night? No thanks.

Do what works for you. Think about what you actually enjoy doing now - not what you think you should enjoy doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could you split the month with another couple? Two Sat nights per month would be ideal for us.

[b]

Nanny here- No. the guaranteed hours is for one family. The perk is the family never uses all the hours yet you have a nanny on standby every Saturday. No incentive for me to do it if there’s no perk and I’ll have to actually work every saturday. If it’s every Saturday for one family that’s fine, but I m not a cow you put on loan to the neighbourhood.

It sounds like a pretty crappy deal for the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not because it’s not that hard for me to find Saturday night sitters when I need them and because I do not need an excellent nanny on weekend nights—just someone to serve frozen pizza and maybe play a game with the kids before they go to bed.

But if you like the idea and will go out every week, then sure.

This. We like to spend a lot of Saturday nights with our kids but when we want to go out for date night or to a party or something. we have never had trouble getting a sitter. And we usually go out about an hour and a half before my kids go to bed. I hire a teenager to sit and eat pizza with them, play a board game or watch a movie, make sure they brush their teeth, and then sit and text while the kids sleep. Don't need an excellent nanny who probably charges $20 or more per hour. Plenty of teenagers in my neighborhood charge $12 to $15.

The cost advantage is secondary. The best part of hiring a teenager is that you can call them the week before you need a sitter. Dealing with a fixed hours nanny seems like a huge hassle unless you truly have a commitment every single Saturday. Most people don't. It also makes you feel like you're wasting money when you want to have a family night at home.

[Anonymous]

I would totally do this but we go out to a lot of events so it would be worthwhile. We have never paid a sitter less than $20 an hour so that part doesn’t matter.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely try it for a few months. It’s so important to get time with your partner away from the children. This arrangement will force you to get out and dressed on a Saturday night and feel like a young whole person again.

Try it, OP, commit to it for two months and see how it works out.

[Anonymous]

I'd do it if the nanny was fine if we didn't go out. It would be nice to have 4 hours to get some chores down around the house or do some errands\.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could you split the month with another couple? Two Sat nights per month would be ideal for us.

[b]

Nanny here- No. the guaranteed hours is for one family. The perk is the family never uses all the hours yet you have a nanny on standby every Saturday. No incentive for me to do it if there’s no perk and I’ll have to actually work every saturday. If it’s every Saturday for one family that’s fine, but I m not a cow you put on loan to the neighbourhood.

Another nanny here. The perk is guaranteed pay, whether I work or not. I have every expectation that I will work scheduled hours, but I’d like to know both pay and schedule are regular. And I would have no issues with 2 Saturdays per month, just like I’ve also had four families split up the month. I don’t do last minute calls, unless it’s because two of my families are switching their nights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd do it if the nanny was fine if we didn't go out. It would be nice to have 4 hours to get some chores down around the house or do some errands\.

Errands, sure. Chores outside or away from kids, absolutely. In and out so that infant and preschooler are constantly crying? No way!