Please help me think through hiring a nanny for the next year

[Anonymous]

We live in a small apartment in Arlington. I can work from home right now but of course will eventually be called back into the office. I’m realizing that I don’t think I’m going to be comfortable sending my 3 year old back to daycare this summer or fall. I can’t pay for a nanny out of my salary (I’m a single mom) but I could pull money from savings. I think it’s worth it to me. I’m too anxious about the unknowns with covid and daycare doesn’t feel safe to me at all.

So... where would the nanny and my daughter play all day? We live in a busy neighborhood where even the sidewalks are crowded. If the playgrounds stay closed, what are they going to do all day?

Where will I work? I can’t work from inside the same apartment where my daughter is. She will beg for me all day. We need to be in separate spaces.

I’m just not seeing how this can work. Maybe I can look for a nanny share? Someone who has a yard and they host? And then I work at home.

[Anonymous]

Consider moving farther out and renting a 2 bedroom or a TH.

[Anonymous]

I'm seriously considering this too, with similar financial and logistical issues. Really interested in the advice.

[Anonymous]

Think about using a very small at home day care. I have seen providers that go through the infant-toddler family daycare program sometimes have one or two children. They typically have max three families and are more likely to have two. This would both decrease risk and get the little one out of the house.

[Anonymous]

It’s going to be tough in your situation, OP. I’d look for a nanny share with someone with a small yard. Post on your neighborhood server and see if anyone is looking or post on the jobs forum here.

[Anonymous]

A nanny share would also get your daughter another kid to play with. That’s huge at that age. I bet she misses other kids too...

[Anonymous]

Why are you so worried? Are you high risk?

[Anonymous]

A nanny or home daycare are more likely to shirk sanitization rules than a center that is often under more scrutiny.

You have no clue what your nanny is doing on her off time or what a home daycare provider is doing. A center is being watched by a ton of parents and often is run by a corporation that doesn’t want an outbreak on their hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A nanny or home daycare are more likely to shirk sanitization rules than a center that is often under more scrutiny.

You have no clue what your nanny is doing on her off time or what a home daycare provider is doing. A center is being watched by a ton of parents and often is run by a corporation that doesn’t want an outbreak on their hands.

This is illogical. You also have no clue what the other families in the daycare are doing in their time off, or what the teachers are doing in their time off. I don’t think there’s any genuine debate to be had that exposure to fewer people is less risk. We can debate whether daycare is an acceptable level of risk, but a nanny is clearly less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A nanny or home daycare are more likely to shirk sanitization rules than a center that is often under more scrutiny.

You have no clue what your nanny is doing on her off time or what a home daycare provider is doing. A center is being watched by a ton of parents and often is run by a corporation that doesn’t want an outbreak on their hands.

This is illogical. You also have no clue what the other families in the daycare are doing in their time off, or what the teachers are doing in their time off. I don’t think there’s any genuine debate to be had that exposure to fewer people is less risk. We can debate whether daycare is an acceptable level of risk, but a nanny is clearly less.

+1. The more people - the greater risk. Our pediatrician advised us not to send out baby back to center daycare for this reason. Sanitation means nothing when you have ten little kids and two adults plus parents dropping off in one room. And if you have “no clue what your nanny is doing during her time off” you most certainly have no clue what daycare center teachers are doing on their time off!!

OP, a nanny share seems like your best bet in your situation.