How do you find backup care when nanny is on vacation?
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Anonymous
| My nanny is on vacation now and I’m on maternity leave, so my MIL came and we have been fine. But next spring my nanny plans to visit her home country for three weeks and I’m trying to figure out how we’ll fill the gap, especially with COVID likely to still be an issue. Should I just ask on my neighborhood moms group for recs, or care.com? I have a two year old and infant so it’s a lot of work. Just curious what others do - I love our nanny but this is a definite downside compared to the daycare we considered, which is only closed for a week between Xmas and new year’s. |
Anonymous
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Nanny here- My boss uses an agency and hires a temp.
Ps. Your nanny is not a robot and it’s better for your child new to have her rested and happy. Please don’t make a big deal out of this because it’s REALLY hard for us to ask for time off but right now especially we need it- desperately!! |
Anonymous
Not sure why you’d think I’d make a big deal out of it - obviously I want her to use her vacation time, but she’s getting two weeks off now and another three weeks in just a few months. I don’t want to go the agency route for a temp, the fees are way too high for three weeks of care. |
Anonymous
| Can you ask your mom or MIL? Or do you have a friend with a Nanny that might be interested in doing a share for three weeks to make some extra money? Or even a week or two would help. Can you or DH use vacation time? |
Anonymous
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Ignore that ridiculous nanny poster. Three weeks is a LONG time to ask for consecutive time off. My own job wouldn't let me do that for vacation, for crying out loud. I think you're being really generous to accommodate it, and if your nanny starts making a habit of taking extended vacations I would certainly look for another one in the coming year.
In the current situation looking for a temporary nanny share as a PP recommended is one good potential solution, although since you have both an infant and a toddler in the mix that might be hard to find. You and your spouse taking vacation is the other 'easiest' solution when you can't afford an agency for temp care (DH and I can't either, so I'm sympathetic). If you feel comfortable with it, you might also look for a college student to help out. Our neighbor's daughter is in college right now and she's been able to pitch in for us on occasion even when school is in-person - she is local and just filling in when she had to be on campus for classes was easier than taking off a whole week. |
Anonymous
| Thanks all, looks like my options are limited. DH is at a law firm and can’t take time off, and I don’t want to take a vacation just after coming back from maternity leave. We can afford the agency but I can’t justify those fees for just a temp. I may ask on my moms group. |
Anonymous
| Do either of your jobs offer a backup care benefit? It is a common law firm perk, so definitely have your husband check. Then you can use a backup care nanny or one of their contracted daycare centers for at least a portion of the time. |
Anonymous
You can afford a service which could help you find someone, but you want us to tell you instead? Do your own search please. |
Anonymous
This is a great idea, thanks! |
Anonymous
I was looking for suggestions outside of an agency, which some people were kind enough to offer. I’ll continue to feel free to post on a public message board. SMH. |
Anonymous
| Hi OP? I'd go the Care.com route. I'm a bit biased since I've been a member for years, and yes it has its downsides, but if you start looking a month-6 weeks ahead, would give you time to do interviews, background checks, get references, etc. |
Anonymous
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You ask people way ahead of time. Every six months DH checks in with our four back-up people to make sure they're still cool with it, and he updates the kids routines so anyone filling in during an emergency can just follow their schedule.
We have a neighbor who works from home and told us "I don't do diapers so put me last on the list." We have a close friend's widowed father who can watch both kids at home but only handle one out of the house. We have my work husband's SAH wife. And we have a friend from the kids' school. |
Anonymous
| Does your nanny know any other nannies who might want a back up job for that time period? We found a great backup nanny this way and she was someone who had filled in for another local family so had already interacted with my kids. |
Anonymous
| Definitely see what your moms group says. Lots of good suggestions above too. If someone is from a different country then unfortunately an extended trip makes sense for them. They miss their family and home country too. |
Anonymous
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You can do drop in care at an inhome daycare or a regular daycare. Inhome would likely have availability for all 3 weeks, whereas regular daycare drop ins are better for when nanny calls in sick.
Our inhome charges $50 a day per kid for drop ins. The infant might be harder there since infants are a lot of points. |