Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather DH and I were both home at the same times.

My mom was a nurse who worked nights and my dad was an engineer that worked days.

That's kind of selfish.

Hmm? NP. What is selfish ?

Nobody mentioned an Au pair, is this an option ? That is what most people in my neighborhood do. Way cheaper and flexible than a nanny but they have to live with you which is not always easy!

You can use a company that provides back-up care for unexpected emergencies. My husband’s company contracts with Bright Horizons, and it’s a lifesaver.

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather DH and I were both home at the same times.

My mom was a nurse who worked nights and my dad was an engineer that worked days.

That's kind of selfish.

Go with aftercare but line up backup options for sick days or school holidays when you and DH can’t WFH. Keep the cleaners for sure.

I am of the opinion that it’s nice for parents to grocery shop and run errands with their kids. Kids get exposure to different venues; it’s a learning opportunity and a chance to pick up new interests (hey let’s try out that cool-looking fruit, I didn’t know that’s how they glued tiles together...). Also, kids should learn to take responsibility by making their own beds and neatening up their toys. The extreme luxury of having everything done for them, and their entire lives outside of school be focused on leisure, may ultimately be poor preparation for the real world.

Anonymous wrote:Is your nanny planning to become a SAHM? I wonder if she would be willing to stay PT if you took morning drop off off her plate.

Even without morning drop off, the nanny still has an infant that she needs to care for. An infant that needs to nurse and nap in the afternoons. I don’t think it’s going to work. OP’s family is not going to want to be hostage to the baby’s schedule. Also, it’s just not going to be possible for the nanny to do as much as she did before while caring for her own baby. It sounds like a recipe for disappointment all around.

Anonymous wrote:You answered your question in your post.

You have flexible jobs.
Kids can do activities after school sometimes.
Kids can entertain themselves while you work from home after school.
Other things you listed.

What is the issue?

She has a FT nanny now. She has no idea how much the nanny’s doing. Kids will be needy if “entertaining themselves” after school almost every day.
It’s weird that she doesn’t just get a normal amount of care, such as a sitter. Or aftercare.

Is your nanny planning to become a SAHM? I wonder if she would be willing to stay PT if you took morning drop off off her plate.

In your shoes, I would start over with a new nanny but brand it as a house manager position. It would be a big shock to go from all that help to nothing.

It's so much work to have no child care, no housekeeping care and have to juggle your schedules. It's going to be too hard - do after care or hire someone else.

I'd rather DH and I were both home at the same times.

My mom was a nurse who worked nights and my dad was an engineer that worked days.

DH had a standard work week, and I work while the kids are in school and in the evenings and sometimes on weekends. My kids are 4 and 5, so I don't work when they are home unless DH is there to watch them. Try to automate / outsource what you can. We have whole foods delivery come twice a week. Meal plan and/or factor in take out or eating out.

You answered your question in your post.

You have flexible jobs.
Kids can do activities after school sometimes.
Kids can entertain themselves while you work from home after school.
Other things you listed.

What is the issue?

Anonymous wrote:I mean, most parents do this. Aftercare. Kids love it.

This. Once my kids were in elementary school, we used the aftercare program at the school. Loved it. Kids did not start coming home straight from school until fifth grade. That was when I allowed them to be home alone for a couple of hours before I got home from work. They took a school bus home and the bus stop was only two houses away.

We hired an afternoon sitter (local HS student). Worked for us.