Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get an email about an available nanny, with great accolades, probably 1x a week on my neighborhood list serv. Does your area have one? If not I recommend starting one, it's so fantastic and community building!

I'm a little suspicious of all the recommendations for fantastic nannies because "our needs have changed" with little notice. I noticed on my listserv that some nannies were getting those glowing recommendations every few months. I think the best of the best never need to be advertised because they are passed along to friends

Yup. The best of the best don't need to advertise.
But those are really few and select parents get them. Many parents just need a pretty good nanny they can trust, not Mary Poppins. We can't all afford to hire Mary Poppins either.

Mary Poppins takes place during a time in which the nanny raised the children 24 hours a day, with either half or a whole day off once per week. Most families don’t want or need that.

People who have really truly great nannies are very few and far between.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get an email about an available nanny, with great accolades, probably 1x a week on my neighborhood list serv. Does your area have one? If not I recommend starting one, it's so fantastic and community building!

I'm a little suspicious of all the recommendations for fantastic nannies because "our needs have changed" with little notice. I noticed on my listserv that some nannies were getting those glowing recommendations every few months. I think the best of the best never need to be advertised because they are passed along to friends

Yup. The best of the best don't need to advertise.
But those are really few and select parents get them. Many parents just need a pretty good nanny they can trust, not Mary Poppins. We can't all afford to hire Mary Poppins either.

Anonymous wrote:Some of the cleaning ladies in our building became nannies. They were asked by the parents who saw them daily keeping the building clean.
If you go to a restaurant and see a server who often waits on you, ask her (or him).
Give people from other industries a chance. I would've loved to be a nanny in 2009 when work was hard to come by.
Somehow it never crossed my mind to try to become one. I had been in hospitality industry too long and I was stuck. Customers come first in hospitality industry and your child and you would also come first.
In 2008- 2009 I was making ca $35 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm working lunch shift in Georgetown and then went to Adams Morgan for my 2nd job- a 10-12 hours late night shift.
I had just had my own child, so it's not like I was completely clueless. I was also legal, drover my own car (EU license since I age 18), had infant experience. I would've loved to have worked day time so I could be home at night.
I think I would've made a great nanny. I was used to long hours and physical work. My 2 boys turned out well.

+1. My great nanny worked in a different job for over 15 years before she wanted something less strenous in terms of lifting carrying and easier on her knees than her old job. She had raised kids herself but had no experience being a "nanny." She turned out to be really great.

Anonymous wrote:I found ours through care.com - but you have to be prepared to sift through a LOT of applications

Same. We interviwed almost 15 in person, over 30 over the phone. It was my first time so I was learning along the way. I found someone good enough. Next time I had to do this, I knew how to get a feel for the person much better and what would be a good fit with my personality. I interviewed 7 and found someone fantastic.

Anonymous wrote:They treat them well and pay properly, as well a minimum of $20/hr for one child and a minimum of $5.00/hr for each additional child. They are not "the Help ". Nannies also have a right to make a decent wage and to have a life. They are not your property. FWIW, I am not a nanny. I do, however, have a small business and every employee knows they are valued.

+1

I agree. I am in the same boat. People should also be aware that if you are too nice, the other side will take advantage (happens with both parents AND nannies). You give an inch, they want to be a ruler. Write everything out ahead of time, so there is no miscommunication. Examples: phone and napping (the nanny, not the child!) and thing you haven't even thought of!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found our nanny through neighbors after a bunch of bad interviews. She had nannied for another family and the mom who recommended her to us was friends with them and had met her at the bus stop. It was luck. But maybe talk to your neighbors or people at your preschool or wherever and see if you can gt any leads. Our youngest starts school in the fall and another family down the street has already asked me about hiring our nanny at that time.

The family asked you and not the nanny, right?

Sounds like the new family wanted to make sure they weren’t poaching a nanny who was possibly going to be retained. Kudos to them!

+1

Agreed. You don't want to b known as THAT family. Usually, the mom is in over her head, so the nanny will be too! Also, when a mom tries to poach a nanny, that kind of mom is not willing to pay what the (original) family pays - I can think of a few families that live in $1m+ homes, who are looking to pay - in one case literally zero (expected the first family to subsidize, since the other family paid so well) - to almost nothing (maybe $10./hour, or what they would pay a mother's helper, seriously).

If I was a nanny, I would go through an agency, hands down. The agency is looking to get the nanny as much pay as possible. But also as a nanny, be aware that cheap user parents are everywhere - just keep walking! Nannies talk, and tell each other what they get paid and what they get for benefits. I know moms that are desperate for help, and try to approach non-american nannies, because those kind of moms are racist and think that the nanny will not say no. Again, keep walking. At some point, it is harassment, if the mom keeps corning someone else's nanny.

I'm a sahm with a nanny. We finally have one that's good/decent. Speaks English. I got her on care and it was just luck.

My friend works and has had the same nanny for 4 years, she found her through an agency. I tried the same agency but this lady put toothpaste on my sons diaper rash and she only spoke Spanish. She was horrible, would leave the baby on the changing table, so common sense safety. She claimed she raised her brothers son then I found out it was part time.

My experience has been that it takes luck, many nannies, and the knowledge that no one is doing to do it better than you. I don't say that as a negative but as a realistic thing. If you would check on your baby 5 times, nanny might care and diaper change often, but not as much as you. Some nannies claim no phone and then that's what they do at the park. Socialize and ignore kids. But for me the break outweighs perfection.

Some of the cleaning ladies in our building became nannies. They were asked by the parents who saw them daily keeping the building clean.
If you go to a restaurant and see a server who often waits on you, ask her (or him).
Give people from other industries a chance. I would've loved to be a nanny in 2009 when work was hard to come by.
Somehow it never crossed my mind to try to become one. I had been in hospitality industry too long and I was stuck. Customers come first in hospitality industry and your child and you would also come first.
In 2008- 2009 I was making ca $35 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm working lunch shift in Georgetown and then went to Adams Morgan for my 2nd job- a 10-12 hours late night shift.
I had just had my own child, so it's not like I was completely clueless. I was also legal, drover my own car (EU license since I age 18), had infant experience. I would've loved to have worked day time so I could be home at night.
I think I would've made a great nanny. I was used to long hours and physical work. My 2 boys turned out well.

They treat them well and pay properly, as well a minimum of $20/hr for one child and a minimum of $5.00/hr for each additional child. They are not "the Help ". Nannies also have a right to make a decent wage and to have a life. They are not your property. FWIW, I am not a nanny. I do, however, have a small business and every employee knows they are valued.

Like others have said, I think some of this is great nannies and some is just lots of parents just assume/think their nanny is GREAT but it doesn't necessarily make it true. It also doesn't mean the nanny is bad, or that the parents are doing anything wrong, but I've found the more I engage with daycares/preschools/nannies etc that everyone's perception of "great!" is really different. Every family's expectations are different and to be honest I do think there is a good swath that just trust their providers fairly blindly, and because they don't necessarily have a background in child development assume that's the best way because their provider does it (when it's often not actually very research based). Which is FINE, all these kids will be fine - but don't beat yourself up that everyone has nanny poppins and you don't because it's probably not true..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found our nanny right here on DCUM. We have a nanny share, and both my family and the other child's parents could not be happier with her. I truly wouldn't change a thing and will be so sad when it's time to send the kids to preschool.

I hope she feels she’s appropriately compensated. I know most parents feel they pay generously.

I hope that as well, and I trust her to raise any issues she has directly with us. We've had very open communication from the start.

Anyone want to share the name(s) of nanny agencies you used? I know about White House Nannies, but are there others that people would recommend?

Anonymous wrote:We found our nanny right here on DCUM. We have a nanny share, and both my family and the other child's parents could not be happier with her. I truly wouldn't change a thing and will be so sad when it's time to send the kids to preschool.

I hope she feels she’s appropriately compensated. I know most parents feel they pay generously.