When to start looking?

[Anonymous]

I'm newly pregnant (mid-1st trimester) with our first child and am wondering at what point it is appropriate to begin seeking out a nanny/nanny share situation?

We're still figuring out the details, but generally we would need childcare 3 to 4 days a week starting NEXT September (when my maternity leave will end and our child will be 16 weeks old). Our hope would be to either find someone who is available from 8am - 5:30pm on those days or to join a nanny share that can accommodate that kind of schedule. We live in NE DC (Atlas District) if that makes any sort of difference.

Our friends who have children all went the daycare route, and their advice for that was to call them and your OB-GYN on the same day. I'm guessing it's not quite the same in this situation.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It's never too soon to start asking around. The more time you have to get in the loop, the better.

[Anonymous]

And congratulations, OP!!

[Anonymous]

OP, two months should give you plenty of time - most nannies won't know they're looking for a job much earlier than that. You could certainly begin talking to other parents now to get a feel for common complaints, things to look for, get a sense of what your neighbors pay their nannies and what duties they perform, and generally acquaint yourself with the hiring/employing side of things, but in terms of sitting down to look for YOUR nanny... I'd say 3 months TOPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, two months should give you plenty of time - most nannies won't know they're looking for a job much earlier than that. You could certainly begin talking to other parents now to get a feel for common complaints, things to look for, get a sense of what your neighbors pay their nannies and what duties they perform, and generally acquaint yourself with the hiring/employing side of things, but in terms of sitting down to look for YOUR nanny... I'd say 3 months TOPS.

And yes, visit your neighborhood park, and see if you want the same kind of nanny your neighbors have, or better.

[Anonymous]

I would say two to three mos.

Don't look too early because you risk hiring a nanny who might end up getting a "better" job offer and leaving you out.

[Anonymous]

I started looking three months before having to go back to work and it took me almost three months to find someone we trusted and fit in well with our lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

I've been sending a few "feeler" emails out to nannies for an early/mid January start date and have been told that they will likely find a job by then. I.e. I'm looking too early....

[Anonymous]

I accepted a job from someone two months in advance and they changed their mind about having a nanny a week before I supposed to start. I'll never accept anything that far in advance again. If you don't need me within the next couple of wks, I'll keep looking.

[Anonymous]

I would say one to two months before you need someone. This isn't a market where nannies stay unemployed for long, or the kind of job where they can (or need to) give more than a few weeks notice.

Also, you want to be hiring active, engaged nannies - not ones who have been out of work for an extended period of time. With a September start you will have a terrific pool of candidates over the summer - lots of families will have kids starting school so will no longer need their long-term nannies. I think that's a perfect time to look and you'll have great options.

If it were me I'd start putting the word out on my neighborhood listserv at the beginning of the summer, and then doing a more significant search in July.

Good luck and congrats on your expanding family!