bringing baby to work
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Anonymous
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First, I do not live in DC but a very small town in the south. My awesome nanny is moving to go back to school so I'm looking for another. There are no agencies here or Craigslist so I have been using referrals and care.com. However, I'm having trouble finding a nanny who doesn't have a young child she wishes to bring with her - the unemployment rate here is high and I suspect young mothers think babysitting is a good solution. Obviously, I have concerns. Has anyone had this work well? How do you deal with food and diapers and such? My daughter is breastfed, just starting solids, and cloth diapered yet one potential nanny with an infant said she required I provide formula and disposable diapers. Is this a common request? How are nap times dealt with?
(this isn't a joke - everyone who has replied to my post has a child) |
Anonymous
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If it's just a mother looking to watch someone else's kid and they happen to have their own, and are telling YOU what to do, then they are not a nanny. They are trying to run a daycare.
When you have a nanny, YOU decide how your child is raised and your nanny conforms to YOUR ways. These are not the people I would hire to nanny for my child. Have you contacted the Early Childhood department of the nearest college? |
Anonymous
| Well, yes. I realize most here probably aren't nannies, but are holding themselves out as such and it's what I had before now so I used the term. We're also originally from large cities where nannies are more the norm. The nearest college is an hour away. Like I said - small town. We moved here before having children. I am wondering if childcare in my home is just a dream. |
Anonymous
I think you should move. 
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Anonymous
| With our DD first our nanny had a daughter that was the same age and it worked well for us mostly because Nanny made it work. She adjusted her daughter's nap time by an hour and our DD's nap time by half an hour (with our permission) to get them on the same schedule. She brought her own supplies (formula/baby food/diapers) each day along with her own lunch. We agreed to let her set up a pack & play in the guest room for her daughter and every Friday she would fold it up and tuck it into the closet (we have frequent weekend guests). She also kept both girls actively engaged and never favored her daughter over ours (we have cameras in the nursery & playroom). It worked incredibly well for us and we were sad to see her go when she returned to school after 2 years. So, it can most definitely work and can even be a great situation (our DD had a built in playmate to grow up with). It sounds like you just need to find a young woman who accepts that her child's needs are her responsibility- not yours, and that being able to bring your child to work with you is a perk. |
Anonymous
This. I would pay accordingly and not equal to a nanny without a child. It is their responsibility to provide supplies for their own child. Sounds like a struggling mom desperate for a job and while she could do a great job, I'd be concerned if her initial expectation is you provide all basic needs for her child. When they get older, will you have to pay for activities and classes for their child as well? That could get very costly. |
Anonymous
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I agree w/ 11:30. Although I think OP was saying that her candidate didn't want to deal w/ cloth diapers and a breastmilk so expected OP to allow disposables for when the child is in the nanny's care (not to provide diapers and formula to the nanny's child as well).
I don't think OP should be asked to change parenting decisions like cloth vs. disposables or BM vs. formula. Anyone requesting that kind of accommodation wouldn't be a good long-term fit, IMO. Good luck OP. Sounds like a tough situation for you. |
Anonymous
| First, I would consider if the pay you are offering is adequate? That may be the reason why you are only getting these moms to respond to your ad. |
Anonymous
My thought as well. You are attracting subpar candidates because something about your job/compensation is below market and only attractive to those with little options. If you are already offering the best you can, you might want to consider being open to a mom with a kid. That being said, I agree with others that this candidate sounds like a bad fit, not because she wants to bring her baby, but that she isn't going about it professionally, and she is not on board with your parenting decisions. |
Anonymous
| We are offering $13 an hour. I felt that was above market because the average income here is only $23,000 a year. We can't afford much more and I'll admit I'm even leery of paying that much for some of the profiles I've seen. |
Anonymous
That is a fine rate for a rural community. That's what I made in small town America, then moved to a city and jumped to $22, so don't feel like you're offering too little; COL matters and I am not surprised there aren't a lot of options there. I think if you found a NWOC who clicked with you and didn't seem to just be looking for a way to save on their own childcare costs it could work great, but not just ANYONE. |
Anonymous
| I brought my child to work with me for years and never had any complaints. I always brought all of his supplies the exception being if the family already had a pnp they would offer it. It never would've occurred to me to ask and especially not to require his supplies be provided. I was also never paid less than my usual rate even if he was with me every day. |
Anonymous
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I think $13/hour is fine for a small town like you've described, but it is probably just difficult in your area to find someone who is looking into being a nanny. Near my college everyone wants to be an after school nanny, and there are no nannies to fill in the full time position. In my hometown having a nanny is basically unheard of, so no one except for SAHMs think of a position like this.
I think that you may have to go with a mother who brings her child to work with her, but maybe don't go with the candidate who wanted you to provide formula and diapers. Perhaps offer a bit lower of a rate for a woman bringing her child, insist that care takes place in your home and lay down some ground rules such as the caretaker having to bring her own supplies for her baby. Situations like this can work, but you just have to find the right mother/caretaker. |
Anonymous
Yes, I think this is our biggest issue. We didn't realize childcare would be such a problem but unfortunately moving isn't an option right now. |
Anonymous
I would rewrite your ad to lay out the conditions for a mom with a child. You want to find someone willing to conform to your needs. |