Raise for new baby when DS #1 is starting preschool for half the day?

[Anonymous]

We are also moving in to over 40 hours a week and will need to start paying time-and-a-half for about ten hours a week. Our nanny has been with us for three years and has gotten $1 an hour raise annually. She is now at $20 an hour.

We definitely want to keep her (she is fantastic) but so much is happening at once: the additional child, her annual review/raise, and the addition of overtime.

What is reasonable under the circumstances?
TIA

[Anonymous]

So you're adding TEN hours a week PLUS a newborn? Wow, that's a lot.

[Anonymous]

I think the $1 annual raise and $1 new baby
Do $22 an hour.
It's a lot of work to bring a baby along to do school drop off.
And days preschool is closed she will still have both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the $1 annual raise and $1 new baby
Do $22 an hour.
It's a lot of work to bring a baby along to do school drop off.
And days preschool is closed she will still have both.

MB here and I think that's very reasonable if you can afford it. It's a ten percent increase to her base, and the overtime rate at more than $30 means her weekly income will jump by several hundred dollars.

If the extra hours aren't a deterrent to her I think that would feel like substantial increase in income.

[Anonymous]

Things that would contribute to increasing her rate:
-new baby
-annual raise
Things that are neither here nor there with regard to her rate:
-you adding more hours
-preschool

I agree with the other poster to offer a $2/hour increase, or if you can only afford $1/hour, be prepared to offer something else like more PTO. I know you think her work load is lighter because of half day pre-K, but consider the hassle of loading a newborn and toddler into the car daily for drop offs and pickups, your child will only be in school for a few hours in a 10 hour day, and to be honest with all the closings and holidays DC1 will be there for plenty of full days as well.

[Anonymous]

$1 to $2 is fine so $21 to $22 an hour.

[Anonymous]

OP here: OUCH!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: OUCH!!!

Nanny care for 2 children is very expensive. What do you feel is an appropriate amount?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: OUCH!!!

Nanny care for 2 children is very expensive. What do you feel is an appropriate amount?

Our nanny is worth a thousand dollar an hour for her wonderful and loving care for my son. It isn't about what is appropriate - it is about what we can afford. I was sort of hoping that since we were increasing her hours by 10 at 1.5 that we could get by with just a $1 raise. She will be making over 300 more a week just by the increase in hours before the raise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: OUCH!!!

Nanny care for 2 children is very expensive. What do you feel is an appropriate amount?

Our nanny is worth a thousand dollar an hour for her wonderful and loving care for my son. It isn't about what is appropriate - it is about what we can afford. I was sort of hoping that since we were increasing her hours by 10 at 1.5 that we could get by with just a $1 raise. She will be making over 300 more a week just by the increase in hours before the raise.

Well you just need to talk with her then. She's already compensated at a very generous level so she might want to retain the job more than she wants to start over elsewhere. See what she says.

[Anonymous]

You have to think about what you're going to do next year too. Is she going to be too expensive for you then? Don't price yourself out now.

I'm a MB too, and I will consider that the addition of preschool means less work for our nanny too when considering her compensation and raises. Don't let the nannies on this board tell you otherwise.

[Anonymous]

A $1/hr raise is fine in your situation, OP. You're already paying on the high end at $20/hr for one kid and your nanny's workload is decreasing with DC1 in preschool.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I'll talk to our nanny about it. I know she loves DS and is happy working here. And she has been "itching" (her words) to get her hands on a newborn so she was thrilled when we told her about the upcoming new baby.

She has always worked just 40 hours a week for us (four days a week) but needed to supplement her income with a Saturday job with someone else. I know she is happy to just be working for us five days a week and have her weekend back. And although she was earning $25 an hour at her second job, she will be earning over $30 an hour working for us that fifth day.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. Believe me, I would give her a $20 an hour raise if we could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A $1/hr raise is fine in your situation, OP. You're already paying on the high end at $20/hr for one kid and your nanny's workload is decreasing with DC1 in preschool.

No. Since the new baby will be here just as DS starts preschool every morning. She will have both kids in the afternoons. Her workload is definitely increasing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: OUCH!!!

Nanny care for 2 children is very expensive. What do you feel is an appropriate amount?

Our nanny is worth a thousand dollar an hour for her wonderful and loving care for my son. It isn't about what is appropriate - it is about what we can afford. I was sort of hoping that since we were increasing her hours by 10 at 1.5 that we could get by with just a $1 raise. She will be making over 300 more a week just by the increase in hours before the raise.

She will also be doing more work. You are legally mandated to pay her overtime. That isn't a raise.