Can a Stay-at-Home Dad be a Nanny?

[Anonymous]

Hi all, I'm a young professional taking some time off to spend time with my 6yo son. I was thinking about seeing if 2-3 other families in the area needed child care over the summer months (presumably kids around my boy's age). We do a lot of creative activities like museums/zoo, art, and reading, and we don't do TV at all.
My question is this: How strange is it for a man to offer to be a nanny? I don't think I've ever seen one at the playground!
thx

[Anonymous]

It is different but not strange. You might be a godsend to a family with a boy your son's age once school and aftercare is over. However, you don't have experience as a nanny and you presumably will not be watching the other kid and your son at the other kid's house... You won't be able to command a huge hourly wage for sure.

But I welcome men becoming nannies.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't market myself as a nanny not because men can't be nannies, but because you don't have nanny experience.

I would mention it to friends and your circle I'm sure someone needs summer care and would love to have someone they are familiar with look after their kid for the summer months.

[Anonymous]

It's not the typical set-up, sure, but I would definitely consider it - especially knowing that you're staying home with your own son.

It might take a little more work to find the right fit but you could be a great option for the right family. Try asking around your neighborhood (especially if you have a listserv) and see if you get any interest.

[Anonymous]

If i knew you already I would be ok with you watching my daughter over the summer. if I didnt know you then no I wouldnt. But i feel that way about anyone.
You would be providing summer childcare though, I wouldnt consider you a nanny.

[Anonymous]

I've taken a lot of womens self defense classes, I know how men can be, I would not let my daughter be watched by a male. Best of luck though.

[Anonymous]

I think I would be wary about leaving my kids with a man if I don't already know the man in question. Sorry, guys, you have a terrible reputation... might wanna work on that a bit. That said, a neighbourhood dad does exactly what you want to do: he takes in two other kids in addition to his own son for the summer months. He's marketing himself as more of a camp type of thing rather than a nanny, though, which is probably your best bet.

[Anonymous]

I think this would be an awesome idea for another boy your son's age, he could get a playmate over the summer and you could earn some extra money at the same time.


Win win!

I don't think it's strange at all. I like the idea and would definitely consider it if I had a boy the same age and needed childcare too.

I think you should go for it.

[Anonymous]

There are two things that I think would make this successful:

First, you are going to want to look for clients within the circle of people you already know. Put the word out among your child's classmates, teammates, and friends of the family. you're most likely bet is to find another kid who already knows your son and is the same age and has some interests in common.

Second, to make this look as professional as possible, you should map out the summer as different themed camps. figure out what kinds of things you would like to do with the kids and create a schedule. Maybe one week the theme is dinosaurs and you do a tour of the natural history Museum and then go hunting for sharks teeth in Maryland. Maybe another week you do military history and include a walk along the mall (World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial) and a tour of Mount Vernon and the American history Museum, another week you could do aeronautics and do tours of both air and space Museum's and a day flying kites somewhere. This will allow you to look a little bit more professional, and will allow you to figure out how much to charge for each week so that the fees related to activities (such as metro fees to do museums or admissions for places like Mount Vernon) are included in the price for that week. It will also allow people to opt in or out of different weeks, since most people have at least some weeks of family and travel or vacation planned.