What's great about having a nanny?

[Anonymous]

We're switching to a nanny for our two children from daycare because my oldest is starting kindergarten and I don't think I can manage two drop offs/pickups. This will probably be the best for our family, but I'm getting a little nervous about it as the transition approaches. Tell me how having a nanny has made your life easier and been good for your kids. Please don't bash daycare - I've been very happy at our center in my office building for many years. I think different kinds of care are good depending on a families circumstances. I am more interested in positive results/stories about your nanny.

[Anonymous]

Depends on what kind of nanny you're getting, OP.

[Anonymous]

Well my kids are different ages than yours and we've had one since the oldest's birth, but here is why having a nanny has been great for us.

1. I don't have to rush them through anything in the morning. If they're not dressed or breakfasted it's okay. I kiss them on the head and leave for work rather than having to haul them anywhere early in the morning. If we need to keep them up late the night before we don't have to worry the next morning will be hell waking them up to get out of the house on time.
2. Someone else does all the kids laundry, including bedding.
3. In our nanny contract it says the nanny will do a certain number of household related errands per week. I have not picked up my own dry-cleaning in over two years.
4. My oldest is bi-lingual because of our nanny being bi-lingual.
5. Both kids know every single playground in the entire city and have checked out almost every story time in the city.
6. If one of the kids wakes up with a cold, they can take it easy at home without me worrying about them infecting a schoolroom full of other kids
7. If we have to have a repairman to the house, someone can easily be home to let them in/supervise
8. There's a special kiddie event at the zoo Wednesday at 1pm? My kids will be there! Free admission for kids five and under at the aquarium on Monday? My kids will be there!
9. All the kids little friends are very local.
10. DH and I ran all the background checks we wanted to in order to assure ourselves this was a safe person for our kids to be around. We don't have to worry about a daycare hiring someone who won't click with them or got fired or arrested in some other state.
11. If I want my 3 yr old to take a class that's only available at 10am, she can get there.
12. They eat exactly what I approve of.

[Anonymous]

The nanny will be a lot more flexible if you are running 20 minutes late due to traffic than the daycare.

[Anonymous]

There's no perfect childcare solution. Good lucpk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's no perfect childcare solution. Good lucpk

Our nanny is the perfect childcare solution. We lucked out and hired and amazing and loving woman to care and teach DS. She handles everything child-related (his laundry, cooks from scratch for him, cleans his room) and takes him all over town doing story times, classes, park, play dates, museums, etc. She reads, talks, laughs and plays with him all day long. She is a wonderful teacher and just a wonderful and loving caretaker for him.


Aside from DH, she is also the only other person on earth who never gets tired of hearing things that DC did!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The nanny will be a lot more flexible if you are running 20 minutes late due to traffic than the daycare.

You will still need to tell the nanny ahead of time if you are running late.
You must be respectful of her time if you expect her to be respectful of yours.

[Anonymous]

Having a nanny will benefit you and your kids in many ways.

They get the luxury of staying in their own home, sleeping in when needed. They get to sleep in their own bed for naps, play with their own toys and eat their own food at home.

They also get the luxury of one-on-one attention from a loving provider and if she is any good, this could lead to a lifelong loving relationship that may continue even when they outgrow their nanny.

Plus, it is nice to have someone at home during the day. You know your house is okay, if any packages get delivered your nanny can bring them in. Or if you need the cable guy to show up, someone will be home to let him in.

I say win win for everyone.

[Anonymous]

P.S. If you have any pets, they get the companionship of knowing there are people at home vs. being stuck indoors all alone during the day.

[Anonymous]

Parents who have amazing nannies also usually have well compensated nannies. Remember that this isn't only her paycheck, about how you treat her overall.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny was a life saver last year with all the snow days and teacher holidays. I don't know how DH and I would have ever covered that much time off. As a PP mentioned, when DC is mildly sick it's great that she can just stay home (for serious illness, obviously I stay home). I really like that my DCs spend time with each other after school. My nanny is also forming relationships with other families at the bus stop after school, which is an added benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny was a life saver last year with all the snow days and teacher holidays. I don't know how DH and I would have ever covered that much time off. As a PP mentioned, when DC is mildly sick it's great that she can just stay home (for serious illness, obviously I stay home). I really like that my DCs spend time with each other after school. My nanny is also forming relationships with other families at the bus stop after school, which is an added benefit.

What a nice NF you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The nanny will be a lot more flexible if you are running 20 minutes late due to traffic than the daycare.

I actually think this is one negative of nanny care. My daycare was open from 6am-6:30pm every day. I usually got there around 4:30pm, but if something happened and I didn't get there until 5:30 or even 6:30 one day, no one batted an eyelash. However, my nanny is really only scheduled to work until 5pm. So if something happens (and sometimes it does), my nanny is much more likely to be frustrated with my being late.

[Anonymous]

Another great reason to have a nanny - she is an additional comfort to your child when the child is sick. DS had a fever yesterday and I came home from work as it was very high. Nanny and I switched off holding him as he was a little furnace and after about five minutes he would make you sweat. He was equally comfortable with both of us. When I called the doctor, he suggested going straight to the ER is his fever hit 105 (thank God it didn't) and asked if I had someone to go with us. I was relived to say, yes, our nanny was there to come with us.

A great nanny is a true Godsend, OP.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny makes life so much better for our daughter and so much easier for us. The one downside is that we have to make back-up plans for her vacation. But that's still preferable to daycare, where kids have to stay home if they are sick.