Please help me make a plan

[Anonymous]

I’m hiring an aftercare nanny from 3:30 to 6. I have a candidate. What now? Obviously she cannot just show up at daycare and pick him up. He’s three. He’s met her once in the home of a mutual friend. Do I hire her to babysit a few times? How do I transition from “stranger” to “person who picks up my child daily”. Also, her rate is $25/hr.

[Anonymous]

I'd hire her to babysit twice - once during the day while you're home and once when you're not at home and she feeds him a snack or meal.

Make a contract, both of you sign it. Give something in writing to daycare saying she can pick him up.

[Anonymous]

Have your child meet and play with him for a few hours, Tell your child what Mary is going to pick him up every day. Go with Mary the first day if you want.

Seriously, this is not difficult to figure out OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have your child meet and play with him for a few hours, Tell your child what Mary is going to pick him up every day. Go with Mary the first day if you want.

Seriously, this is not difficult to figure out OP.

Thanks! Are you always a sarcastic bitch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have your child meet and play with him for a few hours, Tell your child what Mary is going to pick him up every day. Go with Mary the first day if you want.

Seriously, this is not difficult to figure out OP.

Thanks! Are you always a sarcastic bitch?

Yes, but that wasn't sarcasm. I was being straight forward - it is not difficult to figure out how to get your child comfortable with a babysitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have your child meet and play with him for a few hours, Tell your child what Mary is going to pick him up every day. Go with Mary the first day if you want.

Seriously, this is not difficult to figure out OP.

Thanks! Are you always a sarcastic bitch?

Yes, but that wasn't sarcasm. I was being straight forward - it is not difficult to figure out how to get your child comfortable with a babysitter.

I'll rephrase. "Are you always such a bitch?" There. And you answered. So go work on your personality and stop wasting my time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have your child meet and play with him for a few hours, Tell your child what Mary is going to pick him up every day. Go with Mary the first day if you want.

Seriously, this is not difficult to figure out OP.

Thanks! Are you always a sarcastic bitch?

Yes, but that wasn't sarcasm. I was being straight forward - it is not difficult to figure out how to get your child comfortable with a babysitter.

I'll rephrase. "Are you always such a bitch?" There. And you answered. So go work on your personality and stop wasting my time.

Yes, I am a bitch - however that doesn't mitigate the fact that you seem unable to solve the simplest issue on your own. Your child doesn't know the babysitter? There really is only one answer to that "big problem"! Let him get to know her.

[Anonymous]

"Please help me make a plan" is over-the-top for such a simple issue, OP. Did you think there was another answer beyond, "have your kid get to know her?"

[Anonymous]

Another option is to have her go with whoever does this currently for a week, and then take over when they get home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another option is to have her go with whoever does this currently for a week, and then take over when they get home.

Still "have your kid get to know the babysitter".

[Anonymous]

Oh, this truly is a complicated issue... give me a moment to come up with a few options for you.

[Anonymous]

You know, I thought nannies were supposed to be "professionals" and experts in child development. But your responses are thoughtless and pathetic and show your true colors.

By "plan" I was looking to draw from all of your valuable experiences as far as what is the best way to introduce and hire someone and finalize and include in a contract, do a trial day, things to look out for, what makes transition easier etc.

I guess I will just go read care.com. They have a bunch of resources I can read on how to hire a nanny.

Thanks "nannies" (babysitters?) I don't know the right term, but it is definitely bitches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, I thought nannies were supposed to be "professionals" and experts in child development. But your responses are thoughtless and pathetic and show your true colors.

By "plan" I was looking to draw from all of your valuable experiences as far as what is the best way to introduce and hire someone and finalize and include in a contract, do a trial day, things to look out for, what makes transition easier etc.

I guess I will just go read care.com. They have a bunch of resources I can read on how to hire a nanny.

Thanks "nannies" (babysitters?) I don't know the right term, but it is definitely bitches.

OP, I’m a nanny, and I can’t tell which of the above are nannies versus employers. Both groups post on DCUM, as do people who are neither.

As for what you need to know, you didn’t ask for specifics. The PPs answered the basics, because you’ve already hired someone. You don’t write a contract after hire, you negotiate during the hiring process. A trial day is also part of the hiring process, and no decent nanny accepts a job without doing one PRIOR to finalizing the agreement. Because you and the caregiver didn’t do any of these things, like the PPs, I assumed you were just getting a babysitter, and you weren’t planning on the legal side that comes with nannies.

As to introducing your child? I hope she’s met your son and you have observed her. If not, do it asap. After that observation, yes, she should have a trial day, but I would recommend doing a few hours on a weekend, that way you can stop in and observe silently from the next room. Other than that, it just takes time. You and she pick up together the first day, she takes him home, she picks up thereafter. It just takes time for them to get to know each other.

Oh and care? The information there is frequently geared towards occasional babysitters or babysitters versus nannies. Some is correct, but looking at old topics here can be more accurate, especially to this area.

[Anonymous]

OP, you have to leave his babysitter’s name at the daycare so that she will have permission to pick him up after school.
Have the school also meet her face to face so that they also will know what she looks like.

I wouldn’t pay anyone $25/Hr.
That rate is highway robbery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you have to leave his babysitter’s name at the daycare so that she will have permission to pick him up after school.
Have the school also meet her face to face so that they also will know what she looks like.

I wouldn’t pay anyone $25/Hr.
That rate is highway robbery.

Um, we pay our nanny more than that. Do you live in DC? My nanny doesn't commute from Iowa, she lives in Northern Virginia. Do you know how expensive it is to live here? How little do you think you can pay your nanny and have it be ok?