Hiring a nanny now

[Anonymous]

We had been a daycare family but now that we have an infant, we are considering a nanny. Our older kid (just turned 2) loved daycare but also seems happy at home and we are worried about disease exposure for both but especially the infant. An advantage of a nanny is that we could continue to have her work even if group care settings are closed, but I'm confused about how many nannys are working now (that are not live in). On this website it seems most people are paying their nanny to.stay at home. From walking around various neighborhoods (at 6 ft from others) it seems many nannies are still working and doing shares. We would be open to a nanny doing strict social distancing but how many people would say they are but not really do it? Same would go for her to trust us. Will nanniwa be more expensive now? Or did a lot lose their jobs because their employers were laid off?

[Anonymous]

There is always a certain leap of faith when hiring a nanny, but yes, it is especially hard now to know whether she will follow the same level of social distancing you prefer. I think you have to ask them to describe how they envision keeping themselves and their family safe going forward as restrictions ease, because the coming era when we are not fully isolating but we still need to be cautious will be much harder to stay on the same page.

I am a nanny and most of my friends are still working, but I am in the category of nanny where I work for very wealthy families. Nannies working for middle-class families who were stretching to afford a nanny are more hard-hit and as a daycare family that is probably your market anyway. I moved in with my nanny family since I am single and was living with roommates who had to continue to work in public-facing roles so my NF asked me to isolated with them to remain a closed loop.

[Anonymous]

Why would a nanny come to work for you during a pandemic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would a nanny come to work for you during a pandemic?

Because the nanny needs to work and loves her job?

I am a nanny who has continued to work during the pandemic although my employers offered to pay me if I chose to stay home. My employers are self-isolating and so am I. We made one trip to the grocery store for all of us once a week. And I walk or drive to work and live alone.

I love my job and love my charge. My wonderful employers need me now more than ever and I would miss my charge!

OP, conduct extensive face time interviews. Screen carefully including asking about how many people live in the nanny’s house and her self-quarantining protocols. Make sure she doesn’t depend on public transportation. Then ask the usual questions. Have a face-to-face interview when you’ve decided on someone.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny is working. Except instead of the nanny taking mass transit to get here and back DH and is going to pick them up and drop off each day.

DH and I are working from home. We can not pay our nanny to stay home.

[Anonymous]

I honestly don’t know of any nannies not working.

Of course you can and should look for a nanny now, OP. Take all precautions, of course, but start the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don’t know of any nannies not working.

Of course you can and should look for a nanny now, OP. Take all precautions, of course, but start the process.

Our nanny isn't working. We are still paying her full-time, of course. Our friend is doing the same. So now you know two.

[Anonymous]

OP while I understand you need help just keep in mind that the nanny/family relationship is very personal if you are doing it right. You are allowing someone to come into your home and care for your children which are obviously the most important people in your life besides your partner. Trust is a big big factor here. The nanny is coming into a new home with new parameters and no matter how experienced that person is the is an adjustment period. In all honesty until things settle down a bit I would reconsider establishing that type of relationship. And I'm coming from the other side of the equation.

[Anonymous]

Not the time.
Wait a bit.

[Anonymous]

OP here. One of the first responses commented on the difference between nannies for middle class families (which let's me honest really means upper middle class) and presumably wealthy families. I need thought of the difference but let's say I rephrase this question for upper middle class families. Are those nannies working? I presume nannies making less money (eg <25/hr) might be more likely to have roommates. From the ad board it seems like several people are looking for nannies right now!

[Anonymous]

OP again. I mean I never ....

Also we wouldn't have a nanny come now, but depending on the situation would want one during rolling closures (when employers may be less tolerant of flexible work hours)

[Anonymous]

OP would you feel comfortable hiring someone that you have met remotely even if several times? What about a trial day? I'm not trying to give you a hard time just trying to understand how this would work.

[Anonymous]

You could certainly begin the on paper search now and attempting to evaluate candidates by phone, it's never too early.

[Anonymous]

I’m still working, but my family is very wealthy. Honestly it’s like being in a bubble over there because they just don’t get it and it’s a nice escape. There’s no food shortages because they can afford expensive deliveries and markups on amazon. It’s hard to go home to my real life after being there all day.

[Anonymous]

First thing to realize, DCUM is not representative of anything. A lot of nannies are still working. I am still working, the nanny who works in the same neighborhood as me is still working. A close nanny friend of mine is still working. When I take my kids out for walks, I see lots of nannies doing the same thing.

An excellent nanny is expensive. Period. A nanny is more expensive than daycare. You are not saving money hiring a nanny. You cannot control a person, so you cannot control your nanny. You will just have to trust and believe whatever they say about their social distancing. You can start your search now with a tentative start date of early June. If you find someone you really like, you can offer a contract with a retainer. Nannies are people with bills too, so they go where the money and best offer is.