Nanny or daycare for 2 year old?

[Anonymous]

We've had our nanny for a few years and love her for our 2 kids. She also loves them. That said, when my baby turns 2, I'm thinking of enrolling them in daycare. My older child will be in school then. While it might be ideal to have the 2 year old in part-time preschool, plus spend the remaining time with the nanny, it would be too much to juggle with 2 kids, and the older kid in a different school. And we would want to lower our nanny's pay since the older child would mostly be in school all day, but I'm not sure our nanny would be pleased with that. The cost savings of going to daycare for our family would be huge, and the hours would be better. We have family nearby who could possibly help out for sick days.

In addition, there a few small things we're not super pleased about. There were 2 minor feeding and hygiene tasks that we asked our nanny to do with each child every day, but the nanny seems to only do it when we ask her to on the days we do even though we specified that we would like it done every day. She also doesn't do much in terms of food prep. Think, making sandwiches instead of cooking.

[Anonymous]

Are you paying the nanny 30-40/hr? If so, you can expect sandwiches. Your nanny will not stay with you if you decide to peer her pay, so daycare sounds like a good fit for you.

[Anonymous]

*if not, you can expect sandwiches

[Anonymous]

You sound like you are a nickel and dime type person. If you resent the Nanny having down time while still being available for your child you should do daycare. I think for some the convenience is worth it, doesn’t sound like that’s the case here though.

[Anonymous]

Sandwiches and quick meals are very standard.

Lowing the nanny's rate when one child goes to school is not a thing. Unless you truly will never have her interact with the older child, prep their food, do their laundry, pick up their toys, never care for them on sick days or no school days or school breaks or over summer

[Anonymous]

Day care is the best option for you.

[Anonymous]

It’s not the norm to lower your nanny’s pay when a child starts school. I’d leave any job that did that.

[Anonymous]

Go for a daycare. It seems that you are a daycare mom. Asking your nanny "cook instead prepare sandwich and easy meals like other nannies do? ". Probably you are paying her a super high rate; that's why you are asking too much. Usually nannies don't cook. They prepare easy meals, including sandwich or heat up leftovers of what Parents have had for dinner a night before.

Also it seems something is bothering you. You don't explain what exactly chores you asked her to do and she didn't do it until you tell her to do; so we can see if that really a Nanny's responsibility.

You sounds very irritated and unhappy. So go for a daycare; bcs nannies don't stay in a Job when salaries are intended to be cut. All families I have worked with never ever did this to me. I've always got paid my F-T.

[Anonymous]

OP again. I don't see how I sound unhappy when I said we love the nanny and the nanny loves our kids. And clearly our nanny hasn't left us for 4 years, to those of you who keep insisting no one wants to work for us. I would be understanding if our nanny left us for a higher paying job and wish her well, just like my employer would be fine if I left for a higher paying job. That's just how employment works.

[Anonymous]

I’m a mom, not a nanny. Based on my experience, I’d go the daycare route unless the preschool is really excellent.

My kids did half day preschool and while they enjoyed it, it was tough to coordinate the nanny all the time. There are a lot of preschool days off where I’d have to juggle my work schedule and shift nanny around. Plus field trips. Plus parent involvement. I didn’t feel like preschool gave my kids an academic advantage over a kid in daycare.

On days where your nanny is off, you’ll have to figure out preschool pick up and afternoon care.

Daycare seems so much more consistent and so easy. Even if you don’t use all daycare hours, it would be so nice to know you have coverage if you need it.

For what it’s worth, my last nanny could not do any cooking beyond popping a frozen meal in the oven. I feel you!! I also had an Au pair who had been raised at boarding school in South Africa who had never been in a kitchen. It is what it is, but it did add yet another responsibility to my plate. So I get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I don't see how I sound unhappy when I said we love the nanny and the nanny loves our kids. And clearly our nanny hasn't left us for 4 years, to those of you who keep insisting no one wants to work for us. I would be understanding if our nanny left us for a higher paying job and wish her well, just like my employer would be fine if I left for a higher paying job. That's just how employment works.

Don’t worry, OP, this is DCUM so often people say things in the harshest way possible instead of being kind.

I do think daycare is the better choice for your family. Not anyone’s fault when a nanny position has run its course. Give her plenty of notice and a positive reference and everyone can part on good terms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've had our nanny for a few years and love her for our 2 kids. She also loves them. That said, when my baby turns 2, I'm thinking of enrolling them in daycare. My older child will be in school then. While it might be ideal to have the 2 year old in part-time preschool, plus spend the remaining time with the nanny, it would be too much to juggle with 2 kids, and the older kid in a different school. And we would want to lower our nanny's pay since the older child would mostly be in school all day, but I'm not sure our nanny would be pleased with that. The cost savings of going to daycare for our family would be huge, and the hours would be better. We have family nearby who could possibly help out for sick days.

In addition, there a few small things we're not super pleased about. There were 2 minor feeding and hygiene tasks that we asked our nanny to do with each child every day, but the nanny seems to only do it when we ask her to on the days we do even though we specified that we would like it done every day. She also doesn't do much in terms of food prep. Think, making sandwiches instead of cooking.

It sounds like you're asking for the future. When you want your child to go to preschool or daycare, just go the daycare route.