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Some agencies don't screen out potential clients based on whether they can actually **afford** nanny care, so that might be part of the issue.
My response would be, "I am sorry if my folding your laundry upset you. How would you like me to handle the situation in the future?" And be sure to get specific directives, and confirm what that means for your charge's laundry, i.e., "So to be sure I understand, you want me to leave your clothes alone, even if it means I then cannot wash DC's clothes?" or whatever.
You need to talk with them and find out what their plan is to ensure that you can give the best possible care to their children. I would come up with several suggestions of times you could be "off" for 4/6/8 hours straight to sleep.
Also, make sure you can sleep when baby sleeps, if that is not allowed at home.
The only "law" governing 24 hour care is one that states an employee who is able to get 8 straight hours of uninterrupted sleep does not have to be compensated for those hours, but that will only apply if you actually GET 8 hours "off" to sleep.
And I am shocked this isn't covered in your contract, frankly. Usually families able to pay $35/hour have rock solid contracts where every single thing is covered.
And your employers must be very High Net Worth, if they are considering having you work a 24/7 shift, which according to your post above will cost them (35 x 8) + (52.5 x 4) + (70 x 12) for every full 24 hour day. That's $1330 a day, or $9310 for the week!
Check your contract.
Also, make sure you can sleep when baby sleeps, if that is not allowed at home.
The only "law" governing 24 hour care is one that states an employee who is able to get 8 straight hours of uninterrupted sleep does not have to be compensated for those hours, but that will only apply if you actually GET 8 hours "off" to sleep.
And I am shocked this isn't covered in your contract, frankly. Usually families able to pay $35/hour have rock solid contracts where every single thing is covered.
And your employers must be very High Net Worth, if they are considering having you work a 24/7 shift, which according to your post above will cost them (35 x 8) + (52.5 x 4) + (70 x 12) for every full 24 hour day. That's $1330 a day, or $9310 for the week!
Check your contract.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What makes you think OP cannot afford her kids?
Not wanting to pay $25 plus an hour for a nanny does not = cannot care for her children living above their means.
I know it's hard for you nannies to understand, but your job is not a high skills job that automatically commands $30 an hour.
I'm sure OP can find a nanny for three for $18 to $20 an hour two infants and a toddler isn't exactly rocket science territory.
two infants + a toddler is not rocket science, it is a ton of work. I know rocket scientists or people in similar jobs and none of them spends 8-9 hours a day having to feeds two little infants at the same time, change their diapers, while at the same time entertain and take care of a toddler. even a rocket scientist needs a nanny if he/she can go to work in the morning, and the rate depends on the market. OP may find somebody but the lower she goes the less experienced-reliable the person may be. the reality is that having child care for three in the DC area is extremely expensive (I do not want to pile up on OP, having twins was a surprised I guess). she can look into daycares (but they easily charge $1500-$2000 per child, although with more than one you can get a 10% or 20% discount) or home daycares.
I see a couple of additional problems with OP's situation. the nanny is looking now and she will have the babies at the end of March. is she going to hire the nanny now? the nanny is very unlikely to wait months to be hired. also, if I was a nanny, I would be weary of a family that let me go after a year because she found a solution to save money. I would be concerned that OP could do the same, and let me go after a short time because grandma will take care of the kids or something similar.
The problem with your argument is daycare workers spend 8-9 hours a day with 10+ infants, feeding them and changing diapers, and they make much less than $18 an hour.
The wages a daycare worker earns are irrelevant to this discussion, because the families that use daycare do not pay the workers directly. The COST of daycare is relevant here, as are the potential health issues that occur within a daycare setting and the impact that will have on OP's ability to put in the work her employers expect.
So for an actual and logical comparison, let's talk cost/benefit/negatives.
1) COST - Daycare for 3 under 3 might cost $1300+/week, while a nanny for 3 might cost $1200+ per week based on a 50 hour week at $20/hour.
2) BENEFITS - The benefits of daycare - there is always a worker ready to care for the kids, the kids get early socialization, and theoretically less potential for issues of abuse/neglect because there is more than a single worker. The benefits of nanny care - the kids are cared for in their home, the parents have control over the schedule and routines, more flexibility for work emergencies, caregiver turnover is less of an issue than in most daycares, sick children don't mean a parent has to take PTO to provide care, and kids might get sick less often.
3) NEGATIVES - Daycare negatives include more illnesses, more missed days at work for parents, more caregiver turnover, having to cart your kids to and from daycare, little control over the daily schedule, and a strictly limited time the daycare is open. Nanny care negatives include no daily supervision of nanny, no easy back-up care, a lack of socialization if nanny and parents are not in accord about classes, outings, and playdates.
So since OP will be paying similar amounts for care of 3 kids, she'll need to weigh other factors than $$ to make her decision.
OP also has to consider that her hours do not offer any OT, which is how a nanny making $16/hour and working 55 hours a week makes a decent living.
Basically, OP, you are offering PT hours, and are, IMO, on target when you plan to offer higher than "market rate" to find the best nanny you can hire.
$16/hour plus OT for 55 hours/week is $1000/week. $20/hour for 40 hours is $800.
Basically, OP, you are offering PT hours, and are, IMO, on target when you plan to offer higher than "market rate" to find the best nanny you can hire.
$16/hour plus OT for 55 hours/week is $1000/week. $20/hour for 40 hours is $800.
Anonymous wrote:disagree with nannydeb -- if my child vomited in his crib while sleeping, there's no way I would need to tiptoe around the subject and disguise a warning within information. Nor would I tell the nanny that it happens on my watch, too, if it doesn't. If your child vomits he needs to be picked up and cleaned, pronto. And that is exactly what you can/should say.
If the nanny knows there are nanny cams, I absolutely agree with you. I worded my response poorly. I think there are 2 options here:
1) Nanny knows there are cams and doesn't give a rip. In that case, she needs to be fired pronto.
2) Nanny doesn't know there are cams. Then OP has 2 choices - a) disclose there are cams, and either formally warn or simply fire, b) give the "heads up" sort of warning and see if nanny steps up her game at all.
Not knowing the situation more than what was said here, my instinct would be to fire for cause ASAP. But OP may feel her child isn't in immediate danger, and want to observe nanny for a few days before deciding what to do.
The more your child is able to go out and see the world, the happier and more intellectually stimulated she will be. I know it's hard to let go a bit, but I truly think your nanny is in need of occasional adult chat, and your daughter will benefit greatly from being out in the world AND from having a happier nanny.
And yes, I know many people believe that there is a day every few months when a baby/toddler will wake up and suddenly begin to behave perfectly at storytime, music class, the playground, and bigger outings, but that's baloney.
Children learn by doing. If they are DOING storytime, they have the chance to learn the various behaviors expected during storytime. It's a process, much like learning to enjoy books and being read to. Start young, encourage the behaviors you want, encourage baby to have fun, and you'll generally wind up with a kid who has decent behavior/listening skills in all sorts of situations.
And yes, I know many people believe that there is a day every few months when a baby/toddler will wake up and suddenly begin to behave perfectly at storytime, music class, the playground, and bigger outings, but that's baloney.
Children learn by doing. If they are DOING storytime, they have the chance to learn the various behaviors expected during storytime. It's a process, much like learning to enjoy books and being read to. Start young, encourage the behaviors you want, encourage baby to have fun, and you'll generally wind up with a kid who has decent behavior/listening skills in all sorts of situations.
Has the vomiting from being left in the crib happened more than once??? I can't quite tell from your wording above.
If it happened once, she needs to be given a formal warning, perhaps in the guise of giving her information ("Little Marco had to wait a few minutes after nap in his crib this weekend and he got so upset he vomited. Just wanted to give you a heads up!") if she is unaware you have nanny cams.
And as far as the cams go, if she doesn't know you have them, DO NOT tell her about them at this point. use the cams to keep a close eye on her while you start the search for better childcare.
If she DOES know you have cams, she is telling you she doesn't give a flying fart about her job. Fire her. No severance.
Regarding the cell phone, unless you and your spouse NEVER, EVER, EVER use your cells when baby is around, you may need to let that go if you even choose to retain her services. You can't enforce a cell phone ban, can you?
And her after work hours are hers to do with as she pleases.
The lack of supervision and the unresponsiveness would cause me to issue warnings or fire. The other stuff just adds to the issue at hand.
If it happened once, she needs to be given a formal warning, perhaps in the guise of giving her information ("Little Marco had to wait a few minutes after nap in his crib this weekend and he got so upset he vomited. Just wanted to give you a heads up!") if she is unaware you have nanny cams.
And as far as the cams go, if she doesn't know you have them, DO NOT tell her about them at this point. use the cams to keep a close eye on her while you start the search for better childcare.
If she DOES know you have cams, she is telling you she doesn't give a flying fart about her job. Fire her. No severance.
Regarding the cell phone, unless you and your spouse NEVER, EVER, EVER use your cells when baby is around, you may need to let that go if you even choose to retain her services. You can't enforce a cell phone ban, can you?
And her after work hours are hers to do with as she pleases.
The lack of supervision and the unresponsiveness would cause me to issue warnings or fire. The other stuff just adds to the issue at hand.
Anonymous wrote:nannydebsays wrote:The cost will depend on how educated and experienced of a nanny you want. If you'll be happy with, for example, a younger woman who currently works for less than $10/hour in a daycare, you will likely be able to offer her $12 - $13 to start. If you need the typical amount of nanny hours a week, say 50 - 55, you will pay between $660 and $812.50/week gross wages, with overtime after 40 hours.
However, if you want an experienced nanny, you may see rates around $17/hour, which raises the cost to between $935 and $1062.50. Plus, to legally employ a nanny you will be paying about 10% of her wages above and beyond her pay toward YOUR tax obligations.
No idea how expensive daycare is in your area, but it's generally not actually going to cover the cost of a nanny. That usually begins to kick in when you add a third child to the mix. For example:
1 child - nanny = $660, daycare = $250
2 children - nanny = $750, daycare = $450
3 children - nanny = $850, daycare = $650
Daycare centers in most major northeast cities range between 350-450 for one child and some offer a sibling discount. Home daycares would be around the rates you suggested
I had no idea formal daycare cost that much in major NE cities. Sheesh. So OP would actually be looking at around $750+/week for daycare for 2 kids, which absolutely makes a nanny a feasible option.
Anonymous wrote:OP here I wouldn't say she was lazy, as I said she was great with our daughter, made sure our daughter had plenty of activity, I was able to go to her with questions.
My friends and coworkers have nannies that do their laundry and vacuum she didn't do that for us.
But I don't think we could go above $20 so looks like we will be looking for someone else.
Are you looking for a nanny to care for 3 under 3, do laundry and vacuum? Because if you are seeking that out, you will have a hard time finding someone who does an adequate job of either childcare or cleaning/laundry.
If you need the typical 11 - 12 hour day that many nanny employers do, why not see if your mom can come over and let nanny go early 2 fixed days per week. If you had nanny working 8a - 7p MWF and 8a - 4p TuTh, your mom would get time with the kids, and your nanny would get a break!
Anonymous wrote:OP you could find a nanny for $14-15 an hour and that is including housework! Why would you consider paying $18 an hour again for a lazy nanny?
And this mythical nanny willing to clean your home and care for 3 under 3 will have the following issues: No car and doesn't drive, very little English, iffy immigration status, possibly quick to quit without notice if she is offered more $$ for less work, and so forth.
Or you might find a daycare worker who currently makes $9/hour to work for you for that rate, at least until she gets bored and stir crazy and quits because she misses having co-workers.
The cost will depend on how educated and experienced of a nanny you want. If you'll be happy with, for example, a younger woman who currently works for less than $10/hour in a daycare, you will likely be able to offer her $12 - $13 to start. If you need the typical amount of nanny hours a week, say 50 - 55, you will pay between $660 and $812.50/week gross wages, with overtime after 40 hours.
However, if you want an experienced nanny, you may see rates around $17/hour, which raises the cost to between $935 and $1062.50. Plus, to legally employ a nanny you will be paying about 10% of her wages above and beyond her pay toward YOUR tax obligations.
No idea how expensive daycare is in your area, but it's generally not actually going to cover the cost of a nanny. That usually begins to kick in when you add a third child to the mix. For example:
1 child - nanny = $660, daycare = $250
2 children - nanny = $750, daycare = $450
3 children - nanny = $850, daycare = $650
However, if you want an experienced nanny, you may see rates around $17/hour, which raises the cost to between $935 and $1062.50. Plus, to legally employ a nanny you will be paying about 10% of her wages above and beyond her pay toward YOUR tax obligations.
No idea how expensive daycare is in your area, but it's generally not actually going to cover the cost of a nanny. That usually begins to kick in when you add a third child to the mix. For example:
1 child - nanny = $660, daycare = $250
2 children - nanny = $750, daycare = $450
3 children - nanny = $850, daycare = $650
If you offer her the same salary for a completely different and much more difficult job, she will likely laugh at you before declining.
If you paid $18+/hour for 1 child, and you want this nanny back, you can negotiate a bit, but I think you should be prepared to pay at least $24/hour gross.
You can think of it this way - would YOU take care of 3 under 3 for less than 29K a year net???
If you paid $18+/hour for 1 child, and you want this nanny back, you can negotiate a bit, but I think you should be prepared to pay at least $24/hour gross.
You can think of it this way - would YOU take care of 3 under 3 for less than 29K a year net???
Anonymous wrote:nannydebsays wrote:I don't buy for my employers, but I do for my charges. I spend around $25, and I get good stuff, not plastic noisy crap.
I love to give my charges presents, although I would move toward an outing instead if an employer insisted.
There no good stuff out there for $25. That exactly the price range for noisy plastic crap from Toys'R'us
I never shop at T'r'U because they sell overpriced junk. Amazon & Target - check them out!
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