Can/should nanny share split between 2 homes?
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angelajoy17
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We've found someone to share with, but they want their home to be the location and we prefer ours. Is it possible to have 2 days at one home and 3 at another? I'm asking parents who do nanny share if it's feasible.
We both work in the same block in Old Town Alexandria. Their home is 20 minutes away in one direction (which can have a lot of traffic) and ours is 5 minutes away in another. It's a lot easier to get to and from our home. However, they need the nanny beginning this July 2013 and we're not until January 2014 so they'll get used to having her at their home for six months before we begin sharing. |
Anonymous
| As a nanny in a share, its a lot easier on me if the host home is relatively stable, and might factor into my decision to turn down a job. If you do decide to switch off, I would suggest at least keeping it the same throughout the week if not the month. |
Anonymous
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Is it really all about parental convienence?? |
Anonymous
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Agree with 10:16.
Switching that often in a week would be very difficult. If you really want to switch, I suggest doing it one week at a time, or two weeks at a time. |
Anonymous
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It is possible to switch back and forth. But it is a really big pain. This means moving the double buggy/ highchairs/ portable cot/ spare sets of clothing/ extra bottles & beakers back and forth every time. Its a pain and a hassle especially if something is forgotten or left behind. It is also harder for the family who has to drop the kids because they have to be all ready to leave the house much earlier in the morning (ie it takes time to drive to the other house). You lose half the reason most families have a nanny - the convenience factor.
Like the PP poster suggested it is much easier too do for bigger stretches of time but maybe you need to seriously consider if you can all be ready to leave the house 30m earlier in the morning on days/ weeks you are dropping off. - Does leaving the house 30m earlier work for your child's routine? Does your nanny drive? Which house is closer to the metro/ bus? Are you or the other family closer to the library/ a park/ toddler activities? These are things you need to consider and when you really think about them you may decide that its not worth it for your family to be a part of this share if you can't have the share at your house. |
Anonymous
| Geez. I heard people could be negative in these forums. Thank you to the first poster. I'm not opposed to a variety of alternatives such as switching months. I'm really just looking for suggestions that can eliminate wasting an hour a day in the car with my baby versus time we could spend together at home. |
Anonymous
| As a nanny who does shares my personal preference is to be at the house that is easiest to get to and is the most walkable in terms of things for the kids to do, the store of we need to pick up food or diapers (or I forgot my lunch etc.) If you're going to switch, it Woolf be gest if both families have an extra crib (or portable crib though a real crib is so much better in terms of sleep quality,) double stroller or wagon, extra high chair etc. The layout of the house is also important because no one wants to run up and down stairs with two kids over and over all day, so everything needs to be really accessible on one floor. |
Anonymous
| Switching back and forth is never good for the kids. People normally strive for stability. Do it. That's what your kid needs. |
Anonymous
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I am a share nanny and I can see some pros to this as well:
1) both families could ask nanny to help with baby's laundry on "their" host week without the other family feeling cheated 2) depending on neighborhood, each home might be closer to different outings (e.g., your house is near pet store and park, theirs is near library and indoor playroom). This would give nanny more variety for outings, which could be fun. 3) similarly, each time you switch there will be a whole new houseful of toys. I agree that switching every 2-4 weeks would be better than every day, as the "away" baby will have an adjustment period. Ultimately, it comes down to a lot of factors that we don't know. Location of each house re: outings and metro or interstate for nanny's commute, how well each baby's personality deals with change, whether each house is a good layout, how demanding each baby is (which will determine whether two swings, bouncers, etc are needed often) and so on. I wouldn't rule it out offhand, but i also wouldn't jump in unless all the stars aligned. |
Anonymous
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I'm an MB who has a nanny share, and I think switching days would be hard, even if you live close to one another, and even harder if not. And by that, I mean harder on you AND the nanny. You think it will be great, but in practice it makes sense to switch less frequently. We switch monthly (one month at our house, and one at their house), which works fine. Just about the time I get sick of loading my DC in the car or stroller to take him over, it's time to come back to our house, and just about the time I get sick of the wear and tear on our house, it is time to switch again. It's perfect.
We also live about a block away from the other family, which helps, but even so, we still have two of everything at each house (except the double stroller, which we switched back and forth). We chose to do that because over time you will find that moving everything from house to house is a pain. You think it will be simple, but inevitably the first Monday at the other house you'll have something to get out at work, be more rushed than you planned, and end up forgetting something. I'd also think about the locations, because if you really are not close to each other, then I agree that the house closest to places the nanny would take the children is a good consideration. I do not agree that it is bad for the kids. They get it, and that's not what real stability is about. In fact, as our children got a little older, they each looked forward to the month at the other house because it was like new toys all over again. |
Anonymous
| I'm PP, and I should add that what 12:29 said is a valid consideration. Each month when we switched, it took a day or two for the child whose house we were not in to adjust at nap time. I'd imagine switching daily or weekly would be hard in that way. |
Anonymous
| 20 minutes w/o traffic is pretty far away in my view. I would keep trying to find someone closer even if the hiosting thing were not an issue. |
nannydebsays
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| IMO, switching monthly is better for all involved. Daily switching will be tough on the parents, since they would be responsible for packing all the equipment up and getting it from house to house and back again! |
Anonymous
| I'm a nanny in a share and I would agree it would be tough to switch throughout the week depending on how old the kids are. A lot of stuff would have to be carted back and forth. As a nanny I would like to be at the home that is closest to public transportation or things to do. I would also prefer the house that has the most room obviously! |