Should I be going for an au pair, nanny, babysitter? Feeling overwhelmed.
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Anonymous
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I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with child care options and am trying to figure out which option would be the best and most cost effective. I'm not saying that I am looking for the CHEAPEST option, but money is a factor and needs to be considered as such.
Don't even know where to start. My 2 year old daughter is currently enrolled in a very reasonable ($400/mo) church preschool for next year. Hours are 9-1 and we live five minutes away. For an extra $60/day/mo we can enroll her in after care for an additional two hours per day (1-3). For two days per week I will need care until about 7pm. I would need someone to pick her up and watch her from 1-7 or pick her up from after care and watch her from 3-7. She actually loves after care so I don't mind that route at all and would almost prefer it. For two days per week (the same two days as above) I will need someone to be here when I leave for work at 6:30 or 7 am, wake her at 8 and drive her to school by 9. For the other 3 days, I will take her to school at 9 and pick her up at 1. In an ideal world I would love a date night every weekend or every other weekend, even if we leave after my daughter is asleep, and we may also need care one later night during the weekdays each week or every other week if we have a work or volunteer commitment. Also: her current preschool has a decent amount of random days off and follows FCPS for snow. This turns the 9 am start into 11 am start (and the other times sxhool is cancelled outright) which is a huge, huge burden on us if it falls on one of the two days I work. I know this year was an aberration with the snow but it was a real killer. We have plenty of space in our home and a separate au pair/in law room and private bath in the finished basement. I think an au pair would give us the most flexibility- I'm just nervous about immaturity, and also it would be a real stretch financially to pay for the au pair, plus a car we'd have to get for her to do school drop offs and pickups, plus car ins etc on top of preschool tuition. I only work PT so this would be a big deal. I could also do a full time preschool/day care, but the only option I am really happy with happens to have mandatory vacation at a time when I must be at work, and a bunch of random days off too, so that would still cause some stress. Maybe a nanny share where we have the nanny two days per week, and we would not pay for aftercare. I would probably only go for this if the nanny would agree to do light housekeeping (child laundry, tidy playroom, dinner prep etx) while my daughter is in school . Not sure how much this would even run, anyway? Any other options? I'd really like to keep her in her preschool if I can because she loves it. My work hours are not flexible. Thanks! |
nannydebsays
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This is the kind of situation in which I would suggest first seeking out SAHP's of your daughter's classmates and trying to arrange a situation in which you and the other parent can trade care on a regular basis. You might feel the need to pay a small amount to the other parent if you don't take the same number of hours for them each week, but some sort of co-op set-up seems best for your wallet if you can manage it.
Next possibility is to find a working parent with a nanny who is willing to ask her nanny to consider adding your child to her day. In either of the above situations, you would need to take your child to the home of the person (or work place of the nanny) who would be providing the care. Another option is to seek out an active retired woman who would act as a "granny nanny" for you - that person might actively be seeking a small additional income to supplement her retirement, and might also have the flexibility you need. Another possibility is a network of local college students to cover all the hours you'd need. Your job isn't sufficient for sole income, but sharing the duties out might provide you with enough coverage for emergencies. If none of those possibilities work out, then I'd look at the AP program and try to find a way to manage without an AP car - seek out carpools, etc. One thing you need to do before you start seeking people out is to set up a sample schedule for a month or two. Make note of days off and the school's inclement weather policy. Show any and all candidates your 2 month calendar and then talk about whether they can cover not only those hours, but the occasional sick day. Also, will your child be in school through the entire summer? If so, you'd just keep up whatever arrangement you made now. If not, you'll be looking at a lot more hours, and you'll need to mention that. Cost? You need to determine the maximum you can afford to pay, and what you'd prefer to pay. Then seek out solutions within your budget range. Be up front with the financials of the job(s), and since you aren't seeking out a nanny who would expect a pro level salary, you should manage to find candidates in whatever situation you choose to use. Good luck! |