Rate for a nanny who brings her child
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Anonymous
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Hi,
Our nanny wants to bring her 11 month to work on a full-time schedule. She will take care of our infant. I am wondering how much to pay her. Thanks for advice, |
Anonymous
| MB here. I would consider this a variation on a share and I would pay her 75% of her regular hourly rate. |
Anonymous
Sounds fair to me |
nannydebsays
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There are endless arguments about this in the archives. Generally the answers range from:
-No pay reduction, because nothing about the care for NK will change. (Rebuttal, of course nanny will always care for her kid better and ignore NK unless there is spurting blood - it's MATERNAL INSTINCT!) to -Half of what you'd pay a nanny without a child, since it's a nanny share. (Rebuttal, if it's a share, nanny gets to make half the decisions, be an equal partner in every way, etc.) |
Anonymous
| I think paying 75% when your child has less than 50% of her attention (maternal instinct is a hard thing to shake), is not right. I've always thought (and many here agree) that paying 50-60% of normal rate is fair. In the DC area a normal nanny rate for one infant is $16-20/hr so you're looking at about $8-10/hr. |
Anonymous
I'm the MB who said 75%. I think that it's a bit different than a true share situation. The nanny only has one boss, the care will always happen in my home, etc... I would expect to be able to be more specific and directive about the schedule, activities, diet, etc... in this situation than I would be in a share. I also would just never feel right paying $8-10/hr for full-time care in my home. But if I find a terrific, qualified, nanny that I really like, who wants to bring her own child but whom I feel I can trust to still provide excellent care for my baby, then it could be a win win. I'd be thrilled to find someone I could so easily afford (and easily afford to keep for several years while offering raises). |
Anonymous
There is a lot more wear and tear on your house and your toys and books when the nanny brings her own child (vs a nanny who does not bring her child), which should also be considered as well. Plus the biggest advantage is that your nanny is getting to bring her own child to work and spend the entire day with him/her and not have to find her own childcare. That is an ENORMOUS advantage and one that must be considered here. Also, what will nanny do when her child is sick? Bring her sick kid to work and risk getting your child sick? Or stay home? Every illness that goes around might result in twice as many sick days (a day or two off if nanny herself is sick, a day or two off if her kid gets sick the next day?). There are many things that need to be considered here. Personally, I've seen one too many nannies at the park or library who have their own child and a charge with them, and every single time it is PAINFULLY obvious which one is her own (because her own child is getting very special treatment and her charge is often being neglected). I've seen it many times before. If you want to cut childcare costs, it makes sense to go in on a share with another parent; that way there is no maternal instinct and less chance of nanny playing favorites. Honestly, I am a nanny, and I've always known that when (or, if? At this point, I'm 31 and still not quite ready) I decided to become a mother that I would no longer be a nanny. You just cannot be an effective or competitive nanny when you have your own child. That's just one of the things that need to be considered when you go into this line of work. Don't like it? Don't be a nanny. Or, learn that once your own child is present you are worth 50% (in my mind, less, but reasonably, 50%) of what you were before you became a mom, too. |
Anonymous
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I get why people conceptualize this as a share, in which the nanny is both the other family + the nanny, but in practice it doesn't pan out that way, and you just won't get a good candidate for such a low rate.
I live in Hyattsville, which is one of the lower COL neighborhoods in the DC area, but we paid $12/hr for a nanny who brought her child. |
Anonymous
Then the only way to make nanny realize is to pay her a full rate, no deduction, and then have nanny cut a check back to MB for 50%. |
Anonymous
| Be prepared to budget 50% over what you are paying. As the kids grow into toddler be ready to spend extra for food, inevitable things that are going to break, activities for both kids and so on. |
Anonymous
These are the things you need to discuss. I would end up feeling like I needed to pay for the nanny's kid to go to Music Together, Gymboree, etc., so that my kid could go. |
Anonymous
| Probably $10/hour. |
Anonymous
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I do not know what rates are in your area, but suppose you were willing to pay her $15/Hour for infant care.
Well if you allow her to bring along her own child, then you can bump it down to $10-$12 since your child will be getting 50% less attention plus he/she will be exposed to more germs. |
Anonymous
| Did you know there are books written about the issues with only children? Many parents worry about having only one. Just search the parents forum. |
nannydebsays
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Or, you could just have a mature discussion, and set forth your expectations, such as:
Nanny, if you bring your child to work with you, here are some of the things we will need from you. You provide food for your child. You provide diapers and clothes for your child. You provide a pack and play and you store it on weekends in X closet. And so forth. Hiring a nanny with child doesn't mean that you have to pay for all the food/activities/supplies. It means you have to set boundaries and stick to them. |