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[quote=Anonymous]Hi there,

My 23 m/o son has been in daycare since he was 4 months old, and despite the constant illnesses and the struggles getting him out the door in the morning and making it to work on time, I've been largely happy with the quality of care he receives. My one gripe--and I think it's significant--is that they don't have nearly as much outdoor time as I would like.

With the arrival of my second child just a few weeks away, I'm trying to decide whether to enroll the little one in daycare as well, or pull the older one out of daycare and put them both in the care of a nanny (FWIW, I can neither afford or logistically accommodate a nanny + daycare/nursery school or even a more expensive daycare for 2 children, for that matter, and I've already considered and decided against an au pair, more due to the lack of communication by the cluster host than any bias against APs).

As a total newbie to the nanny game, I'm hoping to get some feedback from the more experienced folks here. For reference, we will have our first interview next week with a nanny a close friend vetted, loved and wanted to hire, but ultimately passed on bc my friend did not want a live-in nanny, and the nanny stipulated a live-in position as part of employment. We do have a finished basement suite with a partial kitchenette/full bath/separate entrance to accommodate her. Of course we have not discussed her terms yet, but we would need her 50 hours a week. She would be welcome to travel/eat with us if she liked, otherwise we would consider her officially off the clock as of 6 p.m weekdays and fully off limits on weekends except in emergency situations we would discuss well in advance and compensate for as needed. I plan to offer 2 weeks paid vacation, 5 sick days, 12 holidays, and a holiday bonus of 1-2 weeks pay dependent on tenure. We have a bi-weekly cleaning service, and would consider her responsiblities solely child focused, not catch-all domestic help. With this in mind, a few questions:

--what is a fair rate to offer? My thinking is 12/hr for the first 40 hours, plus 18/hr for the additional 10 hours a week OT, although monthly total would be guaranteed just as a salary would.

--Assuming the above scenario is ok, do I understand correctly that I would need to be prepared to pay an additional 7-9 percent on top of that total for various taxes? And I assume that would be paid as a lump sum when I file taxes, or no?

--I have no idea what the going rate for health insurance is but I would love to contribute to her coverage in part if not in full. Ideas on how this works? Cost? Tax implications?

--And on a more editorial note, thoughts on how well it works to have a nanny caring for both a toddler and an infant? Their needs are so different, I worry about how one person would negotiate that (I know parents do it, but it sure is a lot easier when my husband and I are tag teaming vs. going it alone). For instance, I want my toddler to continue getting plenty of exposure to other kids (he is extremely social, curious and eager to learn), but I also think it's important not to overstimulate an infant and to ensure they are kept on a very predictable schedule. Would love to hear others' experiences with nannies who care for this age spread and what the day looks like.

Thanks![/quote]

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