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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm and MB in Kensington.  You can find good, experienced care for your baby for $700/week with 50 hours.

I did it.  I had several candidates at that price range (actually I had candidates below and above that price range but hired someone who has been with us for 3 years now. )  Our position is 8-6, M-F.

You will likely need to think about what you can be flexible on - are you ok w/ someone for whom english is a second language?  Do you require someone who is able to drive and/or who has their own transportation?  Are you someone who really wants significant ongoing intellectual stimulation from your nanny for the child (when beyond infancy)?  Will you be keeping the nanny until your baby (or other babies) are 3+ or will you transition to preschool?  What level of experience do you hope to find?  Etc...

I will tell you that the person we hired is fantastic - I trust her absolutely and completely with my kids and all of our possessions.  She is solid gold, and she has 20 years of experience (including with multiples which was important for us as we have twins).  She has been with us since the babies were 4 mths old.  The rate she quoted us was on the very low end of what we were prepared to pay.  She is a citizen, drives, has a minivan and a pristine driving record.  She is incredibly reliable.  She does 80% of the cooking and cleaning for the kids and leaves my kitchen spotless almost always.

I thank my lucky stars we found her (through a neighborhood referral).

If for some reason I had to replace her I would consider a more expensive nanny to offer the following (now that the kids are older):
- more training and focus on educational and intellectual development
- more focus on kids versus infants (there is no one better with infants than our nanny, but a nanny whose true love is preschool age kids would offer some things we don't currently have)
- a native english speaker who would be more confident/adept in taking kids to/from classes, preschool, etc...
- someone who draws more definitely boundaries between work and home life.  (We have a nanny who really relies on us personally - which is fine because we care about her and the care/consideration is mutual.  But if I were to rehire and to spend in the $18-22 range I would look for someone with a more professional mindset.)

So think about your must haves versus your critical needs.

I disagree that you should cut every single penny available.  I think you should hire at a level that doesn't create financial stress for you (and maybe that means looking into a nanny share - though I think hiring in your range is possible).  I also think you should hire at a level that allows you to give raises, bonuses, generous benefits, etc...  Hopefully you'll find someone who can be with you for an extended period of time and being able to recognize/reward good performance is important.

Also, give thought to the benefit package you can offer.  We added healthcare cost reimbursement in our nanny's second year, and bumped that amount in her third year.  That's a benefit that is real cash/value to the nanny but that isn't taxed (on either side) as income - so it's a little cheaper way for you to give a benefit with additional tax burdens and it can definitely increase the perceived value of your package.

And, while this is less tangible it is pretty important, think about how you can be a good employer.  Experienced nannies have seen a pretty wide range of parental behavior and I know that for our nanny choosing a family she thought would treat her decently was a critical factor.

Good luck.  I absolutely think you can find safe, loving care for your baby at the rate you're framing.  (Sorry to go on so long!)[/quote]

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