Sure, you can find a housekeeper who will clean up after adults and make sure your kids don't die on her watch, or you can hire an actual nanny and a housekeeping service.

This is utter BS. Our nanny is wonderful with our kids and does light housekeeping for part of their nap time. It does make a big difference in your quality of life. When I come home I can play with my kids, make dinner, read to them, and then finish up the dinner dishes and some work and go to bed. I'm not vacuuming the house instead of playing with them. I'm not spending an entire day in the house on the weekend working through a mountain of laundry.

Our house is already organized so there is no need for a nanny to be organizing things 5-10 hours a week. The daily upkeep that she does keeps the house neat so that it stays organized. She doesn't come into a mess on Monday because everything piled up over the week and we went out of town rather than cleaning.

Frankly, this is one of the biggest advantages in having a nanny. I don't need to worry about missing work if the kids have a cold. I'm not exhausted from doing laundry all night or on weekends. My house isn't a mess because I don't have time to keep up. Our preschool has a very good aftercare program so next year we could let her go but the value she brings is too great to do this. In contrast, I have a neighbor who can't wait for her youngest to go to preschool/aftercare in the fall because the cost of nanny is a huge waste for her. She has a nanny like you who does what she enjoys or nothing.

Anonymous wrote:Its crazy to hire a nanny with nannydeb's attitude. As an employer, I get to choose the job responsibilities and qualifications for the position I am offering. I will not pay someone with a bad attitude to sit around doing nothing for 2-4 hours a day. Moms don't need someone who will simply keep herself entertained or stay busy doing random things. Moms need someone who will care for the kids and take care of light housekeeping as they would do if they were home. When my nanny goes on vacation, I follow the same routine doing non-child related tasks during nap time too. It makes no sense to sit in front of the television for hours everyday and then do everything late at night or on weekends. I can't imagine spending an hour after the kids go to bed and I finish working on-line to do the upkeep light housekeeping so a lazy nanny can be paid to do nothing all day.

I had no problem finding many qualified candidates who are NANNIES not just housekeepers. I also do not know anyone with a nanny who does not have them do some level of light housekeeping in addition to child related chores and activities.

You must have missed the long list of things I do that qualify as light housekeeping?

As a potential employee, I get to choose NOT to deal with a potential employer's dirty laundry. I will not work for a grown adult who cannot comprehend that touching their unmentionables is disgusting to me for several reasons. I'll do a lot of things, and I have done a lot of things that qualify as light housekeeping, household management, and even personal assistant work, but I draw the line at heavy housework and adult laundry. And, remarkably, I still find work.

Its crazy to hire a nanny with nannydeb's attitude. As an employer, I get to choose the job responsibilities and qualifications for the position I am offering. I will not pay someone with a bad attitude to sit around doing nothing for 2-4 hours a day. Moms don't need someone who will simply keep herself entertained or stay busy doing random things. Moms need someone who will care for the kids and take care of light housekeeping as they would do if they were home. When my nanny goes on vacation, I follow the same routine doing non-child related tasks during nap time too. It makes no sense to sit in front of the television for hours everyday and then do everything late at night or on weekends. I can't imagine spending an hour after the kids go to bed and I finish working on-line to do the upkeep light housekeeping so a lazy nanny can be paid to do nothing all day.

I had no problem finding many qualified candidates who are NANNIES not just housekeepers. I also do not know anyone with a nanny who does not have them do some level of light housekeeping in addition to child related chores and activities.

And on the housekeeping thing:

I don't clean up after adults who are perfectly capable of managing for themselves. I don't do their laundry, make their beds, vacuum their entire house, or dust. If an employer were to ask me to take on those tasks, it would cost them about $400 more per week.

I do load/empty the dishwasher, take out kitchen and diaper trash, do all the cooking for my charges, do family groceries and errands, vacuum the main living/play area every other week, do kid laundry, organize toys/outgrown clothes, etc.

Sure, you can find a housekeeper who will clean up after adults and make sure your kids don't die on her watch, or you can hire an actual nanny and a housekeeping service.

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to figure out how we will calculate pay for a nanny if we have one child who is in school part time. Do we just offer a weekly rate that is slightly less than a normal 2-kid rate? Or do we offer one hourly rate for when there is one kid and another for when she'll have two kids? Any suggestions welcome. TIA!

If nanny will be the person responsible for the preschooler when: there's an illness, there's no school, there's early dismissal, etc. then just pay her for 2 kids. If YOU will be responsible for your preschooler when there is no school on a school day, then you can likely drop nanny's hourly by 50 cents.

Don't juggle 2 rates. It makes you seem cheap and it will turn nannies off. It will also make you nuts when you try to remember exact times nanny had 1 kid at $12/hour versus 2 kids at $14/hour.

Anonymous wrote:

Most nannies do light housekeeping. Picking up after the children, sweeping/running the vacuum occasionally, loading /unloading the dishwasher and children's laundry are light housekeepeing. If you expect a nanny to make your bed and wash your dirty clothes, you've got very unrealistic expectations. If you want your house cleaned, hire a housekeeper.

No way. Run do not walk from nannies who refuse to do anything during nap time. All nannies DO children's laundry, run the vacuum cleaner in playrooms/kid's rooms, sweep after breakfast/lunch, and unload/load the dishwasher. Light housekeeping nannies do grocery shopping, meal prep, adult laundry, change bed linens, vacuum the whole house or dust. Heavy housecleaning is cleaning an oven or scrubbing toilets and floors.

Your position has 2 kids with one in school part time. You absolutely want someone who will bring more value than watching TV during nap time. This is a big first time nanny boss mistake to not include light housekeeping tasks. We let go of our no housekeeping nanny and regret that we didn't do it sooner. New nanny is much more active with the kids and makes life so much easier by doing light housekeeping during naps. She still gets an hour of downtime but she doesn't expect to read or watch TV for 3 hours every day. We learned the hard way that lazy in one area equals lazy in other areas. Someone who expects to sit on the couch for hours is not someonek who is a good nanny with your kids when they are awake. The best questions for reference checking is to ask what the nanny did while the kids were napping or at school.

A good nanny will keep themselves busy during a child's naptime. I fail to understand how washing and folding your dirty underwear and making your bed are nanny duties. I have been asked to do these things but have always been compensated for doing them. You are classless and trashy.

NP here. But to also clarify, anything that involves the kids (laundry, picking up, etc) or leaving the house in the same shape it was found (occasional sweeping after meals, doing dishes from meals) is /not/ light housekeeping. That's just normal nanny duties. Light housekeeping is extra, and most people I know in real life have nannies that do this. Things like parental laundry, changing beds, emptying the dishwasher, running the vaccum in non kid areas is light housekeeping.

Agree. Its makes a very big difference. Its very reasonable as long as your kids nap for more than one hour. Some nannies may turn their noses up but just don't hire them.

Our nanny does about 1 to 1.5 hours a day of light housekeeping. She still has 1.5 hours a day to relax and those 7.5 hours of light housekeeping a week saves me half my weekend! She also goes to the grocery store with the youngest once a week. This saves us a trip on the weekends and trying to figure out what she wants for lunch.

NP here. But to also clarify, anything that involves the kids (laundry, picking up, etc) or leaving the house in the same shape it was found (occasional sweeping after meals, doing dishes from meals) is /not/ light housekeeping. That's just normal nanny duties. Light housekeeping is extra, and most people I know in real life have nannies that do this. Things like parental laundry, changing beds, emptying the dishwasher, running the vaccum in non kid areas is light housekeeping.

Most nannies do light housekeeping. Picking up after the children, sweeping/running the vacuum occasionally, loading /unloading the dishwasher and children's laundry are light housekeepeing. If you expect a nanny to make your bed and wash your dirty clothes, you've got very unrealistic expectations. If you want your house cleaned, hire a housekeeper.

No way. Run do not walk from nannies who refuse to do anything during nap time. All nannies DO children's laundry, run the vacuum cleaner in playrooms/kid's rooms, sweep after breakfast/lunch, and unload/load the dishwasher. Light housekeeping nannies do grocery shopping, meal prep, adult laundry, change bed linens, vacuum the whole house or dust. Heavy housecleaning is cleaning an oven or scrubbing toilets and floors.

Your position has 2 kids with one in school part time. You absolutely want someone who will bring more value than watching TV during nap time. This is a big first time nanny boss mistake to not include light housekeeping tasks. We let go of our no housekeeping nanny and regret that we didn't do it sooner. New nanny is much more active with the kids and makes life so much easier by doing light housekeeping during naps. She still gets an hour of downtime but she doesn't expect to read or watch TV for 3 hours every day. We learned the hard way that lazy in one area equals lazy in other areas. Someone who expects to sit on the couch for hours is not someone who is a good nanny with your kids when they are awake. The best questions for reference checking is to ask what the nanny did while the kids were napping or at school.

What's a decent rate for two kids, one around 2.5 and about to enter preschool and the other 3 months old?

Anonymous wrote:I agree with not bothering to figure out 2 rates. There isn't much difference in rates from 1 child to 2 children anyway. You just want to make sure that you are not overpaying. Rates on this board are very inflated by the nannies. You should also look for a nanny who will do light housekeeping, doesn't try to maximize sitting around doing nothing and is flexible as your needs will keep changing.

Most nannies do light housekeeping. Picking up after the children, sweeping/running the vacuum occasionally, loading /unloading the dishwasher and children's laundry are light housekeepeing. If you expect a nanny to make your bed and wash your dirty clothes, you've got very unrealistic expectations.
If you want your house cleaned, hire a housekeeper.

7:53
Why not get a housekeeper type lady who doesn't mind watching one or two children in between her cleaning tasks?

Most nannies will quit and get another job if you decrease their wages. How else can they support themselves? Or maybe they don't need an income and you are their charity?

I agree with not bothering to figure out 2 rates. There isn't much difference in rates from 1 child to 2 children anyway. You just want to make sure that you are not overpaying. Rates on this board are very inflated by the nannies. You should also look for a nanny who will do light housekeeping, doesn't try to maximize sitting around doing nothing and is flexible as your needs will keep changing.

Don't do two different rates, it's such a hassle to keep track of (for both you and the nanny). Figure out a weekly or hourly rate that it is only the slightest bit lower than the FT two-kid rate. Remember, anytime school is canceled, or your child is sick, the nanny will have the second child for extra hours. I find it's best to just factor this time into the initial rate.

I'm trying to figure out how we will calculate pay for a nanny if we have one child who is in school part time. Do we just offer a weekly rate that is slightly less than a normal 2-kid rate? Or do we offer one hourly rate for when there is one kid and another for when she'll have two kids? Any suggestions welcome. TIA!