Anonymous wrote:15/hr. sitters aren't trained or experienced in infant care. They're just starting out. You can go out and see for yourself want you get for your $15/hr. and it's not pretty.

Anyone with high standards or means, is not going to settle for mediocre when it comes to their baby.

Some $15 sitters and nannies are plenty experienced in infant care. I've personally hired them and was very impressed, with one exception who was not asked back after a few hours of sitting. The woman I used most when my DD was a newborn had years of experience handling infants at a day care center, came highly recommended by someone I trust, and proved herself to be something of a newborn whisperer. She asked for $13 per hour because she would only be caring for one child, but we ended up paying her $15 because we was great and we wanted to match the rate she was getting at another part time job with two children.

The key to good infant care is careful screening during the hiring process, not paying at the top of the pay scale. Yes, you can pay top dollar for a newborn care specialist, but be sure to probe the credential first. Some of those newborn care specialist certification programs are nothing more than one or two day workshops covering the kind of things most new parents are taught by post-partum nurses in a day or two at the hospital.

15/hr. sitters aren't trained or experienced in infant care. They're just starting out. You can go out and see for yourself want you get for your $15/hr. and it's not pretty.

Anyone with high standards or means, is not going to settle for mediocre when it comes to their baby.

$15-17/hr is a good rate for this job, OP.

Don't pay attention to the crazy nannies who think you need to pay $20/hr.

OP- please explain what light cleaning means. If you are looking for someone to help with bottle cleaning, baby laundry, emptying diaper genie, and sanitizing toys and baby equipment- this all falls under household tasks related to childcare. Depending on the level of experience the nanny has, you will probably need to pay at least $15 an hour, with overtime for any hours over 40 per week. I don't think $20 an hour is appropriate for 1 child unless you are expecting your nanny to do cleaning unrelated to the baby. Most professional nannies do not do cleaning-otherwise we would be housekeepers and not nannies. FWIW- You may find candidates who will work for less than $15 an hour and you will also find candidates that want $16-18 an hour. It all depends on their experience and what your expectations are. Wishing you luck finding a great nanny for your baby.

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is a bait to get into an argument over rates PP. Don't engage this crazy!

It's the forum dictator here. She is routinely dismissive of experiences that differ from her own.

This whole thread is a bait to get into an argument over rates PP. Don't engage this crazy!

...Hence the tremendous price range.

Anonymous wrote:We don't know OP's standards. She may want more than your typical warm body type.

Don't insult the OP, or the other responders who are trying to be helpful.

If OP spends enough time reading threads here she'll quickly see the contentiousness of the debates around hourly rates, quality care, english as a second language, driving ability, age, etc... No need to turn this thread into another tiresome rehashing of everyone's pet peeves.

We don't know OP's standards. She may want more than your typical warm body type.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with 20+. You need someone skilled for infant care.

you're insane. Unless the infant is very severe high needs, the OP doesn't need to pay $20+

OP - you will find that there is a big range. $15 - 20 is a more than fair range. You can find good care for less than that (a bit less) if you're flexible on whether you need someone who can drive, or full fluency in English.

You shouldn't need to go near the $20/hr range unless there are special needs or crazy hours.

Your needs sound very typical (even on the low end in terms of number of hours) and there will be lots of applicants. You'll need to think about holidays, vacation time, sick leave, etc... as part of your total package offer.

Good lcuk and congrats on your baby!

I agree with 20+. You need someone skilled for infant care.

Op here ! The 8 was a typing mistake thank you

No!!!15 to 20.

Newborn, Rockville (white Flint area) 40 hours a week light cleaning....can somebody help me 8 want to be fair to my future nanny!