My first thought was there are plenty of other families who make significantly less than you do who hire nannies. I mean 150k less. Childcare is expensive no matter what route you go. If you feel that it leaves you with no spending money than id be worried you live outside your means. Childcare for a working parent is a very important factor you should consider before having children. Lots of families choose to stay in a starter home longer and cut back on other nonessential things like a new car or multiple vacations. If you are just put off by paying that much than seek an in home daycare or relatives because the fact is you are going to have to pay up or stay home. The good thing is you will only need to spend that much for just a few years then it will be reduced my at least half if not more

We make 100K less than you do, and pay our nanny 17.50/hour for 2 kids for around 30 hours a week. Factoring in all costs associated with a nanny (including paying taxes and unemployment, holiday bonus, and paid vacation) this means we pay about 20 percent of our gross for part-time child care for 2 children. Whew.

But this was actually LESS expensive for us than having to pay for FT daycare (since we could not find a center that would take an infant for PT). And the costs associated with daycare include all kinds of odds and ends (fundraising, holiday gifts for teachers). There is also the intangible cost of having to get 2 kids dressed, fed, and out the door before 7AM which is when both DH and I have to leave. Not to mention the fact that we both routinely missed work due to a sick child when we had one in daycare.

As a PP said, it is temporary. Reliable, safe, quality child care will be VERY expensive no matter how you find it. I would say that you are not too poor to hire a nanny but may be too "poor" for other things. We are comfortably saving for retirement but have minimal college savings for our kids; we have one car; we take modest vacations to the beach. But the truth is, when I think about having to give up our nanny (who is AMAZING and worth every penny) I can list several other things I'd rather do without!

We are at 10%.

We pay our nanny slightly more and make slightly less so ours is actually about 22 percent. I justify by reminding myself its a very short period of time...4 years (for us) and within those 4 years I would a.) like to remain employed and climb and excel in my career and b.) have my child cared for by a very sweet, loving, and dependable individual. Thats how I personally justify it.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the feedback so far. When I reread my post I realized that I did give off a "woe is me, we only make 250K/year" attitude. That wasn't my intent. I'm was just curious whether or not people thought a 250K combined income was two little to afford a decent nanny for two children.

Have you compared the cost of daycare for two children in your area? Usually at two or three kids the cost for a nanny is pretty comparable to other forms of childcare. Just keep telling yourself that you only need to pay for childcare for a few years, then your disposable income will increase dramatically.

Have you thought about a live in nanny? You could probably get one for about 400-500 per week. Of course you need an extra bedroom and an extra car. Or at least reasonable use of one.

OP here. Thanks for the feedback so far. When I reread my post I realized that I did give off a "woe is me, we only make 250K/year" attitude. That wasn't my intent. I'm was just curious whether or not people thought a 250K combined income was two little to afford a decent nanny for two children.

OP, according to a study done about ten years ago the poorest families were spending 23% of their income paying for childcare. Among all working families, the average cost of childcare was around 9% of the family's monthly income. Seems like you're squarely in the middle of the range, so if it works for your family, others have certainly made do with less. If it is too high a cost for your family, there are cheaper options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You live on 250,000 but you think 39,000 is too much to pay a nanny who works fifty hours a week? How do you think she is surviving?

I couldn't agree more.

Think about it...And please try to think long and hard about the wonderful service your nanny provides your family.

W/out her services, could you and your wife even leave the house to make that six figure salary?!

Thought so.

I just don't see anywhere that OP said that $39k is "too much to pay a nanny." The OP is simply saying that that is a lot of money and wondering whether or not her family should pay it or go for cheaper childcare methods.

I don't think the OP was saying that $30k plus is TOO MUCH to pay for a nanny. Rather, as the OP said - does it make sense or not to be paying 16% of your income for childcare? OP sounds like she was wondering if perhaps a nanny was unaffordable for HER family - she was not lamenting that the cost is too high.

OP, we also make between $200 and $250, and for us, yes, a nanny is too expensive. It would take up more 2/3 of my salary. So we don't have a nanny. We use other childcare methods that are cheaper.

OP I empathize, and can understand how a nice house, two cars, 401k plans, college funds, etc... can eat away at a seeming very high gross number very quickly. And I also understand why it is hard to fathom that budgets can still be tight w/ the kind of combined gross income you're describing.

But honestly, 16% of your gross going to childcare doesn't seem that high to me - all things considered. For a lot of families the cost of childcare versus one parent staying home is a lot closer a calculation.

Also, you need to prepare yourself for the actual costs - which are higher than those you're citing. If that is what you'll be paying your nanny you will also be paying taxes, additional insurance (workers comp), and perhaps a service fee for managing the payroll and taxes. So your real costs will be higher. You should also be budgeting for some food allowances, reimbursement of driving expenses, cost of covering vacation/sick leave, and perhaps activities (depending on what you want for your kids).

Nanny care is expensive - but doesn't that seem appropriate?

When our kids are old enough that a nanny is no longer necessary our monthy budget will be INFINITELY more comfortable. But the daily stress on me and the family will probably be much higher also.

Anonymous wrote:You live on 250,000 but you think 39,000 is too much to pay a nanny who works fifty hours a week? How do you think she is surviving?

I couldn't agree more.

Think about it...And please try to think long and hard about the wonderful service your nanny provides your family.

W/out her services, could you and your wife even leave the house to make that six figure salary?!

Thought so.

2:32 certainly nailed that one!

You live on 250,000 but you think 39,000 is too much to pay a nanny who works fifty hours a week? How do you think she is surviving?

Sometimes when I see the nanny salaries discussed on this site I wonder how families afford everything.

Combined, my wife and I gross ~250K. We're looking at nannies at $15/hr for 50 hours/week which works out to 39K/year. So that's about 16% of our gross income going to childcare. Is this normal? After taxes, 401K contributions and all of our other expenses we're almost tapped out every month. How is everyone affording this. Are we just too poor to hire a nanny?