Twin toddler plus singleton preschooler mom here. If you and DH have the opportunity to stagger your hours, you can do so to save money and hire a part time nanny. Currently I work in the morning and DH in the evening so we have someone during the few hours a day that our hours overlap.

If you have any family who is willing to help, use them as long as possible. This also helped us save on childcare.

You should consider an au pair. You have to be extremely selective but I have had numerous au pair who are former nannies. I'm a mom of twins and had au pairs form the start. Frankly, my first hire was all wrong and I needed to rematch, but if you really learn what you need to in order to hire well it can be truly great.

Anonymous wrote:I have a nanny share in DC and we pay $20/hr. It's a lot but as people say, it's not forever. We had a hard time finding a nanny we could trust for less than that. You can use a services such as 4nannytaxes or care.com to handle paying the taxes and all that.

From both families total I presume? (Not each family paying $20/hr.)

Thank you so much this has been EXTREMELY helpful!!! I definitely need a multiples group... when we found out it was twins we about passed out.

I have a nanny share in DC and we pay $20/hr. It's a lot but as people say, it's not forever. We had a hard time finding a nanny we could trust for less than that. You can use a services such as 4nannytaxes or care.com to handle paying the taxes and all that.

Twin mom here, with a nanny. We went the nanny route because with twins it actually doesn't cost a great deal more than daycare and the level of attention, support, assistance for the parents, etc... is all tremendously helpful.

Join your local parents of multiples group - if you're in Montgomery County it's mcpom.org (Montgomery County Parents of Multiples). That will be an invaluable source of information, support, referrals (especially for nannies), gear, etc...

You will get wildly varying information on this board about appropriate/minimum/necessary levels of pay. The truth is that you can find childcare at hourly rates of $13-16/hr or you can spend up to $20-25/hr. You'll need to figure out what you can afford, what critical things you require (what things are "nice to have" versus non-negotiables) and start from there. Agencies are great - sure, but they are expensive. My best referrals came from neighborhood listservs and other families - that's where you find the nannies that have been with families for years, where the family is eager to help them find the next right position, etc...

Among the things to start considering in terms of your needs are:
- hours - how many per week, how many beyond 40 (as this requires overtime rates)
-benefits - vacation/sick leave, holidays, healthcare cost contribution?
- scope of work - a typical nanny position can include maintainance of the kids' play areas, kitchen/meals, kids' laundry, etc... Non-typical would be any cleaning beyond what pertains to the kids, household laundry/dishes/cooking, etc...
- do you need someone who drives, will you expect him/her to drive your children at all
- will you pay legally, therefore will you require someone legal to work in the US
- are you open to someone for whom English is not their primary language, and if so, what level of communication skill do you require in terms of verbal and written fluency
- how much prior experience do you want the nanny to have? (My strong bias - don't hire anyone who hasn't managed twins at least once before.)
- philosophy regarding keeping kids on a schedule versus an 'on demand" approach. This is a BIG decision with twin infants- do you want them both on the same feeding/sleeping schedule (health status permitting of course) or do you want them on their own individual schedules
- same thing re breastfeeding/pumping/formula - do you have a plan/philosophy? Hire someone who will support you, whatever approach you end up taking.

Those are a few of my initial thoughts.

Don't panic - you have plenty of time. We didn't hire our nanny until after I'd had the kids and was a month into my maternity leave. We had her start a few days before I returned to work. So you have lots of time.

Congrats on the twins!! I hope you have an easy, long pregnancy.

First, it will be expensive. Take whatever you feel comfortable with, and double that in your mind. But, then subtract the cost of daycare for three kids; the marginal cost shouldn't be that much, and remember that this is temporary. You'll only have very young children for a few years, not forever.

Costs: Three children, including twin infants, in the DC area, for a nanny with "a lot" of experience will cost you $20-$25/hr and up (if you want the kind of experience that's already making a lot more). The $20/hr rate would be if you live further out from the city, or are willing to hire someone with fewer credentials.

Taxes: Required. Look up the IRS rules about domestic employees. Taxes, unemployment insurance, and worker's comp (all required) will add about 10-11% of the payroll to your overall cost.

Benefits: Basic benefits are two weeks paid vacation, usually one week your choice, one week their choice; guaranteed hours (you pay even if you don't need them on a particular day); some number of sick days; some paid holidays. "Cadillac Plan" benefits: unlimited sick days, all federal holidays paid plus any day the parents are off, health insurance coverage, a car.

Using an agency: An agency in the DC area will charge you about 15% of the annual payroll when you hire someone. You may also pay an annual fee of about $300, and they may charge to set up interviews (I was shocked at that charge, since they were going to get their fee at the end). The advantage is that they do a lot of the prescreening, try to match you with a nanny who will fit your family, and will provide emergency/nanny vacation coverage.

Hello - I'm really looking for some guidance. I am expecting twins April/May 2015. I am so overwhelmed by the cost of daycare as it is! My son will be 2.5 and he is in preschool where we pay around $1300/month. I remember when looking into daycare centers for him it was so expensive, upwards of $2k/month. So we ended up using a home daycare and had a horrible experience. I really don't want to put the twins into a home daycare and I have a feeling it also would be very expensive.

Therefore, my husband and I feel hiring a nanny is the best option. However, this also makes me very nervous. I would really want someone with a lot of experience and someone who comes referred. I also have no clue what the cost would be or how to do the taxes or anything! I think a nanny agency would make me feel most at ease however I'm sure they cost an arm and a leg.

So, if anyone is feeling kind and would like to offer up some advice, it would be very well received. Thank you!