Anonymous wrote:Hi there,

My 23 m/o son has been in daycare since he was 4 months old, and despite the constant illnesses and the struggles getting him out the door in the morning and making it to work on time, I've been largely happy with the quality of care he receives. My one gripe--and I think it's significant--is that they don't have nearly as much outdoor time as I would like.

With the arrival of my second child just a few weeks away, I'm trying to decide whether to enroll the little one in daycare as well, or pull the older one out of daycare and put them both in the care of a nanny (FWIW, I can neither afford or logistically accommodate a nanny + daycare/nursery school or even a more expensive daycare for 2 children, for that matter, and I've already considered and decided against an au pair, more due to the lack of communication by the cluster host than any bias against APs).

As a total newbie to the nanny game, I'm hoping to get some feedback from the more experienced folks here. For reference, we will have our first interview next week with a nanny a close friend vetted, loved and wanted to hire, but ultimately passed on bc my friend did not want a live-in nanny, and the nanny stipulated a live-in position as part of employment. We do have a finished basement suite with a partial kitchenette/full bath/separate entrance to accommodate her. Of course we have not discussed her terms yet, but we would need her 50 hours a week. She would be welcome to travel/eat with us if she liked, otherwise we would consider her officially off the clock as of 6 p.m weekdays and fully off limits on weekends except in emergency situations we would discuss well in advance and compensate for as needed. I plan to offer 2 weeks paid vacation, 5 sick days, 12 holidays, and a holiday bonus of 1-2 weeks pay dependent on tenure. We have a bi-weekly cleaning service, and would consider her responsiblities solely child focused, not catch-all domestic help. With this in mind, a few questions:

--what is a fair rate to offer? My thinking is 12/hr for the first 40 hours, plus 18/hr for the additional 10 hours a week OT, although monthly total would be guaranteed just as a salary would.

That seems fair, as long as it is mutually agreeable

Anonymous wrote:--Assuming the above scenario is ok, do I understand correctly that I would need to be prepared to pay an additional 7-9 percent on top of that total for various taxes? And I assume that would be paid as a lump sum when I file taxes, or no?

That is yours on top of her gross BUT you need to at least deduct her Social Security and Medicare, or else you will end up paying that too. Some taxes are paid quarterly, others at the end of the year

Anonymous wrote:
--I have no idea what the going rate for health insurance is but I would love to contribute to her coverage in part if not in full. Ideas on how this works? Cost? Tax implications?

You can offer her a flat amount to contribute monthly to her health ins. It would be non-taxable if you have proof she has insurance and this is less than the total premium.

Anonymous wrote:--And on a more editorial note, thoughts on how well it works to have a nanny caring for both a toddler and an infant? Their needs are so different, I worry about how one person would negotiate that (I know parents do it, but it sure is a lot easier when my husband and I are tag teaming vs. going it alone). For instance, I want my toddler to continue getting plenty of exposure to other kids (he is extremely social, curious and eager to learn), but I also think it's important not to overstimulate an infant and to ensure they are kept on a very predictable schedule. Would love to hear others' experiences with nannies who care for this age spread and what the day looks like.

I have 3 littles. In the early days with the newborn the older children have less flexible out of home time because of nap schedules. However nanny should be able to manage quite well with two, and you should stress you want outdoor play for x amount of time every day weather permitting, and suggest options (do you have a yard to play in, local park?)

That seems like reasonable compensation to me for a live-in, but the reality is that the nanny market is very diverse so you will find people who would jump at that rate and other who would consider it very low. As for live-ins making more than live-out, that depends on how the individual views live-in vs live-out. Anyone who would charge more to live-in probably shouldn't be a live-in at any price.

To speak to how a nanny would manage both together, my last job was with 2 yo twins and their newborn sister. We'd get everybody ready first thing, I'd feed the baby while the toddlers ate breakfast, then I'd wesr the baby in a wrap while we walked to the park or drove to a library story time or played in the sprinkler, etc. baby would nap in the morning in the carrier, then she'd wake and I'd feed her while toddlers had a snack, then we'd walk or drive home put baby down for short nap, have lunch, read stories while feeding baby again and put toddlers down for nap/quiet time, then while baby played or was in a carrier I would set up a sensory bin or art project for the toddlers. Right before nap ended for big kids I would put baby down for nap, then eat my lunch. When the toddlers woke we'd have a snack, then do the project together, then we'd clean up around the time baby was waking and they'd do puzzles in her room while I fed her again. Then we'd take a walk around the block, come home and play with toys in the toddlers' room for the last little bit of the day, then we'd do dinner (for all), baths, bedtime stories/bottle for baby, tuck toddlers in and then rock baby to sleep. I didn't always work for all of their waking hours but when I did that's how I handled it.

OP here--why would a live in make more than a live out if the arrangement was at their insistence? Simply because some unethical employers abuse the terms of their contracts and require more of live ins?

The nanny is currently living w another family and is therefore in a position of looking for housing and employment at once. Why one would pay more while offering accommodation and requiring the same hours and responsibilities as a live out makes no sense to me. Based on what I've read on this site, there are some pretty abhorrent employers/disgruntled nannies--but that seems like a personal problem on both accounts. As someone who manages pp as a living (for my job) and has wonderful, longterm professional relationships and friendships with my direct reports, I am adamant about respecting boundaries and work life balance.

I know people with live outs they are extremely happy with who make 12 an hour

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's more than I made as a live out~ 524$ weekly after taxes.. That's a pretty sweet deal considering nanny has no rent to pay

Where can you afford to live on that? Oklahoma?

This was in Arlington Va, luckily I have a husband so that wasn't my only income.

Anonymous wrote:That's more than I made as a live out~ 524$ weekly after taxes.. That's a pretty sweet deal considering nanny has no rent to pay

Where can you afford to live on that? Oklahoma?

That's more than I made as a live out~ 524$ weekly after taxes.. That's a pretty sweet deal considering nanny has no rent to pay

Live-ins make more than live-outs. No one will work for you for $12/hr.

Hi there,

My 23 m/o son has been in daycare since he was 4 months old, and despite the constant illnesses and the struggles getting him out the door in the morning and making it to work on time, I've been largely happy with the quality of care he receives. My one gripe--and I think it's significant--is that they don't have nearly as much outdoor time as I would like.

With the arrival of my second child just a few weeks away, I'm trying to decide whether to enroll the little one in daycare as well, or pull the older one out of daycare and put them both in the care of a nanny (FWIW, I can neither afford or logistically accommodate a nanny + daycare/nursery school or even a more expensive daycare for 2 children, for that matter, and I've already considered and decided against an au pair, more due to the lack of communication by the cluster host than any bias against APs).

As a total newbie to the nanny game, I'm hoping to get some feedback from the more experienced folks here. For reference, we will have our first interview next week with a nanny a close friend vetted, loved and wanted to hire, but ultimately passed on bc my friend did not want a live-in nanny, and the nanny stipulated a live-in position as part of employment. We do have a finished basement suite with a partial kitchenette/full bath/separate entrance to accommodate her. Of course we have not discussed her terms yet, but we would need her 50 hours a week. She would be welcome to travel/eat with us if she liked, otherwise we would consider her officially off the clock as of 6 p.m weekdays and fully off limits on weekends except in emergency situations we would discuss well in advance and compensate for as needed. I plan to offer 2 weeks paid vacation, 5 sick days, 12 holidays, and a holiday bonus of 1-2 weeks pay dependent on tenure. We have a bi-weekly cleaning service, and would consider her responsiblities solely child focused, not catch-all domestic help. With this in mind, a few questions:

--what is a fair rate to offer? My thinking is 12/hr for the first 40 hours, plus 18/hr for the additional 10 hours a week OT, although monthly total would be guaranteed just as a salary would.

--Assuming the above scenario is ok, do I understand correctly that I would need to be prepared to pay an additional 7-9 percent on top of that total for various taxes? And I assume that would be paid as a lump sum when I file taxes, or no?

--I have no idea what the going rate for health insurance is but I would love to contribute to her coverage in part if not in full. Ideas on how this works? Cost? Tax implications?

--And on a more editorial note, thoughts on how well it works to have a nanny caring for both a toddler and an infant? Their needs are so different, I worry about how one person would negotiate that (I know parents do it, but it sure is a lot easier when my husband and I are tag teaming vs. going it alone). For instance, I want my toddler to continue getting plenty of exposure to other kids (he is extremely social, curious and eager to learn), but I also think it's important not to overstimulate an infant and to ensure they are kept on a very predictable schedule. Would love to hear others' experiences with nannies who care for this age spread and what the day looks like.

Thanks!