Anonymous wrote:As a nanny for 10 years I have a flat starting rate. I usually get a bonus and sometimes a COL raise at the end of the year.

A new baby IS a TON of work! I get a %30 raise, however I am very upfront about this with any family I work for. So it works out that they can usually afford it. I would say no less than $3 an hour for a new baby. Give a good Christmas/Holiday bonus, and a smaller COL raise so you don't price yourself out.

A 30% increase for a new baby addition seems reasonable.

lovely human beings! I'm sure if she's wonderful you should pay her to keep your Nanny!

lovely human beings! I'm sure if she's wonderful you should pay her to keep your Nanny!

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny for 10 years I have a flat starting rate. I usually get a bonus and sometimes a COL raise at the end of the year.

A new baby IS a TON of work! I get a %30 raise, however I am very upfront about this with any family I work for. So it works out that they can usually afford it. I would say no less than $3 an hour for a new baby. Give a good Christmas/Holiday bonus, and a smaller COL raise so you don't price yourself out.

Exactly. You have to learn their needs and respond to them.

This is why I think it is important to have a nanny contract, and to revisit it often. You're present compensation seems very fair, but it is customary to expect an additional $1-$2 per hour increase for a new child. When it comes to COL, if my family had a threshold they couldn't afford to pass I would appreciate them being honest with me about it. You can both agree to set a limit on COL increase so that when she's with you long enough to reach that threshold, you can stop the COL increase within reason (it's something to revisit again if the city y'all live in experiences a huge COL increase; that's what's happening in my city right now.) After that point, you can decide to do a one-time annual bonus each year to show your appreciation; or you can offer her more paid days off per year. I just know that if I work for a good family, and if they've have always been respectful to me, I'd be willing to figure out some way that is fair for both of us. I think communication is important on this issue. It's important to be honest with each other so that the relationship stays intact without resentment.

As a nanny for 10 years I have a flat starting rate. I usually get a bonus and sometimes a COL raise at the end of the year.

A new baby IS a TON of work! I get a %30 raise, however I am very upfront about this with any family I work for. So it works out that they can usually afford it. I would say no less than $3 an hour for a new baby. Give a good Christmas/Holiday bonus, and a smaller COL raise so you don't price yourself out.

SU way to go Let's see how far you can go!!

Anonymous wrote:i mean 8 dollars extra a day is not enough

That's insane. The COL for the last year is 1.7%. For an nanny making $17 hr for a single child in DC (and that is on the high side of average) a COL raise is a .30 raise per hour. The standard second baby raise us $1/hr. Therefore, a $2/hr raise is a very generous raise that covers both, taking a $17/hr nanny to $19/hr, which is well within the high end of average in DC. Obviously, if your nanny has specialized skills that are worth paying above market, you should pay what you wish and can afford, but it is unwise to overpay her if you want to retain her over time and keep offering appropriate earned raises over time.

A second child is in no way double work and don't be fooled by a nanny who fleeces you with that silly argument. Smart, professional nannies know the market rates for their area and price themselves accordingly.

i mean 8 dollars extra a day is not enough

1 for increase and 3 for extra baby if you want her happy and not finding something better, 1 increase for new baby is not enough, she is in charge of two children for 8 dollars extra an hour doesnt make sense

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have the world's greatest nanny and, to keep her, we give her a $1 an hour annual raise for both cost-of-living and merit.

I haven't gotten pregnant yet with #2 so I don't know what we will do if we are so blessed.


Great nannies are VERY hard to come by, OP. Do not lose your nanny for a "foolish economy". Ask her what she feels is adequate compensation above her annual raise for the new baby.

You are wasting your money. I'll make it really simple for you. You hire nanny at $18/hr which is a very generous starting salary, then to "keep her" you give her $1 raises for 5 years. You are now wasting $23/hr because in reality it is not possible for nanny to quit and go find a new job that even pays more than $18-20/hr. When a family interviews a nanny they don't take into consideration how much she was previously making. If my budget is $18/hr that's what I pay, I don't care if you quit a job making $23/hr. So nanny goes back to square one. As a worst case thing you could give $1 increases up to $20/hr which is top of the market, then stop after that. Anything above that is a waste. But, having said that I find it hard to believe a nanny would quit an otherwise nice family (hopefully you are nice to your nanny) with good kids but an unknown family with unknown kids for $1-2 an hour more.

You do not know how wonderful our nanny is. I have no idea what she will ask for when she isn't with us anymore and that is none of my business. I know that with her credentials and experience, she could easily be making 25 to 30 an hour NOW thru one of the white glove agencies.

The agency might bring in $30 an hour, your nanny would only see $15 worth of that.

That is not true. I've worked with many agencies, and the advertised hourly rate is what the nanny is paid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have the world's greatest nanny and, to keep her, we give her a $1 an hour annual raise for both cost-of-living and merit.

I haven't gotten pregnant yet with #2 so I don't know what we will do if we are so blessed.


Great nannies are VERY hard to come by, OP. Do not lose your nanny for a "foolish economy". Ask her what she feels is adequate compensation above her annual raise for the new baby.

You are wasting your money. I'll make it really simple for you. You hire nanny at $18/hr which is a very generous starting salary, then to "keep her" you give her $1 raises for 5 years. You are now wasting $23/hr because in reality it is not possible for nanny to quit and go find a new job that even pays more than $18-20/hr. When a family interviews a nanny they don't take into consideration how much she was previously making. If my budget is $18/hr that's what I pay, I don't care if you quit a job making $23/hr. So nanny goes back to square one. As a worst case thing you could give $1 increases up to $20/hr which is top of the market, then stop after that. Anything above that is a waste. But, having said that I find it hard to believe a nanny would quit an otherwise nice family (hopefully you are nice to your nanny) with good kids but an unknown family with unknown kids for $1-2 an hour more.

Then why does every family want to know what my starting and ending rates were for each of my previous positions?