Anonymous wrote:We are in NW DC and have a wonderful nanny though she has no special qualifications / education etc. When she started with us 1.5 years ago we offered her $22 for our one child, matching what she had been making with a family for their 2 children. We pay 1.5x for overtime and guarantee 50 hours a week though she generally works 45. At her one year mark we increased her pay to $23/hr.

We are now expecting our second child and I was wondering what you'd offer in terms of a raise when she takes over care for that child in about 6 months. Her 2 year anniversary won't be long after that, would you still increase by another $1 then?

I'm conflicted, a second child is obviously more work but if her pay goes from the lower 20s to upper 20s I'm not sure she'd be the optimal choice versus someone that has specific childhood development education and home-based activity planning skills which I understand generally comes at an upper $20s rate.

OP, are you saying that the nanny doesn’t do activities with your child at home? Learning basic skills like coloring and colors, reading to your child, setting up crafts, providing sensory experiences? What does the nanny do with your child all day?

If the nanny isn’t engaged and teaching your child is age-appropriate ways through play and crafts, no, you shouldn’t add more, and you should definitely switch to someone who will.

By the way, 3 hour preschool mornings are more hassle than help to a nanny when there’s also an infant. It can take 15 minutes to get ready, 15-30 minutes to get there, the same to get back, then a few minutes to get undressed. You can’t put the infant down for more than an hour nap, then you do the same thing for pick up. Now, I’m highly in favor of kids going to preschool for only a few hours due to their age and development, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier for the nanny, it just changes the way things are done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Offer her $27. Stability is priceless, especially as you add a new baby to your family. Would she stay for $27? Ask her.

I agree. I would rather have stability and someone my children love and someone I trust implictly with my children than all the education in the world.

The nanny is already making more caring for only one child than she was for two. Plus she gets a month of vacation and guaranteed hours (paid for 50 when usually only working 45). The nanny isn’t going anywhere with that package. Another $1/hr is generous.

Agree- you are already generous, $1 increase alone should be fine. These posters recommending $27/hour, do you realize that would make the total bill for OP at more than $77K/ year for her current nanny? You could literally have your pick of any level of childcare practitioner for that price tag, and you would certainly be unnecessarily be overpaying for your current nanny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Offer her $27. Stability is priceless, especially as you add a new baby to your family. Would she stay for $27? Ask her.

I agree. I would rather have stability and someone my children love and someone I trust implictly with my children than all the education in the world.

You know you can get a nanny with education AND who you can trust and who will love your child! But I agree that stability is most important. There have been a few new studies on the detrimental effect switching or vanishing caregivers have on a child. I would do anything to keep the same loving, bonded nanny with my kids.

That detrimental effect would be from you dying, not from the nanny leaving.

Nannies come and go, that's the fact of life. If the nanny got a $10/hr somewhere, all the advantages of "stable caregivers" would not hold her to your family. She will do what's best for her, and so should you.

Maybe have a meeting to re-visit contract. Perhaps you could revise it down to 45 guaranteed hours (thus removing 5 hours at 1.5 rate), and discuss whatever raise you think is fair for addition of new baby and/or 2nd year anniversary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Offer her $27. Stability is priceless, especially as you add a new baby to your family. Would she stay for $27? Ask her.

I agree. I would rather have stability and someone my children love and someone I trust implictly with my children than all the education in the world.

The nanny is already making more caring for only one child than she was for two. Plus she gets a month of vacation and guaranteed hours (paid for 50 when usually only working 45). The nanny isn’t going anywhere with that package. Another $1/hr is generous.

I would increase her to $24/hr when she begins caring for the second child and give her an annual bonus but not a pay increase.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Offer her $27. Stability is priceless, especially as you add a new baby to your family. Would she stay for $27? Ask her.

I agree. I would rather have stability and someone my children love and someone I trust implictly with my children than all the education in the world.

You know you can get a nanny with education AND who you can trust and who will love your child! But I agree that stability is most important. There have been a few new studies on the detrimental effect switching or vanishing caregivers have on a child. I would do anything to keep the same loving, bonded nanny with my kids.

Anonymous wrote:Offer her $27. Stability is priceless, especially as you add a new baby to your family. Would she stay for $27? Ask her.

I agree. I would rather have stability and someone my children love and someone I trust implictly with my children than all the education in the world.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd offer $25-26 plus maybe health contributions. You are already above market at $23 for one, which makes it tough. At the end of the day, though, she will be deciding on your offer versus what else is out there--and there aren't a huge number of jobs paying that much for two kids without early childhood education qualifications or other specific skills.

Op is most definitely not already paying "above market". So far, no one has any real evidence what market value is in OP's geographical area. You need to see actual pay stubs or taxes, not random nannies or parents making unsubstantiated claims.

Huh? OP said in the first post that she lives in NW DC. $23 plus the benefits offered for one toddler is above what the vast majority of nannies in NW are making in that situation, which why it is "above market." You don't need pay stubs for that--you just need to post the job and look at the applicant pool. I guarantee you that you would have your pick of many highly qualified nannies at that rate, at least in DC. YMMV if you live elsewhere.

Do you visit the NW parks and libraries? I doubt it. The majority of what I see are NOT "highly qualified nannies". Check yourself.

That's the point. The majority of nannies you see are also not making $23/hour for one child. If OP is paying more than the majority of families pay, she should expect to have a nanny who is more qualified than the majority of nannies.

Anonymous wrote:For additional new baby care, I would expect a $5/hr increase.

Good for you. Good luck.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re already on the high end.
Contribute towards health insurance? Additional time off? Although you’re on the high end for that too.

+1

Or I would pay $25 for 2 kids and keep benefits as is.

I am a career nanny, and while my schooling was not in child development, I am an excellent nanny and much better than some who do have degrees in child development, just an FYI in terms of pricing. I would say that offering her a $2-3 increase inclusive of both the new baby and the annual raise is sufficient. Additionally, you will not need to offer a $1 increase annually of that is not in your budget. It is expected after the first year (at minimum) but it annually for a long term position.

FWIW, after the first couple yaers of incremental raises for 2nd child, we just did the 3% raise we each get for our salaries, not 5-8% raises which $1/hr implies at rates in high teens and low to mid 20s. Or we did it via year end performance bonus.

Anonymous wrote:We are in NW DC and have a wonderful nanny though she has no special qualifications / education etc. When she started with us 1.5 years ago we offered her $22 for our one child, matching what she had been making with a family for their 2 children. We pay 1.5x for overtime and guarantee 50 hours a week though she generally works 45. At her one year mark we increased her pay to $23/hr.

We are now expecting our second child and I was wondering what you'd offer in terms of a raise when she takes over care for that child in about 6 months. Her 2 year anniversary won't be long after that, would you still increase by another $1 then?

I'm conflicted, a second child is obviously more work but if her pay goes from the lower 20s to upper 20s I'm not sure she'd be the optimal choice versus someone that has specific childhood development education and home-based activity planning skills which I understand generally comes at an upper $20s rate.

SHe priced herself out of the market and out of increases when you hired a nanny for 3-5 years and started at a 2 child rate.

And I agree, at the prices you are now talking about - if you can afford them - you could get an extremely good and organized professional nanny (great driver, fluent english, manage house, teach children, children's meals, etc.).