I'm a federal employee and I would do this to make $2,000 in a week no question. Don't act like most people would jump on making thousands of dollars in a single week. You do not need to pay $3000, OP. But yes, I agree, just fly grandma in.

OP here - yes, the $2600 figure was shocking. Flying my mom in with miles and having the nanny work her regular hours would save me quite a bit.

OP - what where you thinking you would pay? Did you have a number or round about amount?

It is a rather long time to work 24 hours. I've done it many times. For a past family the longest I had all 4 kids was a month. I was paid amazingly well though.

I'm asking because, yes the rates will vary, but in one post you seemed "shocked" and said flying in family would be cheaper.

OP-- ask your nanny what should would like-- and tell her that if it is just too expensive, you will just have your Mom come up to stay. She may really want to make some extra money- and so doing it for 800 cash for the week might seem better for her than making nothing extra at all.

OP - ask your nanny. See if you both can agree on a rate that seems fair to her and that you can afford.

All of the endless calculations on here aren't all that helpful for a scenario like this.

It is expensive to pay for care like this, but it should be a significant cost.

Perhaps another alternative is to pay your nanny overtime rates to have her handle all waking hours and have grandparents there for the overnights? That would change the cost pretty dramatically but give you great continuing care for the baby.

Have a great time on your trip!

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't anyone here think that leaving your 10 month old child for 7 days is ridiculous? Your kid will have forgotten you by the time you get back. I can barely even leave my dog for a week, I can't imagine how anyone could do that to their child.

Let me guess, you will be a helicopter mom if you ever have kids.

My MB thinks I should stay for free over night. ok~!! I guess I won't be staying over night!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't anyone here think that leaving your 10 month old child for 7 days is ridiculous? Your kid will have forgotten you by the time you get back. I can barely even leave my dog for a week, I can't imagine how anyone could do that to their child.

Your post is a little extreme. The baby will be fine. It's not like OP's child is 3 days old. You need to relax and learn to live a little. Life is short. I think it's great that OP is going to spend quality time with her husband.

Her post is her opinion. You may have your own differing opinion. There's lots of room here for both of you.

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't anyone here think that leaving your 10 month old child for 7 days is ridiculous? Your kid will have forgotten you by the time you get back. I can barely even leave my dog for a week, I can't imagine how anyone could do that to their child.

Your post is a little extreme. The baby will be fine. It's not like OP's child is 3 days old. You need to relax and learn to live a little. Life is short. I think it's great that OP is going to spend quality time with her husband.

Having a strong marriage benefits our children. If that means taking one week away from the kids per year, I see nothing wrong with it. If anything, I think it will be nice for our kids to see that their parents actually still want to spend time together.

16:46 calm down. OP, your baby wont forget you.

Doesn't anyone here think that leaving your 10 month old child for 7 days is ridiculous? Your kid will have forgotten you by the time you get back. I can barely even leave my dog for a week, I can't imagine how anyone could do that to their child.

Eh, sounds like it would just be much better to have grandparents fly in.

Anonymous wrote:We're going away on our first vacation without the baby (10 months), and our nanny graciously agreed to stay at our house and take care of him. We currently pay her $16/hr. We'll be gone 7 days and 6 nights. Could anyone give me an idea of how much we should pay her? Do we pay for her food as well? Thanks!

You must pay her overtime for hours worked over 40. 168 hours plus OT at $16/hour is $3712.

You ought to pay her for every hour worked, including an overnight stipend that can be higher of your baby doesn't sleep through the night. 14 hour days x 7 (and OT) plus $600 for the 10 hour overnights is $2632.

You can pay her for every hour worked minus her 8 hours of unpaid "rest time". 16 hour days x 7 (and OT) is $3008.

You could pay her a lower than normal hourly rate, combined with either of the above options. A 25% pay cut would mean either $2124 or $2256.

You might also ask her how much she thinks is fair for the work she'll be doing, and then bump that number up as needed to get a fair rate based on the above figures. Nanny asks for $1200, and you insist on paying $2000, knowing that's a GREAT deal.

Or you could have your parents come in if they are capable of caring for your kiddo and able to interact well with nanny, who would work her normal hours.

You could also offer nanny an additional 5 days PTO plus a bonus and a nice spa gift card, along with her normal pay for the week.

Anonymous wrote:Why are the PP's making a big issue about the food. I'm sure OP is not going to make the nanny stay in the house for 7 days straight. the nanny can take the baby out and about, she can get food. How is this any different from the nanny buying her own food anyway. Yes OP include about $50 for food but unless you are requiring her to stay in the house for 7 days and 6 nights, then the PPs are overreacting.

Agree