So, I sent my first response to a potential nanny

SassyFlats

Still no word from the in-laws on whether they want to babysit over the summer while they're off work, so I went ahead and responded to my favorite applicant on Care.com. She's about my age, has 11 younger siblings (holy crap!), has experience as a nanny, and is a birth doula (COOL). Her message was very specific to me and well-written... and explained that she may need to take off one or two days a month to attend a birth. I talked to my boss about that, and we agreed it's probably not a big deal since I could either work from home or just come in another day later in the week (I'm going to be part-time anyway).

So, I'm excited and nervous to hear back from this chick. If we click via messages, I'll get her background check and then I guess meet up with her face-to-face. This feels a little like online dating. :P And also makes it feel really FOR REAL that I'm going to have an actual BABY in a couple of months.

LiFeIsAmIrAcLe

@bunnyfungo I think you should definitely hit up care.com. Not sure about the area you're in but I'm thinking you're gonna be able to find a cheaper sitter asking less than the prices most daycares want (especially for just 3 days a week).

Moedowell

@bunnyfungo we used sittercity.com to find our sitter and love her!
We do two days a week for 10 hours each day for 2 kids at $75 a day.

When the baby comes we'll move up to 3 days but don't plan to change the price too much as the boys are older and play well and ones in school..

In summer we may bump it up a little but since its all under the table and untaxed my dh says its ok to pay a little less...having all 3 at 30 hours a week at $80ish.. $250 a week..

It's still a lot but for 3 kids I think it's still better than day care for them to all grow up in their own space with their toys etc...

Moedowell

@sassyflats good luck! I hope she works out for you!! (( :

SassyFlats

@bunnyfungo we're thinking $10-15/ hour. Care.com has an option to calculate the going rate in your area, and mine says about $10/hr.

Different caregivers are asking different amounts, but this one falls within what we were hoping to pay. Definitely better for us since we only need a nanny 2-3 days a week.

SassyFlats

It's okay! I had the same questions. I posted our job on Care.com in November and got several responses-- some good and some blah. You have to pay to upgrade your account to respond, which is why I didn't respond to any others. I was waiting for one I really, really liked before I shelled out dough just to send a message and get the background check!

If nothing else, make a free account, post a job and see what you get back! No harm in doing that!

LiFeIsAmIrAcLe

SassyFlats said:

It's okay! I had the same questions. I posted our job on Care.com in November and got several responses-- some good and some blah. You have to pay to upgrade your account to respond, which is why I didn't respond to any others. I was waiting for one I really, really liked before I shelled out dough just to send a message and get the background check!

If nothing else, make a free account, post a job and see what you get back! No harm in doing that!

I did not realize you had to pay to respond when you post a job! I've only ever been on there as a babysitter, and that's how I found the current job I have. Everything's been free on that end.

Moedowell

I agree I used it as a sitter when I first got out of college and didn't realize I had to pay as a parent! Lol!
On sittercity I did one of their promotional discounts so it was a month for only $25 I figured I'd just post early and interview fast! I posted for a summer nanny last year and had 22 applicants in two days!
After that I just cancelled the account,and to keep me sittercity offered me a monthly $5 charge to stay on.. Ok! Lol!!
I'm sure care is comparable in price!

SassyFlats

@lifeisamiracle yep, $40 for one month. Not bad if it gets me a nanny, but I wasn't going to pay it until I saw someone really promising!

katykatykaty

We found our nanny on Care.com, and I also thought it was a lot like online dating.    

We narrowed it down to two, and then we met with both of them for lunch with our daughter.  We still liked both after that, so we had both come over to our house to spend an hour or so just hanging out and interacting with Caroline, and then we made our decision.  We found a great one, and I hope you do, too!

Lilly&Co

I used a Nanny agency, and never again, I love our nanny but I will use care.com next time

VineyardMel

We used Care.com, too. 

@bunnyfungo Going rate in my area (Austin--semi-high COL) is $10-15/hour for one child. We pay $11 and I'm part time so we do 21hrs a wk. I think when we have this one I'll be looking at about $16 or $17/hr and that is way less than two kids in a part-time DC ($950/mo for each).

ewallace00

sassyflats -- may I ask how quickly you are asking the nanny to start?  I'm due 3/22, but am taking 10-12 weeks maternity leave and thought our future full-time nanny would start at the end of that period. Just checking to see if I'm not too far behind in the recruiting process.  I recall care.com recommends starting 3-4 months ahead. TIA!

SassyFlats

@ewallace00 I'm due March 7, and will take about 12 weeks maternity leave. I'm a little anxious about finding the right person, so i started browsing care.com a couple of months ago and am now starting to contact potential nannies. I didn't want to leave everything until the baby is here, since I don't really know WTF I am doing! Lol!

ewallace00

Sassyflats -- I hear ya on wanting the perfect person! We are hoping for an awesome woman whose family is moving out of state or whose youngest babe just started school kind of thing with the mom giving her glowing recc (I can dream right).
Just my two cents, but if someone isn't with a family now, and is willing to wait to start several months from now, is that a good thing? Although it's probably different for part time vs full time - I would think they wouldn't be able to go that long without income. After typing all of this I realized she could very well be with a family now and know her end date (duh).

VineyardMel

Fern&sean said:

I'm going to pay 1800 a month for daycare for what I have researched babysitter will cost me almost double . Wish I had someone to leave baby with

@fern&sean Where are you looking? The agencies will quote it that high and some of the nannies will say they charge $25/hr or something crazy, but I know people in a number of cities/states who have found very reasonable (and good) caregivers for much less. How many kids is that for? With one it's a little more expensive than daycare, but with two it's several hundred a month cheaper to have someone come here.

ewallace00

@fern&sean  I consider Chicago a higher cost of living place, relatively, and nannies here are closer to $12-17 per hour

Lilly&Co

We pay our nanny 15 an hour and provide a basic single healthcare  plan and 2 weeks paid vacation and 2 sick days, we will have 4 children. We are in a  HCOL area. She lived in an apartment over the garage and her hours are 7 to 4:30.  Most days she only is caring for once child for the enter day. If you have any questions let me know we started with the Au pair and then went to nannies. She has been with us for 5 years.