How did you find your nanny?

reynah

We pay a lot for childcare, and I am starting to wonder if it would be cheaper to hire a nanny. I just think it would be so difficult to find someone I COMPLETELY trust, kwim?

hikerbeth

craigslist.  I know it gets a lot of mixed reviews, but I went through a thorough interview process with her AND I worked from home, so it wasn't like I was leaving her alone from the get-go.  Our nanny is as close as family, though. . . even though she only worked for us for a year before I sent DD to daycare.  We had almost a 50% cost savings going to a daycare center, though. . . so I'm not sure it would be a cheaper option.

DandR

stole her from the daycare my kids were at.  Actually, she was quitting anyways, and told us she couldn't handle it anymore, but still wanted to babysit for us because she loved our kids.  And we told her we were about to quit the daycare because I was sick of my kids being sick....bad sick.  not typical daycare sick.  And it just worked out.

Her sister was still working at the daycare (that was only a half mile away from our house) so her sister would come up and eat lunch with her once or twice a week (she missed our kids as well).  So when nanny #1 went back to school full time, we got nanny #2..her sister, who was ready to quit the daycare.

THey both are like family and nanny #1 comes to eat lunch with her sister once a week or so, so our kids see her still very often. And now their mom, who wants grandkids bad, comes over to do fun activities like gingerbread houses or whatever.  So, really, we've adopted the family as part of our own.