Would you do a nanny or a day care - very torn and could use some advice!
We have found a nanny who we really like, but who needs to take home xx/week. The taxes, etc. make the costs go up. In total, we would be paying her 1080/mo. We do genuinely like her a lot and she comes highly recommended. She would also help with some light cleaning and laundry. The baby would be in our own home as an infant, my mom could easily pop in to check on him, we have flexibility in terms of hours, etc. The main thing is the taxes - they're complicated paperwork-wise and expensive. However, through December she could work without this being an issue because she'd be making less than $12,000 for the year, so the tax issue would be moot. She suggested we do a trial Sept-Dec, then revisit the whole issue in December once we see how it's going, etc.
A day care nearby has an opening right now for when we need it (Sept 15). The woman seems nice. Only one of her references called me back however. The day care has lots of rules (you get dinged by a LOT of money if even a couple min late) and requires a hefty nonrefundable deposit. However, it is about 100/mo less cheaper and the taxes wouldn't be an issue. It's more "clear cut" moneywise. I think our son would be equally well cared for in either setiing, though really it breaks my heart to have to leave him with anyone besides me.
Day care seems "easier." I like this nanny a lot but the paperwork madness is driving me nuts, but the trial run option does seem appealing (we could be seaching for better day cares in the meantime etc). The nanny IS more expensive...
WYYD?
Re: Would you do a nanny or a day care - very torn and could use some advice!
My ideal would be day care 2 o 3 days a week for socialization and a nanny the other days.
I can't tell you what is right in your situation. The rate you are stating is what we would be paying for infant day care. It is about $2500-3000 for a nanny where we are.
That said, we are doing a nanny with another couple. We are setting up a LLC to employ her through and hiring a company that specializes in nanny payroll to do the taxes (it is $170 per quarter for them to do direct deposit pay checks; $135 w/out direct deposit). She will have a contract that includes paid vacation and spells out everyone's expectations.
It will be more trouble in the beginning to get it all set up but I think it will actually be less troublesome once the initial setup is complete. For us, the decision came down to spending a bit more for what we felt was higher quality care.
Topher's 1 Year Old Chocolate Coma
Have you considered doing a nanny share? Your nanny would take care of your baby and another child as well. Typically nannies do not charge that much more for an additional child so the savings would be pretty big. I used to be a full time nanny and I charged $12 an hour for the first kid and $1 extra for each additional kid. So in this case you would be paying $6.50 an hour as opposed to $12. The other advantage to a nanny is that your child will get far more attention and you could still go to work even if your child is sick (unlike in a daycare setting).
The disadvantage to a nanny is that there are fewer eyes watching. It's great that your mother would be able to drop in though that helps a lot. The other disadvantage you have to think about is if your nanny goes on vacation you are kind of stuck. Just points to consider, hope this helps!
I've worked in daycares as an infant teacher and as a private nanny. I would choose a nanny without hesitation. Well worth the extra $$$ and hassle in terms of quality of care. Your nanny will become a part of your family... I am still in close contact with 3 of the 4 families i nannied for. I consider them my nieces and nephews. Even though I worked in the daycare for a year, I couldn't even tell you all their names now (most their names, but definetly not all). A nanny is able to bond with your child, where a daycare teacher has state guidelines, company policy, 6 kids, blah, blah, blah.... your concerns and wishes will come after all the politicis. With a nanny your concerns and wishes are the final say!
I would definetly look into a nanny share, we looked into this, but instead I was able to work my work schedule so I only work out of the home part time and my neighbor did her part time schedule opposite of mine, so she'll have the baby when I work (and I'll pick her kids up from school when she works).
I really think arranging childcare is the hardest part of this whole thing. Before we made arrangements with my neighbor, I would burst into tears everytime my husband asked what I wanted to do for childcare.
GOOD LUCK!
This is hard - because it's such a personal choice and there are pro's & con's either way. My DS is 20 months old and we are on nanny #2. We regret that we went with the 1st nanny, and truly believe that we would've been better w/ a daycare - but wouldn't have known that without the experience. However, we LOVE our 2nd nanny - she is a gem, and if we had gone w/ daycare initially we wouldn't have her now. We do have the preference of keeping our children at home and in a more 1:1 care setting and the nuisance of the taxes are (in general) worth it for us.
All of that being said, infants (thankfully) don't remember specifics/details in the 1st year (I'd be shocked if DS remembered/recognized nanny #1 if we saw her on the street) - so if they're in a daycare setting not getting quite as much attention or if you end up getting a bad nanny - they won't know. (Mom & Dad will carry guilt for a while, but baby can recover.) If possible, with either situation, webcams/nanny cams are something to strongly consider AND always go with your gut if you feel like something isn't quite right.
Since this woman is willing to give it a trial run, I'd honestly probably try her out for a few months. Sounds like she wants open/honest communication. If you decide it's not working out, she may be willing to help you out while you wait for a daycare placement.
If we could afford a great nanny and someone who was willing to work with DH's crazy schedule, we would.
Honestly - I think the $1000/month for a nanny is cheap.
Yes... same here. Worked in daycare and as a nanny... your child will receive better care and nurturing with a nanny.
Nanny, Nanny, Nanny!!!!
A nanny is more personal, convienent and as someone else said before, becomes part of your family. The loyalty alone is well worth an extra $100 a month, not to mention flexibility etc.
We just had a family b-day party for my DD's tonight. My youngest is 7 and her former nanny came to the party - she's still a part of our lives and my youngest still lists her as a favorite person (although I'm a little selfish to say that she's no longer #1 as she had been for years).
My DH is planning on being a SAHD, but a nanny is the next best thing. Our nanny took our girls to play dates, outings, preschool etc. It was one of the best investments we ever made - I've got NO regrets.
I worked at a daycare in my college days and that's when I decided that if there was any way possible I wouldn't send my children to daycare, we'd either stay home or have a nanny in our home and that's what we've done.
Good luck on your decision.
Agreed. When I was nannying it was more like $2000/month