who uses a nanny?

leb2be

So...I'm thinking of going the nanny route instead of a day care center.  Then, maybe sending DS1 to a preschool a couple days a week.

Who does this and what do you like/dislike about it?

Also- where did you find your nanny? 

MarieandCharlie

We found a nanny we absolutely love from White House Nannies.  The caliber of candidate was far higher than those we found through Craig's List.  That being said, we know a few other families who found great nannies through Craig's List.

For us, we never really considered day care.  The fact that our LOs would be in their own home with one-on-one attention was most important.  We don't have to wake the girls up to get them to day care, the nanny feeds them breakfast and lunch without us having to pack something in a cooler bag, she does the girls' laundry (and sometime ours, too).

Now, the down side...it costs a lot.  We have to figure out payroll taxes and we pay more in income taxes because we employ someone full time in our home.  When I'm sick, the girls don't go to daycare so I have to dance around, trying to keep them from seeing me when I sneak downstairs for a glass of water or soup.

All in all, it's been the right decision for us, but I'm sure tons of working parents would also say daycare has been great for them, too.

Good luck!

BirdGirl01

We have a nanny share.  We love our nanny.   It's been a great situation for us.

We found our nanny on DCUrbanMom.  We hired someone who emailed us when we posted looking for a nanny share family.  I never thought I'd hire a nanny that way, but she's fantastic.  I really only wanted to interview/hire someone who had been recommended. 

The only downside is the price.  The share offsets that somewhat, but it's still much more expensive than daycare - probably close to twice as much.  

Hopeful1!

I found a wonderful nanny through care.com but I also interviewed a lot of duds. It is expensive but with twins + 1 it was worth it to not have to pack everyone up in the morning plus I prefer that they get more one on one attention in my own home.

Cat703

After sitting on a wait list for over a year, we decided to stick with the nanny untill the girls turn 2. If you find the right one (and thats the hard part)...its great! I used care.com. I first nanny was sweet but lazy. We now have 2 part-time nannies which works out great for our schedules.