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Minnesota Babies
Freaked out over daycare costs
I'm kinda at a loss of when and where to start on this whole process.
First, I have no real idea of when I'm going to deliver. With twins, it could very well be January instead of the end of February. I have to talk to my OB, but from what I've been seeing, a lot of twin moms deliver early.
Beyond that, I don't know how we can afford care for two infants!
Don't get me wrong, we are thrilled that we're having twins. It was unexpected and a helluva shock. I wouldn't give one back if I had the choice. I'm just freaked out right now.
The cost of one infant already put us out of the range of a center, so we planned to look at in-home care. Now with 2, I just don't know how we're going to do it.
I plan to go back to work for sure, but DH and I both work the same hours so we can't lessen the costs by working opposite shifts. Neither of us have that choice. We're both 9-5 people. I have the potential for a promotion and a raise within the next year, but that's not guaranteed.
So I guess my question is this. Is it even remotely possible to find someone who is willing to care for twin infants for less than 1k a month? If not, I don't know how we'll do this. DH is already working 2 jobs and freelancing. I'm working full time and in school.
Ok panic over. Where do I go from here? My mom keeps telling me things will work out, but I'm more worried about daycare costs than actually taking care of the twins.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Freaked out over daycare costs
I won't lie - child care for two infants for $1,000/month or less is going to be very hard to come by.
But don't panic, your mom is right - something will work out.
I would start interviewing home day cares right now. If you find one you like, start negotiating. If you are able to find someone who needs to fill spots, you might be able to negotiate a discount. You may be able to find someone who is willing to take a lower rate, just to guarantee having two spots full.
You might have to go with a newer provider (they tend to have infant openings more often), and be prepared to pay some sort of holding fee to keep your spot.
Also, I have seen a couple church centers over the years that had (what I consider) ridiculously low rates for centers. I can only assume that the congregation was subsidizing the center's operations. It doesn't hurt to call around and see what you can find.
Good luck!
(if I were to have surprise twins, the cost of daycare would be my initial freak-out/worry too!)
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
this really isn't true because it depends on where you live. for instance where i live, (st. cloud) you could get daycare for twins way under the $1k mark (in home not a center) pretty easily
have you thought about hiring a nanny?
check CL. it's where we found our dcp and i love her and she's cheap. i pay $100/wk and she's licensed by the county as well
In my bag
d90
50mm f/1.2 * 28-85mm (Macro) f/3.5-4.5 * 70-300mm f/3.5-4.5
Opteka Fisheye Adapter * Lightscoop
I agree with Becca Marie...we pay about $800 a month just for one and while that is at a center the in-home's we looked at and felt comfortable with ended up being $700 a month, so for the added security and structure we just figured it out and are paying the $800.
I would most certainly start now. In-home providers that are reputable and follow the State and Local standards can only have 2 infants at a time and they give priority to their existing families that they care for (ie. if they have one kid there and get pregnant with another they get priority). I'd start looking at MNchildcare.org you can do a search of providers there. You may want to check in with Care.com and look into a Nanny.
I won't lie twins are tough, my cousin had twins and they were lucky they both worked in academic fields so they got their summers off, and both worked for colleges and were able to find nannies that way.
I also have a friend in New Jersey who just decided to stay at home, and her husband works to make it work with her twins.
This was our big area, and we only had one to deal with, so I understand completely where you're coming from. Sign up now for the BRU rewards program and watch for sales too on the big ticket items (car seats, crib, furniture, etc). Start saving a little here and there where you can and buying things you may need as they go on sale...I know you'll probably get a lot at showers and such, but people also rarely buy off of registries, you get a bunch of women in a room who've had kids and they get you what worked for them
. Start going to consignment sales too.
If you need anything just let me know...I know you don't know what your having yet but I have some things that Ian's outgrown that are gender neutral (infant positioner for the car seat, tummy time mat, etc)
You'll get it figured out, its just hard because you're pregnant, and its an exciting stressful time and then you have crazy emotions so it doesn't help anything.
Check out this website:
www.care.com
I looked on here before we found a center that had an opening. Not sure what the selection will be like in the cities, but for Duluth, it was a lot of college age women. There were also some that were just out of college, and some have reasonable rates. Might be worth checking out! Good luck, it sucks!
My Bio
Married Bio
I have some thoughts on nanny-share (worth looking into, but I'm not sure it will work for you).
First thing to consider, is that you will probably want to share with a family that has 1 child, and nanny-shares usually tend to have kids in the same age-range (so baby to young-pre for you). (just my line of thinking though, other situations can surely work, but given baby twins, I don't know that I would be comfortable with more than 1 other young child)
So, if there are 3 kids total, it would seem fair for you to pay 66% of related costs (with some adjustment for whoever's house the nannying is done at, but I'll ignore that factor for now)
You would qualify as a small employer and would be able to pay a nanny $5.25/hour, but I can't imagine you will find someone for that rate. Let's say you pay at the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25/hour (even though I think that for a qualified person, you can reasonably expect $15/hour)
Given full-time work and some travel time, let's say you need nanny 45 hours/week. 45 hours x 7.25 = 326.25 + 7.65% for taxes = 351/week
351/week * 4 weeks/month = 1,404/month, 66% = $927/month for your share
The above assumptions though, assume that you offer NO benefits (as I nanny, I received mileage, payments towards health insurance and several other items). It also assumes you handle all tax filings and whatnot yourself, vs. paying someone else to do it.
I would imagine that you will want a qualified person to nanny for twins (not just anyone can do it), and (in the cities) it will be very hard to find someone with the experience and qualifications you will probably want, that will be willing to work for $7.25/hour.
at $10/hour, your share (given assumptions above) would be: $1278/month
I am sure that there are wonderful, loving people out there who would be willing to nanny at a price you can afford, but again, they will be hard to come by. If I were in your shoes, I might ask-around about nanny-share, but would put my real effort into home daycares.
Not trying to burst any bubbles, because i am sure nanny share can be done, just trying to offer a 'reality check' on the nanny front.
Don't stress about it too much though - if you start your search now, something will definitely work out!
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
Talk to everyone you know about any daycare recs you may be able to find. We got the name of our DCP from our neighbor, and for full time care for two kids for a month, it's about 760. So possible. But you need to find someone. It's just how it goes.
But there are so many factors to take into consideration when choosing a daycare. You have to find one you are comfortable with, in addition to the cost issue. We got lucky that we also adore our DCP, and the people that work there truly adore our children. I know they fight over who gets to take care of DD#2.