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Two Under 2
katiezab
member
Who nannies?
katiezab
member
in Two Under 2
I have an opportunity to nanny a ten month old two days a week. I will get four weeks off when I have the baby. So basically my question is. How unrealistic is it to manage my 21 month old, a 12 month old, and my one month old? And I do plan to breastfeed. The job is starting in only a few weeks, and I don't want to take it, only to realize I'm not able to manage all three of them without over exhausting and stressing myself out. I'm a perfectionist and I expect a lot out of myself. I would expect to take the three of them on at least one outing each day.
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Re: Who nannies?
I'm sure there will be moms of 3u3 here who will tell you its fine, but personally it sounds kinda overwhelming. Maybe if you weren't starting until your new LO was a bit older. My kinds are 18months apart. At 4 weeks post-partum, I was just starting to get my act together. Will you be taking your kids to the other person's house? Getting 2 kids out the door in the morning is hard, especially when you are BFing an infant, their schedule is so unpredictable.
How much do you need this job? I'm guessing you won't find this good of an opportunity again (I can't imagine hiring someone with 2u2 to watch my child). If you do take it, know that it will be very challenging in the beginning. But it will get easier over time. The hardest thing will be trying to get all 3 on the same nap schedule. I always had a hard time getting my 2 to nap together, which makes it really really hard to get out and go places.
She will bring her child to my house and pick him up. And she seems to have a similar parenting style, so it would be sort of like having three of my own that age, as far as doing activities I would do with my children anyways and what not.
The thing is you're right, I will not find another opportunity like this! If I don't take this job, I will be looking for a job 15 hours a week working around DH's schedule, which can be unpredictable. And the unpredictability could lead to us paying a sitter, which as we all know can end up being me actually paying money to go to work.
It's a really good opportunity, but I am definitely not sure if it is better than juggling a weird work schedule. It's a set amount every week, which is great. But also the reason I stopped nannying in the first place was because I was nannying two children at separate times four to six days a week, which meant DS may as well have just been in day care or with a nanny himself. He was miserable.
I'm a 3u3 mom, and what you're describing sounds even harder than my parenting experience with 3u3, which wasn't the easiest transition. My oldest was 2 1/2 when #3 was born, so she was much more helpful and understanding than a 21 month old. It was still rough at 4 months, let alone 4 weeks.
If you do decide to nanny, I wouldn't put so much pressure on yourself to go on an outing every day. Some days, it just won't happen. And that's perfectly ok.
I watch one, soon to be 2, extra kids. I took several months "off" when DD2 was born, but when I started watching my extra again I had my 21 month old and 3 month old and an extra 10 month old. It wasn't too bad, honestly. My girls are both pretty easygoing, and so is my extra LO. The only downside for me is it is M-F and I don't have a vehicle big enough for all the car seats, so we can't do much out of the house if it's not walking distance.
If they are willing to drop off/pick up at your house, I wouldn't hesitate to do it 2 days a week. You'll still have a few days to yourself with just your own kids, and since you'll be in your own home you won't be disrupting your own kids routines too much. My extra just kind of slips right into our routine and I find myself forgetting that I don't actually have three of my own sometimes
DD1 Feb 2010
DD2 Sept 2011