sooner's nanny has nothing on this

RedZee · February 2014

We interviewed babysitters this week. Someone recommended a woman and we didn't tell her How much we were planning to offer before the interview (bad idea). DH asked what kind of salary she was looking for and she said $20-$25 an hour!!! That's $800-$1000 for a 40 hour week! We weren't even asking for cleaning. Just taking care of 1infant while i work in the next room and take nursing breaks. It's not like she even had formal training. My friend has a master's in education and doesn't get that much to nanny. We just hired someone else.

And sooner, not trying to start anything. Just kidding around.

jennlin · February 2014

I think this is a confession--but I have several nanny friends and this is what they get paid anyway. I didn't think sooners nanny was making very much at all and never understood the hype.

jnsmith85 · February 2014

I would have laughed in her face. 20$??? That's more than my hourly rate when I first started as a Registered Nurse. She must be smoking crack.

Amjoy25 · February 2014

jnsmith85 said:

I would have laughed in her face. 20$??? That's more than my hourly rate when I first started as a Registered Nurse. She must be smoking crack.

I hear that!

huntjul · February 2014

ElleStaxx said:

We had a dog walker when my dog was a puppy. She would come over at noon and walk the dog, give her treats and water and play with her for an hour. 20$. To play with a dog. And she had about 7 other dogs she tended to a day. Lady was cleaning up!!

Right, but she had to come to your house. So it's like an added delivery charge.

mancila60 · February 2014

I'm so glad I live in the south that is a crazy price. When I was 16 and babysitting I was lucky to make $30 a night. I would never pay someone that to take care of my child in the other room when I was in the house.

sooner1981 · February 2014

Snowboarderbritt said:

jennlin said:
I think this is a confession--but I have several nanny friends and this is what they get paid anyway. I didn't think sooners nanny was making very much at all and never understood the hype.
This. I made over $20 when I was a 16 year old babysitter...

I have several colleagues who pay their nannies about 45k a year, plus health insurance. That is about in that same range.

Yeah, we pay 10.50 an hour. For two kids. It really isn't that crazy at all for a 28 year old college-educated woman...

Eta: we live in a low-moderate cost of living area. Definitely not NYC!

kellyk17 · February 2014

So much. I'm part of a huge parent group in Brooklyn and they do a nanny survey every year, the most recent one $16/hr was average pay.

sooner1981 · February 2014

kellyk17 said:
So much. I'm part of a huge parent group in Brooklyn and they do a nanny survey every year, the most recent one $16/hr was average pay.

That is the park slope nanny survey, right? I read that, but I think it is hard to determine an "average" because there are so many variables...

Total number of hours per week, number of kids, ages of kids (are they going to be home all day or in school part of the day), education level of nanny, nanny experience, (in some situations) proficiency of nanny in English or whatever language you prefer, does nanny take kids out for activities outside the house or just hang out in the house all day... Etc.

I really do think that child care, at least to some extent, is one of those areas where really well qualified nannies know they are awesome and charge accordingly (and many parents pay as requested for that). Of course, there are always gems who charge less--but they are fewer and harder to find.

megs1409 · February 2014

$20-$25 is the going rate for nanny's in the Boston area. Before we made our daycare decision, we looked at all options. $20-$30 was the range we found for most of the nanny's we would have considered.

I think the hourly wage of a nanny, much like any job, is very dependent on the geographic area. For example, as an accoutant and lawyer, I would definitely not make the same amount of money in Maine (where I grew up) as I do in metro-Boston.

In the same vain, my housing and general living costs would be much less in Maine than they are in metro-Boston. I think it all just kinda evens out in the end.

chicsahm · February 2014

That is what I made back in my day as a Nanny prior to my career change prior to meeting DH. Also got full benefits, 401K, cell phone, car, and a seperate living space with full kitchen. When your good your good and people who can afford it will pay…. and I was worth every penny. I would pay that if I needed a Nanny (for the right person of course)

kellyk17 · February 2014

@sooner1981 Yes, PSP. I thought it accounted for some of that just based of the way my friends who have nannies talk about it. I didn't read to much into because we chose daycare over a nanny.

But you are right, it's always true you get what you pay for.

baby101010 · February 2014

So you are working from home.... and taking nursing breaks... so then the nanny wont even have to feed your baby.... and you Wil be around if any challenging issues come up... ummm no sorry, she doesn't deserve 20-25 per hour.

megs1409 · February 2014

Bottom line: you get what you pay for. In some areas of the country, what you pay is significantly more than in other places. If they are asking the "going rate", there is nothing crazy about the price.

Also, I'm not about skimping on the person that is caring for my child 40+ hours per week. I'll happily cut back in other areas if it were an issue to make sure I have the best care for my child.

ballygirl · February 2014

I pay my nanny $22 per hour. Granted, it's for 2 infants and she's alone with them all day. I think that's standard rate around here. I have a mothers helper that comes during days when I'm home so I can sleep and shower and give baby baths. I pay her $12. She gets less because I'm always there with her.

jnsmith85 · February 2014

Most people don't have an extra 40-45k lying around to pay a nanny like that.

I sure don't. Now that I'm part time, that's pretty much my yearly pay. (in texas)

RedZee · February 2014

I think there are situations that could warrant that kind of pay. And i agree you shouldn't skimp on childcare. I'm in the nyc burbs and the people i asked are not paying that much for a nanny. The most i heard was $800 a week For 3 kids with housework and about 45 hours. She doesn't have any formal training. She nannied for 2 families, but not full time and doesn't have tons of experience with little babies. And yeah, I'll nl be in the next room. I'll start going in 1day a week in April, then 2 days, then 3 days, but my H will be home by 3:30. We're planning on starting daycare when she's 12 months.

The bottom line is that we can't afford that much no matter how worth it. I can't hand over my entire salary.

We ended up hiring a 20 year old who babysits for 2 families. She wants to be Taylor swift and is figuring out her life. She's excited about bringing her guitar and doing asset projects with DD1. I think it's a good fit for us.

megs1409 · February 2014

Having a nanny is a choice you make. No one is forcing a nanny as a childcare requirement. Personally, we chose not to spend the money on a nanny and opted for a very good daycare center. The amount of money each option was going to cost was obviously a factor in our decision and one we discussed before I was pregnant.

For many families, childcare is the largest immediate cost and I'm just surprised how many people are so shocked at the prices of childcare in general. Presuming that many (definitely not all) pregnancies are planned, isn't childcare something that was discussed prior to TTC?

There's a reason that I personally waited until I was 35 to have my first child. It was certainly not because it was "easier" by any means.

ballygirl · February 2014

I guess my situation is a bit different but Daycare is so expensive here, it cost the same for us to get a nanny for the 2 days a week we need care as it would be to have 2 infants in a center so we def went with the nanny. I pay her about $400 for 2 nine hour days. That is only about $30 more than a center costs and I don't have to pack them up every day. Also, if she has time she sometimes vacuums, does baby laundry, and washes dishes. She's been nannying for 16 years and has nannied twin infants before. We've actually learned a lot from her.

slh6363 · February 2014

Yikes that's crazy ! Makes Ohio seem like not such a bad place to live.

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