Anyone have a live-in nanny? Or just an opinion?

Re: Anyone have a live-in nanny? Or just an opinion?

• Temp679314250006041

  January 2010

  I have coworkers who have had them, most had good experiences.  One did not.  But I suppose you could find similar results with day cares and day homes.  The nice thing is if a child needs to stay home sick you don't have to take a day off work, the nanny will still care for them.  Most of my coworkers will take their nanny on vacation too, and you would pay extra but you have a babysitter close by and if you're running late it's not a problem like some daycares.

  A downside is they usually live with you so you're reducing your family's privacy.  And there are "hidden" costs, my one coworker will put together care packages to send home to her nanny's kids and at Christmas she gives her a cash bonus and buys the gifts for the family.

  If you're worried about them leaving their kids, it seems to be normal for them.  To their culture it takes a village to raise a child, so their child is just as good with the grandparents as their own parents.  And working over here they can send back enough money to really improve the life of their family.  They couldn't do the same working there. 

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• JanieJones member

  January 2010

  Dave grew up with nannies, but they were younger girls (university aged) who stayed on for about a year or so each. ?More like au-pairs I guess. ?I think for the most part it was a good arrangement for his family. ?There was someone around to watch the kids before/after school while his parents were working, someone to make lunch when the kids were home mid-day, and someone to watch his younger sister who was not yet school aged.

  

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• sapicochung1

  January 2010

  This is not a flame but what does the ethnicity have to do with it. I mean aren't there other nannies, not just Filipino. I don't understand why the ethnicity has to be defined.

  

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• mauceddie

  January 2010

  sapicochung1:

  This is not a flame but what does the ethnicity have to do with it. I mean aren't there other nannies, not just Filipino. I don't understand why the ethnicity has to be defined.

   

  My estimation is that 90+% of live-in nannies in my city are Filipino. I only know one person with a non-Filipino nanny.  The reason the ethnicity cane into it, is because the vast majority of Filipino nannies have family at home that they are supporting. It's just a statement of fact for where I live. (I assume the Canadian Live-in caregiver program is targeted to the Philipines but I have no idea).

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• Temp679314250006041

  January 2010

  mauceddie:

  sapicochung1:

  This is not a flame but what does the ethnicity have to do with it. I mean aren't there other nannies, not just Filipino. I don't understand why the ethnicity has to be defined.

   

  My estimation is that 90+% of live-in nannies in my city are Filipino. I only know one person with a non-Filipino nanny.  The reason the ethnicity cane into it, is because the vast majority of Filipino nannies have family at home that they are supporting. It's just a statement of fact for where I live. (I assume the Canadian Live-in caregiver program is targeted to the Philipines but I have no idea).

  This is certainly true of what I've seen in my area.  I know two people who had non-Filipino nannies, both from Europe and both young, unmarried women without kids.

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• starflower4

  January 2010

  I know two colleagues who have live-in nannies. Both went that route out of convenience/necessity - pharmacy hours don't work well with daycare hours, and for one of them, both he and his wife are community pharmacists. The cost will probably be similar, based on what I've heard them say. I think having a good setup to have them live in your house is the biggest part - it's one thing if can have pretty much the whole basement, with their own sort of living room, as well as bedroom and bathroom separate from the family, but something completely different if they're in a bedroom next to the kids and sharing a bathroom with them. Both have said that it's an adjustment to have someone else in the house, and that it can get a bit wearing on occasion.
  

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• MrsBHB

  January 2010

  We have had the same full-time live in nanny since my first daughter was born 2 1/2 years ago.  I have every intention of continuing to have a live-in nanny until my kids are teenagers. 

  I have flexibility in my work schedule that means I don't have to go to the office everyday which means I can just stay home with the kids while she tidies up, does laundry etc... and then on days when I have to work late, I don't have to worry about picking kids up, she just feeds them at home.  As well, because I have to travel for work quite often, it enables me to bring my kids and my nanny along with me.  For socialization, I try and take the older one to classes like gynmastics, preschool, etc.. and the little one of course loves to play with her sister.  For me, the pluses WAY outweigh the minuses. 

  That being said, at the present time we are in the process of replacing our nanny because I have found that she is far more comfortable with babies and as my girls get older (particularly the 2.5 year old) she does not seem to be engaging her as much as I would like.  This is unfortunate because I had hoped to keep the same nanny for a long time and the girls both do love her, but I do think her patience makes her better suited for babies.

   p.s. she is filapino but has no kids back home.  I intentionally did not hire someone with her own kids back home because I couldn't stand the guilt.

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