Member Questions

I'm curious - how much do full-time nannies cost where you are? In the Philadelphia area, you can expect it to be around $600/week. (Of course it depends on many many factors, like whether it's taxed or under the table, how much experience she has, how many kids you have, etc. but this is just a ballpark figure.) Now, daycare around here can run upwards of $300/week per child. (Again, it depends, but just for the sake of argument!)

I myself have two kids under the age of 3 and I decided to stop working full time after the birth of my second because no matter how we sliced it, we'd be putting out over $31k in childcare per year. I barely made more than that after taxes were taken out, so it just didn't make sense for me to continue working. It's a shame that quality affordable childcare is so hard to find. That said, I wish I had considered the possibility of hosting an au pair. After you factor in the agency fee and the weekly stipend, it comes out to just over $300/week for live-in help up to 45 hours a week.

Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there for parents like me who have no idea how to pay for childcare for multiple children. Au pairs aren't such a bad idea!

My three oldest kids (S., A., and G.) are mine by marriage, so when they were with us, when they were younger, my husband and I would tag-team parent. We had a babysitter who would bridge the time btween when my husband left for work and I got home, which was awesome. When my now 3-year-old (L) was born, my husband was still working nights and I was still working days, so he had L. (and the other kids) all day, drove to work (we work for the same company, in different departments), and we handed off in the parking lot, then I drove home with her (and everyone, if they were all with us).

A week after I went back to work after the birth of our now 1-year-old (O), my husband switched to a day shift, and so we needed childcare. L is kind of advanced for her age -- thanks to having three smartypants older siblings to imitate! -- and we wanted her to have the opportunity to socialize with kids her own age, so she wouldn't turn into a minigrownup (like her Dad and I were at that age). But hiring a nanny for O and a preschool for L was really, really out of our financial range. So we found a combination preschool/day care that has a great early literacy program, and both kids are thriving there.

During the summers, when our big kids (ages 14, 12, and 9) are with us (for 10 or so weeks at a time), the big kids are in camp, which has worked out great, since they get to hang out with their friends while we're at work.

We have a nanny for our twins. I recently reassessed the cost--with employer taxes and the medical and dental we pay, it is hugely expensive! 2/3 of my salary goes towards the nanny... but I can't really imagine doing it any other way.

It was a financial decision, as I think most daycare decisions are. I love my day care, which is a small family run place. My son is one of 4 charges that the day care provider has. She is fabulous and a lifesaver (a former British Nanny!) and we feel blessed that she's in our lives for the price that she is (less than a quarter what a full time nanny would cost).

The cost. We simply couldn't afford (or justify) the expense of a nanny. I would be working for next to nothing. That said... I interviewed 13 in home daycare providers before I settled on the right one. A center wasn't an option, with the exception of the few top-notch ones that charge nearly as much as a nanny!