The Nanny Search Begins

Keith and I decided that we didn't want to send Josh to daycare. Since me staying at home is not an option either, we need to turn to hiring a nanny. Keith's mom has agreed to watch Josh 2x per week, and I am going to have Fridays off, so we need to find a nanny 2x per week. Nannies are expensive. A 5 day a week nanny can cost $700-750/week. Who has that kind of money? Even for our 2 days per week need, it is still expensive.

If you want to get your child into the right day care, you need to pretty much start the search before you even conceive. By the time you are out of your first trimester, you better have deposits down at several day care centers or you are screwed. In my Mommy & Me class, everyone was talking about their day care statuses whether it was a day care center, in-home, or nanny share. It made me realize that I needed to get my butt in gear.

I started my nanny search by posting an ad on dcurbanmom and Craig's List as well as responding to a few ads. I also called a nanny agency, but they said they don't really do part time. Trying to respond to people in between taking care of Josh has been a real challenge. It also has been more difficult in getting responses to people who are available only 2 days. Plus, half of the responses I was getting were by nannies who A. wanted to bring their child B. not authorized to work in the US or C. wanted to start tomorrow and not wait until January.

I started interviewing the nannies and it was nerve-wrecking. These women all seem nice, but how do I really know if they are good enough to leave alone with my son. I went through all the basic questions with everyone, and it allowed me to get a sense of everything. I assumed for 2 days per week I would just be paying them hourly as a 1099 employee. Well, one nanny wanted vacation, sick days, 10 holidays, and her taxes done. Hello high maintenance! During the process, we interviewed one woman who really stuck out. She seemed to be what I was looking for in a nanny. I set up a second interview for Keith to meet her and we shall see...