Nanny share set up for infants
I am a first time parent and I am looking for childcare. As we consider nanny shares I would like to be able to understand the set up for infants. Specifically I want to know what is expected of the host family in regards to the home setup. Does the host family have to have two cribs and/or sleeping areas for two infants? Does the host family pay more for having the convenience of having the nanny at their home and not having to drop off the child elsewhere? Is there any specifics to hosting that we should know before offering our home in a nanny share? TIA
Jul 3, 2020
Parent Replies
In our experience:
- Host family let us set up a travel crib in the parent's bedroom, so that each baby had their own room for napping.
- Both families paid the same. Yes, it's much more convenient to have the nanny come to you. But the tradeoff is having to deal with all of the extra clutter in your home (and the distraction, if parents are currently working from home).
Other things to think about:
- Making room in your fridge/freezer/pantry for the other child's milk and/or food.
- Making room for the other family to bring over a high chair for their child for lunch.
- You'll need a double stroller. Maybe it's something you can split the cost of with the other family, but presumably one family will keep it in the end. So if you are planning on having another child in the future, maybe you just eat the cost of this.
- Toys. If you're the host, I think it's beneficial for the kids + the nanny to make sure you have plenty of toys or other entertainment for the kids (if you don't want to buy them for your own use, let the other family bring some of theirs over).
- Childproofing. Obvious, but still worth mentioning that you should probably go above and beyond in this department. Every child has their own ideas about what sort of trouble to get into around the house, and they may be different from your child's.
Every share is different but I have never heard of having the host family pay more! Yes, you have the convenience factor, but you also have a mini-daycare in your home, so there are tradeoffs. As for what is required, I also think that’s up to you, your share partner, and your nanny. We have had a successful share in a small apartment with one baby napping in the living room and another in the main bedroom ( with me working in the kitchen) and now that they are toddlers, they both sleep and play in a rumpus room in a house. As for supplies, we split the cost of a double stroller and my share partner brought over a pack and play for her daughter. Each parent provides their own diapers, wipes, and food. Best of luck!
I host a nanny share and we share the nanny with one other family. We use our bedroom as the second room for napping (in addition to our son's room) with a pack and play in it. We pay $1/hr more than the other family. There is definitely a tradeoff in having less privacy during the day (especially as more people are working from home) and more kiddo stuff around, but i love hosting. There are lots of different permutations of how to make it work and i think the key is to just have good communication with the other family to reach agreement. Other equipment to consider is a highchair if/when they are doing solids and a double stroller. We shared the cost of the double stroller, but we just already had a pack and play and wanted to order a second more portable high chair so we just bought those items ourself.