I'm a nanny with my own baby - what should I charge?

Where did you read this? Genuinely interested as my reading suggests that nursery is a helpful learning environment for young children

Why on earth not? I have a toddler and they aren’t my only child and I manage extremely well! Why should it be a problem? Many people have more than 1 or 2 children and are extremely competent.
I don’t get the problem?

Families apparently vary but I’m sure if you are reliable, offer flexible hours etc, especially someone with 2+ kids may bite your hand off for a good rate like £12 ph.

That might be true but she isn't offering those things. She doesn't want to work later than 5:30/6, look after more than 1 other child, cook dinner.

You have to offer an attractive package in terms of hours and services

We have a lovely nanny and I know she and her DH would love to have a baby of their own. If she had become pregnant (or becomes pregnant in the future) then if love to continue employing her. BUT I don't think I would have employed her with a young baby if I didn't already know her. So I think this arrangement is not very likely to be successful.

If you do decide to try, I'd recommend that you look at families with toddlers rather than preschool age. You can take two toddlers to groups/activities etc, and they are more likely to eat/sleep in a compatible way. They'd be little playmates together - one of my boys LOVEs our Nancy's nephew who he sees once a week. An only child would benefit from having your little me to play with, but a primary school aged child won't.

Approach agencies and see who they have on their books looking.

ADHD is hard wired. It’s a neurodivergence - literally a different brain. It isn’t caused by group childcare/noise.

Well I wanted exactly that, if you read my earlier post. It made my life much easier than if I'd had to take my baby to a childminder every morning. There was absolutely no downside for me.

Back in the day when my DC were small, a nanny with her own child was definitely a thing - it was treated the same as nanny share with another family would have been. i.e. you paid a bit less than you would if the nanny was working for you exclusively.

“Honestly why aren’t women/mums supporting other mums?”

Because there is a ton of competition from wrap-around and people aren’t going to be willing to pay more unless they get something objectively better. It’s just supply and demand really. It’s a very different prospect having a nanny with child who is similar age and could be a playmate to trying to mix a 1yo with older primary children.

Honestly why aren’t women/mums supporting other mums? This is one of the reasons why mothers are so disadvantaged in our society, where incidentally we also have the highest childcare bills by a country mile in all of Europe. What are childcare professionals expected to do with their own kids while at work? Also, wouldn’t someone who is a mum themselves add value with their own experience?

A young mum is looking to get back into work and many posters say only 1-2-1 care is acceptable? Did nobody have siblings growing up? Did nobody’s mum share the childcare burden with other mums/ get someone to do school runs for small groups of children? Nursery? School groups of 15-20+? Looking after multiple children of varied ages, one being their own, used to be perfectly possible.

Fair enough about terminology tweaks.

OP just wish you the best of luck. Families apparently vary but I’m sure if you are reliable, offer flexible hours etc, especially someone with 2+ kids may bite your hand off for a good rate like £12 ph. Just don’t sell yourself short, especially if transport is involved, your labour is worth at least minimum wage. Also, very cheap rates arouse suspicion.

Just an idea, any mums that you know through DC that have gone back to work and need childcare? That may be a place to start.

It's in their house. So they have every right to keep their own child with them.

And generally, you don't expect 1-2-1 attention from a childminder. They have a mix of children of all ages, from different household. The children are keep safe, fed and occupied until pick up.

No special attention or errands, unlike Nannie's.

I also wouldn’t hire a nanny with a toddler in tow. I did a trial once with a nanny w a 2 year old and my primary school child and it was a nightmare, no way that would have worked our. My child ended up looking after toddler and making sure she wouldn’t destroy her toys and books. I want nannies and babysitters that can look after my children. OP can you get funded childcare hours for your child and start working term time and put them in nursery or with a childminder?

I believe in prioritising his needs above my career, etc etc. I live with my parents at the moment, that's how I can afford it.

Was this your idea or theirs?

Also do your parents want another kid around?

My former nanny-share also had a daughter of her own, but the same age as the other children. More tricky I would think if there is a big age difference, and if you're expecting to be in their house. Other than that, not a problem per se I think.
Do you have nanny qualifications and references? If I was a parent looking to use you I would be looking for those.
As long as your rates are reasonable and you are able to offer the flexibility that people may also be looking for in a nanny, then I'm sure you'd have some interest.

I had a nanny when my dc were younger and I wouldn't have been happy with her bringing her own child to my home (in anything other than an emergency situation.) You pay a premium for a nanny and part of that is having all of their attention and focus on your own child/ children.
Having said that, my friend had a nanny who came to her home and looked after my friend's DS and her sister's son (so two little boys, who were cousins.) They shared the cost which made this arrangement work for them. Perhaps if you were willing to deeply discount your services then you may find some people who would be interested.
However most people who want a nanny want the singular attention of that nanny and are willing to pay for that. They would also expect them to have some manner of qualification, be registered at ofsted, fully insured and come with disclosure checks.
Another option would be to host children at your home (would your parents allow that? ) That would make you a childminder and the expectation when a parent uses a childminder service is that their child won't be the only one being watched. Again though, you will need insurance, most people will want to know you have some kind of qualification or experience and disclosure checks.

I understand your reasoning, OP. You don’t want to put your child in childcare while you do the childcare for someone else’s child! Makes total sense to me.

I think it sounds like you’ll get work no problem.

No, the poster can’t prioritise her own child. But it could go the other way. In an effort to prove she is not favouring her child, she may end up showing the other children more attention and thus depriving her own child. It’s a difficult one!

I hired nannies over many years while I was self-employed working and raising my kids. It's a job where I would expect full attention so I wouldn't have employed a nanny who came with their own child in the mix.

However, child-minding might work well for you.

Childminders here's have about ten kids each with at least a few preschool. What's all the fuss about

Sorry NRTFT

I personally would not hire a nanny who has such a young child with them.
I would perhaps hire a babysitter - but then I’d be paying a lot less and using them less.

Have you thought about becoming a childminder instead?

Parents know that there will be other children in the home and I personally liked this.

Failing that, you could look for a job in a nursery.
My friend did this and put her baby in the same nursery.
She worked in a different room (I think this is recommended) but it worked really well for her.

Why don't you ring a couple of nanny agencies and explain what you are looking for in terms of after-school and having your own child with you. They will be able to advise on rates of pay. Some parents wouldn't like that arrangement, some would. Have you thought of part time nursery work? I'm sure you would be able to take your child with you. Nurseries are struggling for staff and are often very accommodating to staff children. Lots of part time work available so you could do afternoons or a couple of afternoons. I would really think about flexing your experience. Do you have a childcare qualification? If so have you thought about doing some childcare assessing. You need an A1 qual for that but could be something to explore.

So if you went back to full time nannying your mum would look after your dc? That's what you've alluded to in a previous comment

So why not ask your mum to look after your dc for the 3 hours you are doing after school care?

I think this is a great option for you and where I am in London very very common for Nannys to bring own child to school pick up and then back to their charge’s house. Their rate is usually 20-40% less than the going rate (going rate for after school nanny here is c. £20 p/h gross) A lot of parents are willing to take the disadvantages of having the nanny’s child in the mix to save a bit of money. Advertise at local private prep schools and you might find some only child families really keen for some help.