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Original poster

Nanny 'v' Nursery Dilemma

33 replies

larlylou · 23/01/2006 15:12

I currently send my ds (3 yrs) to Nursery (has been going since he was 5 months) and my dd is due to start next month (she is 6 months). I am quite happy with the Nursery but the expense is so vast that it seems unjustified for me to work (I only work part time). I was wondering if there was any feasibility in employing a part time Nanny term time only. I don't know if this would work or not and am only looking into it at the moment but thought that the price I pay for Nursery we could put towards a salary instead. I would love for some feedback as to anything I should consider, the pros and cons and whether it would be of interest to Nannies? I think my dd would benefit from that one to one a lot more and my ds would attend the local pre-school. I thought a Mum who already had children at school would find this appealing. I am aware of references and police checks that would need to be done. Does anyone have any experience regarding Nursery to Nanny?

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edam · 23/01/2006 15:42

Larlylou, your gut feeling about nursery changing is something that happened to me too. Ds's nursery was excellent, felt entirely confident about him being there, until suddenly staff started to leave. It got to the point where he was so unsettled by staff changes and room moves he started to get really miserable about going. Very upsetting for all of us. So I switched to a nanny (his old keyworker, who was leaving) and it has been excellent. Ds is soooo happy.

You do have to factor in tax, NI, sick and holiday pay on top of basic salary. And have a back-up plan if nanny is ill. And take on the responsibility of being an employer. But definitely worth it if you can find the right nanny.

Original poster
larlylou · 23/01/2006 15:37

I know it is probably going to be hard finding someone who would do term time only but even if it was a Mum with a young baby then I'd be happy for her to bring her baby along also or, a Mum who has kids at school already and would like the holidays off

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Original poster
larlylou · 23/01/2006 15:36

Thanks for the feedback so far. My ds is happy at Nursery but the staff have changed (especially in the baby room) and I'm not as keen on them (gut instinct but can't give any reasons why as they haven't looked after dd yet!) But, I do think my dd would benefit far more from that closer personal contact that she would get from a Nanny and the benefit of being in her own home and surroundings. Obviously we need to look into the finances a lot more but if the pro's outweigh the cons and we feel it would work out better for the children (and us) then we would consider it anyway I think.

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MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 15:34

Nannyjob.co.uk is a good site for info, and an idea of what the going rate in your area is. Also just because thats offered doesn't mean you have to pay that much, nannying is the same as all other jobs, you have to negotiate pay and conditions.

Earlybird · 23/01/2006 15:30

Like I said....someone here may have different knowledge/experience!

MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 15:28

Rubbish, nannies work term time only. Perhaps consider trying to find a nanny with a child of their own then you don't have to pay so much (nanny share) and your children get other children to play with.

Earlybird · 23/01/2006 15:26

I loved having a nanny, and dd blossomed under her guidance. It was a tremendously positive experience for us.

Two things I would point out in response to your post - IMO, you won't find a nanny for term time only. But, someone else here may have a different experience/knowledge. Secondly, you will need to calculate the nanny's salary plus tax and national insurance on top to get a true idea of the expense. Once you know that figure, you can decide if it is actually cheaper than nursery.

Good luck!

elastamum · 23/01/2006 15:18

We went from nursery to full time nanny as i hated leaving the kids at nursery for so long. It has overall been a very positive experience, but you need to find a nanny that you feel really good about. You might well find an older ex nanny with kids of her own who would like the job. Our current nanny has been with us 4 years and is fab. Both our boys also went to pre school and it was a great mix, they are now at school and both nanny and I are in the office most of the day