To wonder if nannies are more a "London" thing?

[jessica29054]

Nannies are often suggested on here as childcare but I don't even know one person with a nanny for their children and I live in the frozen north :) It's childminder or nursery here.

So I am idly wondering if nannies are more of a London/south east thing?

I wouldn't mind a nanny for DC (9 months) but I really don't think it's a 'thang' in these 'ere parts!

::waves::
I'm in the north and I'm a nanny

heat Edinburgh

Quite a few round here in fairly affluent MiddleEngland.

Au pairs in London varies. Need to consider what you expect and how many kids you want them to look after. I know someone who pays £800pm. This is pretty good vs £500pw for a nanny.

Plenty around this 'naice' part of Bristol. I think most people do part time and nanny shares though.

It's usually cheaper for 2+ children (plenty of bigger families around here, 3 seems pretty normal). Also, if you need someone before 7.30am or after 6pm there's very little other choice.

Im in Bradford and know a couple who use a nanny. Both work as nurses on a hospital wards and have no family here so a nanny was the only option. They are taking a hit financially for it though.

Several nannies in a not wealthy Midlands city.
Mainly people who need atypical hours that nursery can't cover.

I'm a nanny and seeking a 2nd part time job ! ( north Yorks) X

I'm in the Midlands and have never met a nanny - if I here "Nanny's here" said at pick-up time, it's a grandmother. I have met one au pair but other than that it's nurseries, childminders or grandparents. In contrast I have a friend who works as a nanny in London and she often meets up with other nannies.

*if I hear

My local nursery in London is....£1900 per child per month, Nanny is a no brainier if you have two.

Where we lived in the North there were lots of nannies (Cheshire) but here in Sussex I know only one person who uses a nanny. For me a nanny is cheaper and more sensible as I have 4 children do not only cost but logistics wise. However, I've recently given up work so no longer need one.

I know of more more au pairs than nannies. We're South East (not London). Naice village, not super rich or anything.

SIL had a nanny when she had her second child - 2 lots of nursery fees were more expensive than 1 FT nanny.

I can think of lots of nannies I know/employed by friends in the rural east midlands/Norfolk/Cambridgeshire. In most cases, they're employed by dual-career parents who work long/irregular hours and/or travel for work where a nursery or childminder just wouldn't be flexible enough.

I think they are clearly becoming more popular. Tried to get childcare five years ago and the only options were cm or nursery or after school club. However looked today as inspired by another thread and found a nanny agency locally. Options for the future maybe! Glad that childcare is becoming more widespread. Hope my daughters will not be as constrained as I have been.

Nursery fees are quite a bit cheaper down here than they were up there though so that may affect it.

Yeah, oop north nursery fees (5yrs ago) were about £1400 a month for each child. Here it would cost £1200 a month so just a wee bit less. But if you have 2,3 or 4 children then a nanny is the most sensible option.

Full time nursery for our twins would have been £3500 a month. A nanny was about £2,500.

We live in Cheshire now and there are a lot of nannies round here too - mostly for SAHMs rather then working mums though!

I'm in Essex, I had a nanny it is cheaper, more convenient, just leave for work without having to take DC anywhere, being in their own home.

Do you have live in nannies?

Ceeveebee, yes, it was Cheshire we were in too. And yes, lots of nannies for sahms.

We had nannies, and are not at all grand! We are in the SE, though.

Once you have more than one DC, they are very good value for money. Your DC get continuity of care, and they can be so flexible. If you have say, a DC at school, one at nursery, and one at home, they can do all the pick ups and drop offs, and get them to clubs.

They tend to have or make friends with other local nannies, so your DC socialise with their charges, and they go to all the baby and toddler groups together.

I was always happy with my nannies.

We had a shared nanny when we were in London. It was a a bit cheaper than nursery and the flexibility was v handy.

We're now in Dublin and don't know a single person not using a nursery.

I'm a nanny - have been for nearly 30 years. I've worked in quite a few places, south Hampshire, north Hampshire, north Kent, East Sussex, Guernsey, London, Cornwall and a few foreign countries, so mainly south/southeast and London but I've known nannies from all over the country (and world!) I've worked for 'normal' families, wealthy families and titled families, the normal families were by far the nicest (and most generous) families to work for. I now go for more normal families who pay me well and treat me with respect.

If you want a nanny get one! It's no ones business but your own. If you have 2+ children, it's generally around the same price as a nursery (although you do need to factor in the extra expenses of someone in your home 40-60 hours a week, heating, food, classes, wear and tear) cheaper if you can accommodated a live in nanny and you can have the children's washing/ironing done, beds made/changed, meals in the freezer, bread and milk in the fridge (one of the things my boss likes about having a nanny is that if anything runs out, I'll pick up replacements) maybe the occasional cake where nanny and charge have baked. (I also drop and collect dry cleaning if we are passing, make extra food for my employers (prawn laksa this evening!) empty bins and sort recycling (although they do it if I don't, more of a shared job) buy shoes and some clothes for my charge, book and wait in for trades persons, also wait in for parcels (booked to come when I know we will be home) or collect from the post Office Depot and return parcels if needed. Sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there!! You also don't have to have the children up and dressed (maybe breakfasted) and out of the house at the crack of dawn! You can come home to your children bathed and ready for bed, depending on what hours you need a nanny. The children get to play in their own home and play with their own toys. Most nannies will work if your children are ill and take them to doctors appointments if you so wish.

There are pros and cons to all childcare arrangements and you just decide what works best for you and your family. What works for some, won't work for others.

I think a nanny is probably quite cost effective if you have 2 children in an area where nurseries cost an arm and a leg. Even if you have a school aged child, it can be better to have a nanny because the cost of breakfast and after school clubs are also extortionate in some areas.

I suppose if you work long hours, it is also less stressful to come home and your kids are at home, ready to be bathed and get into bed, without the hassle of rushing to collect them from somewhere or be charged for being late and then schlepping them back home. Gawd, who'd have kids eh?!