nannies who bring their own kids with them?

[Jacksterbear]

I've noticed on childcare.co.uk while looking for a nanny, that lots of nanny profiles state they want to bring their own kids with them. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of a nanny who has done this and whether it worked / there is anything to watch out for, etc, with this arrangement?

Actually i think i would rather my dc be looked after with someone who already has kids,they have got the t shirt etc.My cm has teens,they are both lovely and it swayed me that she herself had brought up such nice kids.They are always really sweet and seem to have bonded with sn dd:)If they are littlies i would see it as a pos in that my dc would have someone to play with.hth

Thanks Mavis. And bump for any other thoughts/experiences?

I'd see it as a downside tbh. You'd have to have extra things at your house for another small baby/child, the child may not fit in with the mindees routine, they may not get along. When older, unfair on the mindee to have to go along with the nannies child to their classes, school run etc.

Pay wise, its no different to a nanny share so I would expect a nanny with own child to be significantly cheaper.

I bring ds to work. It works well for us because he's a similar age to one of my charges so their routines fit well. Also both myself and my employers are flexible about the activities the children do

Things to watch out for:
What are the arrangements if nanny's child is sick? I have emergency childcare in place so I have yet to need a day off work because ds is sick.

What if you want your children to do something that nanny doesn't want her child to do, or vice versa?

What about nursery/school? What if nanny's child goes to a different setting?

Cheers, this is all very helpful stuff, some issues I hadn't thought of too!

Anyone else?

I used to Nanny with my son, similar aged to the child. I had similar routine for them both and I basically followed the child I nannied routine and my son would fit around that most of the time.
I used to ensure I did what the family required of me and that really were happy with my son coming and building friendship with their son. I think it was definitely a positive for their son as an only child who struggled with socialising.

My pay was a lower end of salary but not a nanny share, but I think it depends.

I would say that a family should choose a nanny that they feel fits there needs etc. If you don't want nanny with child then you don't choose one and if you are happy with their child to come along then this can work very well too. There can be lots of positives just depends how well you get along and discuss potential problems before starting.

I had lots of experience and qualification etc so they paid for that too.

I think it's something to consider. It will be more important to find soneone whose parenting philosophy matches yours as closely as possible otherwise the nanny will be disciplining the children differently and that will confuse them.

You can reasonably expect a nanny with own child to have antipated, and pre-emotively resolved, a lot of the potential problems at least in theory. If they haven't even thought about them then it's not a good sign. Some of those decisions will be up to you - are you prepared to pay for nanny's child to go to activities you want your DC to do? Are you prepared to compromise on the range of activities because sone require 1-1 supervision?

On the plus side a nwoc will be seeking stability and continuity for their child as much as for you so if the arrangement works you should get a long term childcarer and your DC a very close friend. They also understand being a parent, one hopes, so may be more flexible and intuitive. You can get an experienced nanny for a lower rate than you otherwise might too.

On the minus side it's not necessarily cheaper - some nannies won't take a reduction on their pre-child rate (although I think they should and personally would be prepared to). They might have very fixed ideas about the right way to do things. They may decide to have another child at which point you may need to revise the arrangement - 1 preschooler may be fine, 2 of nanny's plus yours may not be. You will probably need to buy extra stuff, possibly a double buggy. Nanny may be less flexible about working hours because they don't want to disrupt their child's routine.

You will need to discuss things very thoroughly and have it all set out in a good contract.

I interviewed a lady that I really liked, but she has a 2yo DD she would want to bring. My DCs are 4 and 0 so her DD not close in age to mine, not old enough to play with my 4yo DS for example. Also I'm thinking a toddler takes a LOT of attention, more so than a baby so my DD would lose out on attention. Also, a lady with a 2yo, what are the chances she will want to think about having another DC soon? Arghhhh so tricky!!

Jackstarbear I have a 6 year old year one and a 15 month. Excellent nanny has a 2 year old. She seems good at pre-empting issues and was very convincing in interview. Has invited me to spend time in a park to test how they get on. So pretty good.

But I do wonder about the dynamic with a third in the middle of my two.

Also 3 car seats needed for the car. Need to consider travel arrangements.