Nanny Questions!

[pommedeterre]

Am currently pg with number 3. Have two dc aged 4 and 2. Dc1 starting school September.

We have a great nanny 3-4 days a week.

When we have three can I expect the nanny to look after all three in the school holidays? Even when baby is 6 months ish?

Also as they get older and are at school/nursery and don't need childcare when I work what happens at school holidays? Do any nannies offer school run/school holiday type care only?

Yes, nannies can look after 3 children.

It is possible to find after school nannies, but harder than finding an all-day nanny. If you need someone who will also do full time in school holidays, and cover sickness, inset days it might be even harder.

Certainly a nanny can care for 3 children, I do now and have cared for 4 children in the past. A nanny makes more sense the more children you have as unlike other childcare types, it is not a per-child cost.

Some nannies will do before/after school care and then all day care during school holidays. However it needs to be financially viable for all involved, so a nanny who needs to be earning what they would earn doing a 50 hour week, is not that likely to cut that to 25 hours. Situations change though, the nannies out goings may have dropped a lot over time - or gone up - so nannies do move on to working for other families due to various reasons, one of which can be that their working hours have dramatically dropped.

Of course your nanny can look after all 3

I had 3 under 5.5 in last job

I wouldn't worry about what happens when all at school /nursery. That's in 3years time and who knows what you / the nanny will be doing

Yes you can get after school nannies and full time in holidays but also with 3 it's handy to have someone on call as often sickness - baker days - school holidays etc

Ok all, thanks for the reassurance on three!

Holiday thing will be a bridge to cross when we come to it I guess.

My nanny looks after 3! It's quite normal. Two of mine are at school now, so she only has 3 during half-terms and holidays - but she prefers it when they're all there, as she likes the 'bustle' of it all crazy lady :)

You have to think about the situation and work it out between yourselves once it comes to all the children being at school/nursery. My youngest is starting pre-school in September, but I am keeping my nanny for the same hours (9 hours a day, 2 days a week) as I need the cover for illness/holidays etc. Plus I really value the continuity of having the same nanny. We have agreed that when there are no children at home she will do ironing, laundry, tidying of kids stuff, baking/cooking, errands (like changing library books). My nanny is happy with this, and I think I will really appreciate the pressure it takes off me, so I can spend more time with the kids. It may not be a long-term situation, but it will cover the next couple of years, and then we'll both think again.