What's cheaper - CM or Nanny?

[moomin35]

Exploring my options, Thank you

For one child a CM will almost certainly be much much cheaper. Even for twin babies a CM would normally be cheaper.

Need more info than that.

How many children do you have?

Depends on the hours you need and your location.

However IME child minders cost £50-£70 per day and a nanny would be £120-£170 per day.

So unless you have 2+ children or work very long or awkward hours a child minder will almost certainly be cheaper

It doesn't necessarily all come down to basic cost. I used to childmind for a set of 3 siblings. I was cheaper than a nanny because the older two were at school so I charged for 1 child @ £5 per hour until 3.15pm then charged 3 x £5 per hour from 3.15-6.30pm. This worked out pretty much the same as afterschool club for the older two at £13 each, plus I worked later than after school club finished, which worked for the parent who couldn't get back any earlier. I also included a hot home cooked meal, which after-school club didn't. It was a term time only contract so I never had them in the holidays where the family would have been charged £15 per hour all day.

As said above, it depends on your exact circumstances.

Hi all, it's just for one child (well,baby!)...

For one child, doing 9 hours I charge around £50per day, inc food and most activities. Nannies in my area charge around £90per day, and families then supply a kitty and food.
I would say a CM is typically cheaper 9times out of 10- however it's a different type of care completely. Cost shouldn't be the only consideration, visit lots of people and research local nanny agencies.

My general rule of thumb is:

1 child = childminder
2 children = childminder or nanny
3 children = nanny
4 children or more = nanny

However as others have already mentioned, it really does depend on more factors than just how many children a family has got. Start time may be a factor - if no childminder will the do the start time you need, then you have no option but to have a nanny. Same goes for days, long gone are the days when people worked 9-5 Mon-Fri.

Look at the cost on an annual basis. Even when comparing two providers of the same type, such as childminders, calculate what the total annual cost is likely to be, as some may charge for time you are on holiday and others may not, as well as other things that may vary. Read through lots of threads on here about childminder fees, nanny costs, get a feel for what type of care you want and see what is in your area. Your local Family Information Service can provide a list of Childminders.

FOr one baby a cm will be cheaper then a nanny