Nanny bringing her own DS to work - problem or not?

[munteria]

Hi all

I have found a potential nanny who would bring her own DS to work. he will be the same age as my son (1) so would be quite nice for them to play together whilst my DD (3) at nursery.

is this a problem do you think?

Totally depends on the nanny I think. Our nanny has brought her DS with her since he was 6 weeks old and also looks after my 1 yr old DS and nearly 3 yr DD. She is amazing and it totally works as she is super organised and they all get along very nicely together. Trust your instinct I reckon.

Depends on a million things. Personally, I would consider it if it came with a considerable pay cut.

Some things to think about:
Will 2 one-year olds prevent then from going places (i.e. on the bus/tube)?
Will your DD be the odd one out while the boys play together?
What will happen when nanny's DS is ill?
What will happen when your kids are ill?
What will happen when you want to sign your DS up for something like swimming? Will he be able to do this? Will you have to pay for nanny's DS to take the class too?
Do you and nanny have similar parenting styles when it comes to discipline and nutrition?

Not necessarily a problem but search 'nanny with own child' threads in here for a list of things you'll need to sort out. Off the top of my head:

who provides any additional equipment eg double buggy
what happens when nanny's child is sick
who pays for outings/activities
who pays for food
what happens if nanny's child doesn't do the same activities as your child
is your style of disciplining the same
is nanny able to do the hours you need and prepared to get her own DS up early/go to bed late
do the children have the same/similar routines and if not will nanny maintain your DSs routine

In the long term:
is nanny's child likely to go to the same school as yours (school run logistics)
what happens if nanny has another child - will you be happy to continue the arrangement