Night Nannies, how much does one cost for say...6 weeks?

[rosieposey]

Just wondering, am not pg but have 13 month old DS and 3 other DC's. DH and i were talking about this last night as we are currently ttc and just remember how utterly old and knackered we are and how bad we felt with DS (although he went through from 8 weeks )

We live in Swindon, Wilts so was just wondering how feasable or expensive it would be to have someone cover for us say 3 or 4 nights a week for the first 4 to 6 weeks?

TIA.

depends on the area and exp of the night nanny anywhere bewteen £100+£150 a night i would say

i charge £12ph and generally do 10hrs 9-7 so £120 a night) - as then i can go to work for 8am

got a 3 week baby next week 4 nights a week (will pay towards/for my holiday+car insurance)

i have friends who charge £15 so £150 a night

but you may find someone who has baby exp but wants to get into nn and will charge less

I am in east midlands and charge £12-£16 an hr depending on how far away family is and whether a single or twins.

I am currently doing 2 nights a week for a baby who is 5wks old been doing it for 2wks and currently its just so parents can get some sleep but will advise and help with routine when they are ready. I am doing 2 nights for however long they need then cutting down to 1 night.

Did a job with twins from july- nov and for first 3mths did 3 nights a week then cut down to 2 nights a week for one mth.

so guess it would be perhaps weighing up whether you want 3-4 nights for 6wks or 2-3 nights for say 8-12wks so for a longer period of time.

You may find someone who will night nanny for £8-£10 an hr depends how much experience and qualifications you want someone to have, if its just solely so you can sleep then maybe look at someone who is looking for first/second night nanny job but has newborn experience and you could be looking at paying around £7 an hr or if you want routine advice and support and feeding advice etc then would look at someone more experienced.

good luck with TTC.

Ohhh thanks ladies, that gives me quite a good idea. this will be DC5. My others are all teens apart from DS so it really is just purely for some kip.

They all went through the night from about 8 ish weeks (or at least longish chunks say 6 hours or so) so thats all im looking for really just the first couple of months maybe 3 nights or so a week.

What happens if you are looking after them? Do you go in a room next to the parents and just do the night feeds, changing ect? I probably wont BF (although i like to wait and see how im feeling afterwards - sometimes i will for a few weeks, EBF with DS for 9 weeks but mixed with FF from 6) or if mother is BFing do you bring in baby? Not really sure how it works, we do have plenty of room at our house so was just thinking that on nights that nanny did it could just sleep straight through knowing nanny could look after and feed (either expressed or formula)?

Normally I have shared a room with the baby/babies or been in a room next door so parents can get maximum sleep. (sometimes this is the babies nursery with a single bed in or sometimes the guest bedroom and take baby in moses basket into room with me).

With breast fed babies you have the option of nanny bringing baby into when wakes so you can feed (seems silly being woken when paying someone so you can sleep!!) or expressing so nanny can cup feed in first couple weeks then bottle feed the expressed milk.

obv with formula feeds nanny can make feeds and feed them, I tend to make enough bottles cooled boiled water take them up to bed with me and take one of those little divider pots you can pre-measure the powder into so dont waste any and also not up and down stairs for every feed being noisy waking everyone up.

also nappy changes are part of job, ensuring bottles are washed and in steriliser - if have time before go in morning if not at least washed ready for steriliser.

baby can be dressed in morning if requested by parents if nanny has time depending on feed time.

some families I have worked for have been happy for me to leave baby in moses basket asleep with a note on how they fed and let myself out so they can get max sleep - if baby awake give them a knock 10mins before due to go. Other families have set their alarms so they are up before I go and often breast feeding mums are up as leaking milk or breasts aching so much by about 6am they need to feed or express!!

Night nanny tends to work 9pm-7am but this could be negotiated to meet your needs.

hope that helps

Yes thats brilliant info thanks I think i would be up before the nanny left as intend to take full advantage of the 9 till 7 if not BFing then will be able to cope with toddler/teenagers as well as newborn with ease i hope!

i share a room with baby and if bottle obv i do it all [smile

if bf then i take baby into room and then either wait or go - one mum likes to have a natter so we talk about sex tv etc

other mums want me to go and then call me

i then wind/chnage and settle back to sleep

lol im probably one of those talk about shite sex mums, i just would really value 3 or 4 proper nights sleep, Im a type 2 diabetes and i become vitually insulin resistant because of my placenta at the end of pg so am really knackered for the first few weeks after CS. DH and i really struggled when DS was born and swore if we were ever going to do it again that a couple of grand was a worthwhile investment (and we arent loaded either) i just think that you cant put a price on rest and sleep and it makes for a much happier family if there is someone to help out.

BHMF - does you day family not mind you working all night and then going to them tired?

Tbh it is none of my employers business what I do out of hours as long as I still do my job properly

I only work 3 days a week and when I do nightwork I tend to do every other night

I am lucky and I don't need much sleep. When I am at home I'm up till midnight and then awake 6ish

And even if I am home with dh snoring and farting, I prob get more sleep when working night lol

but no my MB doesn't mind as she knows I will always put 100% into my job regardless if I worked the previous night

you could turn it around and say that mums who go back to work&their children don't sleep through the night don't do their job as well as their childless
collegues

Hi, I am in Dorset and I charge around £9 per hour for night nanny work so this is probably what you would pay in Wiltshire too.

For 24 hours I charge £150 for a single baby.

Standard here is £80 a night from 9/10pm-7/8am. I don't know of anyone who has paid more than this.

That sounds like really reasonable rates, how do i find a night nanny though, do i advertise or approach an agency? If you find nannys through agencys there is usually a fee isnt there?

I am in Herts and am one of the ones that charges (and gets) £15 per hour so £150 a night

I am currently coming to the end of a 12 week contract of working 5 nights a week and am very busy for the rest for the rest of the year.

Like any job - if you're good at what you do, you get the work.

I have often been given the contract over much cheaper nannies as I have over 17 years experience, newborn twin and triplets experience, colic and reflux experience and I am a mum of 3 myself and have excellent refs.

It definitely sounds more beneficial to the nanny to work nights or charge an hourly rate as looking at the 24 hour rate even in London it is not that much.

Rosie, yes an agency would charge a fee. You could put an add on nannyjob and do all the leg work yourself.

I have been booked through ads on netmums and gumtree and also through agencies (but that rare) and also word of mouth.

Some maternity nurses who work 24hrs are also willing to do nights.

I would once you are pregnant and about 20wks pregnant put an advert on netmums for your area for a nanny with newborn experience looking for first night nanny job and put that pay reflects this (would offer around £7 gross an hr), especially as it is solely so you can sleep rather than routine/advice related (sounds like you know your stuff as have older children!).

One family with twins I worked for gave up their 2 annual holidays that year so they could have a night nanny they said their sleep was more valuable to them in those first 3-4mths and getting babies into a routine esp as they had 2 older ones.

eastmidlands thats invaluable advice which i shall be taking up.

TBH i only need someone who will literally look after lo (change and feed and cuddle) in order that we can sleep, like you said having older DC's 17,15&13 plus DS 13 months has made it so that i pretty much know how to get them into a routine after 6 weeks or so. I will have to have another CS and just getting even 3/4 full nights sleep per week would be fantastic for both me and DH.

We havent got loads of money (having just taken on a much larger mortgage and house due to having DS and planning this other one) but i have made sure we have saved a little bit back from our old house sale in order to be able to get this support for the first 6 weeks or so as being THAT knackered just made it all go in a blur and i would love to appreciate that newborn time next time iyswim? No holiday for us either this or next year im sure but it will be worth it

Good luck with TTC and your hunt for a night nanny when the time comes feel free to post on here again nearer the time or welcome to send me a message. I am sure you will find someone really lovely, and will prob have quite a few applicants as so many people find it hard to get into night nannying as most parents want someone very experienced.

I am due my first end aug/beg sept and am hoping all my knowledge and skills come in useful and own baby is sleeping through by 12wks old!!

eastmidlandsnightnanny. Thats what I thought when I had my own.

Ah thank you eastmidlands good luck with the rest of your pg - i am sure you will be fine with the nights, although i reckon my times up with being lucky and getting early sleep-through-the-nighters, will be sods law that this next one will not sleep through till they are 5 or so.