Nanny for 4 children? Would this work?

[emy72]

I am going back to work in September (full time) and I am already stressing out about childcare arrangements. I could really do with some wise mumsnet advice please!

My older 2 would be at school although one of them on part time school until Christmas, then there would be a 2 and a half year old doing 2 afternoon sessions at pre-school plus a 1 year old baby who would be at home. All the school runs/pre-schools are very local, ie 5 minutes walk, 10 with very tantrumy toddlers lol

We both work from home, so we can do odd pick ups, etc....

Do you think a nanny would work? Would us working from home be a problem? Would 4 children be too many for a nanny, although I guess 2 would be at school? And finally - any successful way of finding a good nanny, ie where do I start???

Any thoughts welcome! Thanks in advance!

I've nannied for a family with 4 children, it works fine.
I expect the working from home thing will be more of an issue, as it can be hard for the children and for you to separate your role of mum vs 'at work'. If you are working from part of the house which can be sealed off from the rest then it could work but if you will be using areas that the children will also use then it may be tricky, at first.
Soundproofing can also be difficult - children make noise and it can travel some distance. Not great if you are on a business call to some far away place on a poor line to have a toddler making lots of noise in the room nextdoor.

nannynick, thanks for your reply! The part of the house is sealed off, even has a separate entrance. However, noise like you say does travel, so this could be tricky at times....food for thought!!!

I once nannied for a family with 8 children! I know several nannies who have/have had 4 children or more. You should be fine for applicants. As nick suggested some nannies will have a problem with work-from-home parents. I suggest you and your husband/partner decide how much 'contact' and intervention you can live with during a normal working day and be brutally honest with prospective nannies. It may take a bit longer to find a match, but better than several term nannies imo.

Good luck!

sorry -

several SHORT term nannies.

Sounds like it could work quite well given your setup, as you and DH/DP can go to work like other parents do... it's just that you walk around the corner and disappear back inside the same building!

What childcare are your children already used to having? You say you are going back to work, which to me implies that you worked before... so your older children may be used to being left with someone/somewhere, thus may not be a great shock to them when you go to work again.

If your work is flexible at times (you mention being able to do pick-ups) then one thing perhaps to do is to spend some quality time with a child each day / each week / each month. So for example say one Wednesday afternoon a month you collect your oldest child from school and take them out to the shops and a cafe. Children can often like doing this sort of thing... it's spending a short period of time, could be just an hour, with one parent who is devoting all their time to that child.

While you will be spending time with your children when the nanny isn't working... the children have to share you. So if you are able to take advantage of the nanny being there to care for the other children, do try spending a short period of time with each child individually - children love mummy/daddy time.

Will you be looking for a live-out nanny, or a live-in?

Hi Nannynick

thanks for your input and thoughts, they are very much appreciated - I hadn't thought of all that, but it makes a lot of sense!!!

I will be looking for a live out nanny - I might consider putting an advert on nannyjobs as many on here have suggested...

PS My other children have been to nursery when they were younger, I guess that was quite a while ago. However, they will be fine with a nanny, they love new people xx

You will also need a nanny who is not the type who will ask you what do do. Although you will be on-site, you will be in the office, so once you walk out of the front door you are not available except in emergency. If nanny needs to ask you something I feel they should do that as per with parents who work away from home - so using e-mail, phone, or waiting until the end of the day.

Leaving your children with someone else you may find quite hard. Being onsite it will be very tempting to check up on them. However that may make if harder for you and for your children. Psychologically it may help if you don't go to work by walking through the house. Instead go out of the front door and round to the other enterance. In Winter with snow on the ground that may really seem a pain but with luck by winter you will be settled into the work routine and you and your children will not have separation issues.
For a live-out nanny, I suggest finding someone local - say someone who lives within 10 miles of your home. Whilst you may not have far to go to work, that does not mean that you will accept your nanny being late for work.
Nannyjob is a good place to start. Ask on here for advice re composing an advert if required. The decision to include salary in the job ad, or not to include it is one thing that gets discussed on here from time to time. I feel the salary should be specified as it helps show that you have given it thought and have calculated what can be afforded. If a nanny wants more than you can afford to pay then they may not apply for the job. While they may be an excellent candidate, if you can't afford the salary they wan't, it's a non starter.

ditto everything nick says

but yes i have nannied for 4 children and is fine, tho hetic

the nanny needs to be in charge and what they say goes, the children can not run into your office and winge/try to play off each other

the seperate entrance sounds fab, tho some nannys dont like having parents who work from home so be warned, i would write in ad, that you work from home but have seperate office

Hi, I don't know where you are based but we used Nurturing Nannies in Muswell Hill, for our nanny and she is fab! Really great agency and fairly cheap compared to many others. You can google them.