Nanny Care: Is It Right for You?

When both parents work outside of the home, they have to make important decisions about child care. Sometimes they make a decision they are less than happy with because they simply do not have all the information they really need. Rachel Jenkins of Southern Nannies Plus, Inc. has put together a two part blog series that will examine one option that many parents often overlook.

Nanny Care: The Advantages and Disadvantages

by Rachel Jenkins, Guest Blogger

What are the advantages of having a nanny?

Not all nannies are Mary Poppins, but your
child should love your nanny!

Parents who have employed a professional nanny will swear by them. They like not having to deal with daily pickups and drop-offs at a center or worry about not going to work because the child is sick and can’t attend daycare.

Mornings can be stressful for most households without the hassle of having to get the little ones fed, dressed, bundled up and loaded in the car to drop off at daycare. With nanny care your baby stays in familiar surroundings, and he can eat and nap on his own schedule. Plus, he's exposed to fewer germs and may get sick less often as a result. The first 12 months a baby is still building up his immune system, and keeping him at home can drastically reduce the number of trips to the pediatrician.

A good nanny will love playing with your children.

Furthermore, there is the child to teacher or caregiver ratio verses the one on one care received through a nanny. Most parents who debate the nanny/daycare issue are sold on the idea of hiring a nanny because they don’t want their child having to vie with other children for attention as he would in a daycare setting. Parents can be very concerned about their children not being tended to first when there is a problem. Having a nanny will ensure those worries go away.

Scheduling can also be more flexible with a nanny than with a daycare center — there may be wiggle room for last-minute changes. If an important meeting pops up at work, for example, you'll have better luck negotiating with your nanny than you would with a center that closes at the same time every day. (Assuming, that is, you haven't pushed the envelope by adjusting her work hours too often.)

What are the disadvantages?

Your nanny may even foster your child's
creative side!

Nanny care is largely unsupervised, making it doubly important that you find someone you trust.  If Nanny decides to leave her position, you will have to scramble to find a replacement. However, through Southern Nannies Plus Inc. we offer nanny sitter services to help meet such needs. I’ve been in the business for over 13 years and have only had to replace 5 nannies. We are thorough with our screening in order to prevent these things from happening.

You can help lessen the disruption of a nanny's departure by specifying in your contract  how much notice she has to give you — a month is customary, and gives you some time to look for a replacement.

There is also the concern for your child's social life. Daycare and preschool automatically put kids in everyday contact with peers, whereas home care does not. To offset this drawback, you may want to sign your child up for classes or encourage the nanny to take her regularly to the park, story hour at the library, or on similar outings to give her that important interaction with other kids. There are also Mother’s Day Out programs that the nanny can take your child to in order to meet his social needs.

In today’s world nanny care is no longer considered a luxury for the wealthy. In some families with multiple children the cost to hire a nanny verses daycare are so close that they can choose the best option based on their needs rather than on financial constraints.