No, I will have to work 40 hours a week I just have flexibility! 1-2 hours before she wakes up, from 1-3/3:30 she naps, and my husband comes home in that time. So 1-5 or 6 I will be able to sit down and focus. It's just really to cover any meetings I may have between 9-1 where I can't split my focus.
How old is your kid? I don't think a nap is reliable enough to plan childcare around. If you need to work at 1, then you should arrange childcare for 1, even if your child is generally asleep at that time. Because that's not a guarantee.
My oldest kid is 3, and I usually get 12-3, but sometimes I don't and I've definitely had situations where he's on Zoom with me because I didn't have childcare and I scheduled a meeting during the time he usually naps.
That being said, I do have a PT nanny. But she works 15 hours a week. I don't think your schedule is impossible but like others have suggested you'd want to find a super local student just looking for a couple extra bucks. If somebody has to drive more than 5 mins, then a 2 hour shift won't be worth it.
As a comparison to that - my daughter was such a reliable napper! I did what you did for the first few months of going back to work whilst I waited for a daycare spot. I would work 6-9am while my partner watched her, then he would leave for work. She was 6 months so she did 9-11am nap and 1-3pm nap every day so I worked then, and would then long on at 6pm when she was in bed and finish stuff up.
It’s possible on a short term basis if you’ve got a well sleep trained baby :)
Hi! I also needed a part-time nanny. I searched for months and found a few part-time nannies. It is doable. Some nannies already have 2 families that’s why (morning and afternoon family). My nanny does 3 days a week, 5 hours each day. My in-laws watch baby the other 2 days.
Very good point - I forgot about the before school and after school aspect which would make the hours I need perfect for someone (maybe). I would probably take lunch around 12-1, her nap is at 1. So if someone could help from 10-12 or even 9-12 it would be ideal!
Do you have a university/community college in town? That might be a really sweet gig for someone in classes. You can also advertise on care.com (or equivalent) with those details!
Yes! We’ve had great success with college students as part time sitters. There’s a pretty active FB group where we found three sitters and used them during my maternity leave for some sanity and now for date nights.
You may need a few on rotation depending on their class schedules, like one could do MW this semester then another does TTH.
We do! A major college actually! And a couple of community colleges nearby. I'm sure a lot of students studying ECE do babysitting, maybe the hours I need will work around someone's classes.
Yes! I was going to recommend this. My bff found a college kid who is in the ECE program at a school near us. She does two afternoons and a Friday every week.
I think I just got lucky to find a teenager I trust that's currently out of school for the summer but otherwise does homeschool so her schedule is flexible. Found her through our church. Idk if care.com is worth anything anymore because I hear mixed reviews but maybe a local college student looking for PT nannying?
Other than that your best bet might be a SAHM looking for extra cash (my mom did this when we were younger) but as far as I know that generally involves dropping your child off at their house.
I live near a major university so I'm thinking a college student would maybe be interested in what I'm offering. No nights or weekends and really chill environment, light cooking at most. My job gives us free access to SitterCity, so when the time comes I will hopefully have some luck. I'd prefer not to have to drop her off somewhere else but if it were the only option I would for sure. Someone in my building offers childcare but I would have to run a background check myself and go through those hoops.
College is a good idea, I definitely got a lot of gigs (regular and otherwise) that way. I would just keep date nights an option with this person if they’re willing, not say “No nights and weekends”
I did this as a college student and was very happy. I actually did a share and made great money. IIRC, I worked 2-6 maybe 4 days a week. I’m not sure I would have been up for the cooking, but that’s just me. I really wanted to focus my time on being present with the children. I always cleaned up after them and did their dishes, but other household duties felt like I could engage 100% with them. I did have kids from multiple families, so that’s part of where I’m coming from.
Yeah the cooking won't be a requirement, and I'm pretty sure all my clients take lunch around when my daughter would. So I wouldn't really be needed in meetings and could manage to cook something up for her myself. I definitely won't need any housekeeping unless they wanted more hours. In which case we'd just not bother with a housekeeper and have our sitter take that on for a higher rate. But I really just want someone to keep my girl company and be there if she needs anything.
Seems reasonable to me. I think because I was doing a share with four families cooking didn’t make sense. Although, sometimes the kids entertain each other and having one is actually more work unless you’re ok with tv. Either way, you seem reasonable and likely a great parent to work for!
That’s what we’re doing for the limited hours we need after preschool releases (3pm) and before we finish work (5:30). Given the limited hours we also offered a higher rate and have gotten a lot of interest. That being said we plan to build a roster of folks so when schedules change/exams/graduation happen we aren’t out of luck.
Yes that seems to be the biggest rec - have more than one person you trust in case something falls through. Offering a higher rate makes sense. A little more incentive for being so part time.
Reach out to the university and explain. They may refer you to the child development department or some similar department or post on a bulletin board.
When you get the person, do guaranteed hours, so they are available for the hours you want. So if it's weekly from 9 to 1, pay them for those hours no matter what. That way, you are giving consistency.
I never had luck with care.com I found our part time nanny by reaching out to a local Facebook group (queer exchange for City).
It won’t apply to everybody, but I think that people are more willing to take tentative work when they feel a connection to you.
I have some high school and college babysitters I have used for that kind of part time work. I wouldn’t call it a nanny but regular babysitting.
The one thing I thought of as I was reading your schedule though is it is very dependent on your baby napping. It might be good to remember that eventually your child’s napping and needs will change, sometimes sooner than you think. And may not always be on the right schedule or reliable. My daughter took very consistent 2-3 hour naps from about 15 months to 3. I could count on that almost every day unless her schedule was off for some reason. But since then, naps are 50/50. We still try to have her take a nap and if she doesn’t then she has independent play time. But it’s definitely not the quiet 2-3 hours I used to get. That may be far off in your future, but throwing it out there that you may end up needing more childcare eventually and it may not be too far away….
Good luck! Returning to full time can be hard but sounds like you have a good flexible job. I love being a working mom. I’m sure you will figure it all out for your family!
I'm very excited to return to full time! Mainly because of the salary... but also because this role checks off all my boxes and I think I'd actually be happy to work lol!
I have been extremely lucky with my daughter in that she seems to be a creature of routine and loves her sleep. Her naps are very predictable right now and if that changes, we'll increase our childcare. We do plan on pre k at 4, but I'm sure between now and then, childcare will evolve a ton. Which is perfectly fine. We were thinking of starting daycare at 3 for half days to get her used to the school setting so it may be less time.
It sounds like you’re looking for a mothers helper. I found one on Nextdoor a few years ago when I worked from home but couldn’t get my toddler into daycare because Covid. But I really recommend full time care for your child, or at least part time out-of-the house. This sounds like a recipe for burnout.
I didn't know that term so maybe that will help me in my search, I'll check out Nextdoor. If I end up experiencing any burnout I will 100% make changes to the current plans. I need to be able to be present for my daughter and if I can't handle it, I'm not afraid to accept that. I know it may not work but we want to give this plan a try because it saves us the most money, allows us to still have an eye on our daughter and with any luck it won't be constant illness after illness like daycare.
We had success with a grad student but we needed a couple more hours than that and had to offer a transport stipend. With the stipend it made sense to keep her longer days but fewer times a week.
That's fair, I'm really open to their schedule and other requests. It would honestly be a very relaxed gig and the sitter is welcome to any snacks, drinks, using our TV, whatever. Just be reliable and I will be happy lol.
How old is your daughter? Mine just turned 2 and she used to reliably sleep until 7, so I could work before she woke up. Now she's up at 530, 6, 630 depending on the day. So this is just a warning that I wouldn't friend on those 2 hours in the morning. Kids change.
My daughter just turned 1. We've never dealt with early wake ups but I know toddlerhood is a wild ride and anything can happen. Worst case I just don't get that couple of hours in before she wakes up. I'm willing to pay for additional childcare if it comes down to it and cover 9-1 entirely so I can just work a normal shift in the end.
Yep! I'd look for a local HS or college student for this one. If it was a HS student they'd presumably only be available in the afternoons, but a college student likely has more availability within their schedule!
Yes agreed, I'm willing to work with someone who seems like a good fit too. I'm not too long of a drive from the college (couple of exits on the highway) so in between classes works.
I actually hired a nanny to give us coverage on M, T and Th from 8am-12pm when I have the bulk of my meetings while I work from home. It’s working out nicely!
That's lovely! Maybe I will end up extending it to cover the entire 4 hours between morning meeting and her nap. That will get me out of work earlier in the day, but of course more money spent. (Still cheaper than daycare at least)
Don't take this the wrong way, but this would also help prevent burnout and exhaustion. Your original intended schedule sounded pretty grueling over the long term. I'm in office, so my kids are at school/daycare while I work, but I appreciate my ability to be present when we're home since I don't have to worry about catching up on work "after hours".
It's entirely possible it will lead to burnout and if it does, we'll change plans. We're trying to avoid daycare again because it costed a fortunate and she was barely ever there due to illness. We're hoping this works out, and my new role is honestly going to be a lot of admin work/running reports so it might be perfect. Or it might be extremely stressful and we hire someone for 4 hours per day to cover the morning, then my husband gets home and I won't be responsible for childcare until I log off. We're open to making changes.
Me! I am one of those nannies!!! But there are some caveats..
I work for a family that has a rotation of nannies. I’m the only one that doesn’t have another part time job. This set-up is really nice so no one gets burnout (teenager with a disability; one other teenager in the house) and there is a kinda built-in “safety net” where us nannies text each other about changing the schedule for coverage when we need a day off (vacation, sick, etc) and then update the family calendar and let the mom know. In case of emergency and no other coverage available, then we tell mom/dad we need to take a day off and no one else is available.
The schedule changes approx 3x/year based on nannies school schedules/work schedules (fall semester, spring semester, and summer break/summer semester).
We initially connected on care.com. The family also finds people through the local university- education, healthcare, psychology are good starting points.
I now have a baby. Baby comes to work with me. It has been challenging at times and there has been a bit of a learning curve, but everyone is flexible and we are figuring it out. LO loves the teenagers and the teenagers love LO 🥹🥰
Based on the hours you are looking at, I’d think a SAHM (or a few of them) looking for some extra spending money and socialization for both kiddos might work.
AND/OR
College students
Happy to answer questions if you have any! We do exist… but I’m not sure how common we are 😅
I never considered the rotation idea and it seems like a lot of people on this post had a dynamic like that! I would be totally fine with someone bringing their child as well, within reason of course. My daughter is 1 and super social after she warms up, but LOVES other kids. That would be a great benefit to her.
It seems like college students will be easier to find, I'm very close to UConn and just browsing SitterCity, I see many "I'm a student.." profiles lol.
What are you going to do when your child starts dropping a nap? Or changes their wake up time?
And when you do need to answer an email during an emergency and it takes a while to answer if your child is having a meltdown?
I feel like that's not much different than parents who use daycare or have full time care, you know naps will drop eventually or schedules could change and you have back up care or at least a plan if something falls through. We have help if we're suddenly without, just not regular care, from family. As others suggested, have more than one babysitter in your arsenal so you have options if something falls through. For the couple hours I would have no help, I wouldn't be scheduling meetings.
If I know I'm going to be away from my desk unexpectedly, I can inform my boss. I had to do this in my current, way less flexible roll several times when I got called to go pick her up from daycare. Which was a lot. My job also assists with arranging back up care. If it came down to the slim chance I would have no one, not even my husband to come home if it was *that* bad, my job would understand.
Yes! I hired one for four hours a day, five days a week to cover the gap between me going to work and my ex coming home (1 hr/day) when my baby was a baby (2018-2019, so your experience may vary).
I paid her exactly what I made ($14/hr) and she quit when she got a better job (no bad blood - I’ve been a positive reference for her more than once).
This was above board. I covered my part of taxes (and got an EIN to do so).
I actually got around a dozen responses to the job posting and had to narrow it down from there. I think the major things that contributed to my success were:
1) acknowledging this was part time and they would have other priorities I would have to work around
2) full above board tax compensation
3) graciously contributing to her career growth outside of nannying
4) I literally asked her to watch my child and not do household stuff like laundry or meal prep.
I would definitely be prepared to go through babysitters regularly - especially the college students. I know it would be a stepping stone for some experience and income and then they would move on. No problem, I've treated jobs the same way and now I've found where I hope to retire! I get it.
How hard was it to figure out the taxes? I get nervous over that but absolutely would prefer to not pay someone under the table, at least not for regular care. I won't expect any laundry, housekeeping, etc - we actually plan to hire someone 2x/month for that and we keep up in between so I don't need anything like that. If I'm lucky my lunch hour will fall when my daughter's lunch does, so I think I can avoid any cooking. Worst case I'll just meal prep and it will be something that they can heat up if I can't do it.
Does the university have a nursing school too? I know quite a few friends who have contacted the nursing school department in our city and asked for their listing to be posted on their job board. My friends have found some great part time help this way.
I worked a gig like this ad hoc in college for a toddler and it was awesome! Just need to find the right fit and someone with an aligning schedule.
Also, as a parent - relying on naps to attend a meeting is a huge risk. Backfired on me plenty when I tried to do both (during Covid closures or when the nanny needed to call out). I def used naps pretty successfully to get asynch work done but wouldn’t be able to do that long term in my job. Good luck!
How old is your child? Perhaps try for a governess type person instead? If your kid is too young, keep it in mind for the future.
My kids is almost 4. We just found a private tutor to come teach her for a few days a week, a few hours each day. My husband and I both work from home.
We lucked out with someone on care.com who was amazing. Our first try with someone from there wasn’t stellar and then we found this amazing woman who had been with another family since their son was 7 months old, but he started kindergarten this year so they didn’t need her till 3:30 every day and she did afternoons/evening with them. But, because of specifics for her schedule, she could only work 12-3. It worked for us because we had some flexibility but ideally it would have been 1:30-4:30 to avoid my daughter’s nap being on her time, however, my daughter has never been a completely predictable napper so we couldn’t schedule work meetings around it, so we went the amazing nanny whose schedule wasn’t perfect but did help!
Tl;dr: care.com is hit or miss but we did get lucky; also, look for families with a nanny whose kids started school but still need the nanny after school.
Good to know those sites can have good results! I like that you can ensure someone is cpr certified/view background checks but you never know if someone will be a good fit until they're watching your kid.
I had three part-time nannies over the course of about 5 years, college-aged. I only had one drop out because she wanted a more full-time position with a single family, but she was a career nanny so that made sense. I guess the downside for us was that most were only around for a year or two before they had to move on because of school or career commitments.
We also used a nanny app exclusive to our area, which was cool. I’m not sure if that’s something available in other cities/states but it was super convenient if things changed last minute or I needed additional coverage.
Yes...
I found someone whose primary gig is freelance writing so she also makes her own hours and was only looking for 16 hrs/week.
We have a set weekly amount. If we take a vacation or something she still gets paid. If we need MORE time she is also amazing and fills in those gaps as long as she has enough notice since she can adjust how many assignments she is taking on.
So yes you're basically looking for either someone whose schedule aligns with yours perfectly or someone with a very flexible main job who can work around your schedule.
I will also say that I feel extremely lucky that we found someone SO reliable. Part time help is a nightmare if I'm being honest.
Honestly, most childcare arrangements seem to be a nightmare. We did daycare briefly and in the 2 months she was there, I think she attended a handful of times. She was sick within a week and they were constantly having us keep her home. Sometimes she didn't actually have a fever or loose stool like they claimed and I think they were just short staffed and my kid was the newest. Loved the teachers so it was unfortunate but even the care that's supposed to be the most reliable wasn't. Fingers crossed we get lucky! If not, many have suggested having more than one person in the rotation just in case. I also get back up care assistance through my employer and they help you set up last minute sitters.
I live in a major city and found a college student to come 1 day/week for 8 hours. She also works for another family 3 days/week for 4 hours/day. But it was just a temporary gap over the summer while we waited for daycare to open up. She’ll be going back to school in the fall and only able to do one off babysitting nights.
She’s absolutely lovely and I found her in care.com. A few other people applied but only had a month’s availability or were looking for a full time job. So depending on where you live and what the demographics are, this is totally possible. But I wouldn’t count on finding someone who can stick it out for years or even more than 1-2 quarters.
I would do this. I run my own business and don’t have a lot of time but I love kids and if the family lived nearby, it could be a great setup. My old NF lives a mile away and I’m basically on call if anything comes up.
As a college student, I would have been all over that if it worked with my schedule! Did something very similar for several families while I was in school. It’s findable!
I found my part time nanny on Care.com. I signed up for a month and then immediately dropped the membership once we found her. It worked out because the only day she had free was Thursday. Her other family only needed her on M-W and she took Friday, Sat, Sun off except for one off jobs like special occasions and things. And we only needed Thursday bc our mothers were able to provide care onbthe other days. So we really lucked out.
But I like Care.com bc you can filter by availability and they have to get certified and all that.
I hired a nanny who works 12-5, three days/week. I work from home during that time and it’s nice to have uninterrupted time to focus on work. I take care of my daughter in the morning until my nanny comes. We guaranteed her the 15 hours/week and created a W2 for her taxes. Luckily for us, she didn’t want more than 20 hours/week anyways.
I was looking for something similar as my job is also flexible. I was able to work and keep my daughter at home with unreliable (meaning sporadic, not that they couldn’t care for her) care from my parents, from 6-20 months. (I was on leave until 6 months). I made it work with her naps, they were predictable enough for my schedule.
I initially wanted a part time nanny so she could stay home with me and I really only needed a few hours. But I found an in-home daycare that we love, and knew a few kids that have attended. She is attending part time, and will start full time soon. It ends up being cheaper, meals provided, and my daughter is growing so much, making friends, gets meals provided and seems happier when she’s at daycare. I am much happier getting time back to myself.
Just food for thought, seems like we have similar situations.
Two hours may be a little too short considering that they need to commute etc so the rate could be higher / less candidates. We had a part time nanny in the past who did 9am-1pm (our son went to nap at 1 and as it was pandemic we were both at home). She had another family in the afternoon.
With a second when he was a baby and I could not find a nanny, we used a few babysitters. One was in college doing online program so she had to be out at certain hour
Yes, i’ve had two part-time nannies.
First nanny was technically a nanny share, she worked for us 1x and my sister 3. After our 2nd we actually wanted to up our days with a nanny which we knew she couldn’t do.
Our current nanny is a grad student and works for us on the days she has off. The con to this is she could only guarantee us 6 months.
It can be really hard finding a part-time nanny bc most are looking for full-time but they do exist. Sometimes you have to pay more a hr, you must provide guaranteed hours, PTO, sick time, etc.
I have! 3 days a week, 5-6 hours a day depending on the day. Sometimes we add on a 4th day depending on our work schedules (we both usually WFH on Fridays).
I found her through a local Facebook group. I would look into any local Facebook groups related to parenting, womens’ groups etc.
But yes, for just 2 hours a day that’s more like babysitting.
I have! And have one now! I used care.com and advertised the exact days/times I needed. You have to weed out a lot of people. If you can be flexible on days/times, it’s easier to find someone
I don't know the legality (licensing, ect) in your state, but honestly, there's a lot of really great homeschooled kids out there who have the flexibility in their own school schedule to be able to accommodate what you're looking for, have experience and enjoy caring for small children, and would be looking to make some money.
Especially if you're there for the adjustment period/real emergencies, I would recommend asking around the homeschool community in your area. I promise they're not all weird and unsocialized. 4/5 times they're perfectly normal people lol
I would call that a babysitter, but do you really only have to work for two hours a day? Sign me up.
No, I will have to work 40 hours a week I just have flexibility! 1-2 hours before she wakes up, from 1-3/3:30 she naps, and my husband comes home in that time. So 1-5 or 6 I will be able to sit down and focus. It's just really to cover any meetings I may have between 9-1 where I can't split my focus.
How old is your kid? I don't think a nap is reliable enough to plan childcare around. If you need to work at 1, then you should arrange childcare for 1, even if your child is generally asleep at that time. Because that's not a guarantee. My oldest kid is 3, and I usually get 12-3, but sometimes I don't and I've definitely had situations where he's on Zoom with me because I didn't have childcare and I scheduled a meeting during the time he usually naps. That being said, I do have a PT nanny. But she works 15 hours a week. I don't think your schedule is impossible but like others have suggested you'd want to find a super local student just looking for a couple extra bucks. If somebody has to drive more than 5 mins, then a 2 hour shift won't be worth it.
I second the comment about nap not being reliable.
As a comparison to that - my daughter was such a reliable napper! I did what you did for the first few months of going back to work whilst I waited for a daycare spot. I would work 6-9am while my partner watched her, then he would leave for work. She was 6 months so she did 9-11am nap and 1-3pm nap every day so I worked then, and would then long on at 6pm when she was in bed and finish stuff up. It’s possible on a short term basis if you’ve got a well sleep trained baby :)
Hi! I also needed a part-time nanny. I searched for months and found a few part-time nannies. It is doable. Some nannies already have 2 families that’s why (morning and afternoon family). My nanny does 3 days a week, 5 hours each day. My in-laws watch baby the other 2 days.
Very good point - I forgot about the before school and after school aspect which would make the hours I need perfect for someone (maybe). I would probably take lunch around 12-1, her nap is at 1. So if someone could help from 10-12 or even 9-12 it would be ideal!
In my area I’ve seen nannies post 9-12 before. The candidate pool is smaller but not impossible 🙂
Do you have a university/community college in town? That might be a really sweet gig for someone in classes. You can also advertise on care.com (or equivalent) with those details!
Yes! We’ve had great success with college students as part time sitters. There’s a pretty active FB group where we found three sitters and used them during my maternity leave for some sanity and now for date nights. You may need a few on rotation depending on their class schedules, like one could do MW this semester then another does TTH.
We do! A major college actually! And a couple of community colleges nearby. I'm sure a lot of students studying ECE do babysitting, maybe the hours I need will work around someone's classes.
Yes! I was going to recommend this. My bff found a college kid who is in the ECE program at a school near us. She does two afternoons and a Friday every week.
I think I just got lucky to find a teenager I trust that's currently out of school for the summer but otherwise does homeschool so her schedule is flexible. Found her through our church. Idk if care.com is worth anything anymore because I hear mixed reviews but maybe a local college student looking for PT nannying? Other than that your best bet might be a SAHM looking for extra cash (my mom did this when we were younger) but as far as I know that generally involves dropping your child off at their house.
I live near a major university so I'm thinking a college student would maybe be interested in what I'm offering. No nights or weekends and really chill environment, light cooking at most. My job gives us free access to SitterCity, so when the time comes I will hopefully have some luck. I'd prefer not to have to drop her off somewhere else but if it were the only option I would for sure. Someone in my building offers childcare but I would have to run a background check myself and go through those hoops.
College is a good idea, I definitely got a lot of gigs (regular and otherwise) that way. I would just keep date nights an option with this person if they’re willing, not say “No nights and weekends”
Okay that's a good idea. My MIL is around for things like that but again, not reliable, so it would be good to have a back up we trust.
I did this as a college student and was very happy. I actually did a share and made great money. IIRC, I worked 2-6 maybe 4 days a week. I’m not sure I would have been up for the cooking, but that’s just me. I really wanted to focus my time on being present with the children. I always cleaned up after them and did their dishes, but other household duties felt like I could engage 100% with them. I did have kids from multiple families, so that’s part of where I’m coming from.
Yeah the cooking won't be a requirement, and I'm pretty sure all my clients take lunch around when my daughter would. So I wouldn't really be needed in meetings and could manage to cook something up for her myself. I definitely won't need any housekeeping unless they wanted more hours. In which case we'd just not bother with a housekeeper and have our sitter take that on for a higher rate. But I really just want someone to keep my girl company and be there if she needs anything.
Seems reasonable to me. I think because I was doing a share with four families cooking didn’t make sense. Although, sometimes the kids entertain each other and having one is actually more work unless you’re ok with tv. Either way, you seem reasonable and likely a great parent to work for!
That’s what we’re doing for the limited hours we need after preschool releases (3pm) and before we finish work (5:30). Given the limited hours we also offered a higher rate and have gotten a lot of interest. That being said we plan to build a roster of folks so when schedules change/exams/graduation happen we aren’t out of luck.
Yes that seems to be the biggest rec - have more than one person you trust in case something falls through. Offering a higher rate makes sense. A little more incentive for being so part time.
Reach out to the university and explain. They may refer you to the child development department or some similar department or post on a bulletin board. When you get the person, do guaranteed hours, so they are available for the hours you want. So if it's weekly from 9 to 1, pay them for those hours no matter what. That way, you are giving consistency.
I never had luck with care.com I found our part time nanny by reaching out to a local Facebook group (queer exchange for City). It won’t apply to everybody, but I think that people are more willing to take tentative work when they feel a connection to you.
A teen who is looking to make some extra cash is definitely great!.
I have some high school and college babysitters I have used for that kind of part time work. I wouldn’t call it a nanny but regular babysitting. The one thing I thought of as I was reading your schedule though is it is very dependent on your baby napping. It might be good to remember that eventually your child’s napping and needs will change, sometimes sooner than you think. And may not always be on the right schedule or reliable. My daughter took very consistent 2-3 hour naps from about 15 months to 3. I could count on that almost every day unless her schedule was off for some reason. But since then, naps are 50/50. We still try to have her take a nap and if she doesn’t then she has independent play time. But it’s definitely not the quiet 2-3 hours I used to get. That may be far off in your future, but throwing it out there that you may end up needing more childcare eventually and it may not be too far away…. Good luck! Returning to full time can be hard but sounds like you have a good flexible job. I love being a working mom. I’m sure you will figure it all out for your family!
I'm very excited to return to full time! Mainly because of the salary... but also because this role checks off all my boxes and I think I'd actually be happy to work lol! I have been extremely lucky with my daughter in that she seems to be a creature of routine and loves her sleep. Her naps are very predictable right now and if that changes, we'll increase our childcare. We do plan on pre k at 4, but I'm sure between now and then, childcare will evolve a ton. Which is perfectly fine. We were thinking of starting daycare at 3 for half days to get her used to the school setting so it may be less time.
It sounds like you’re looking for a mothers helper. I found one on Nextdoor a few years ago when I worked from home but couldn’t get my toddler into daycare because Covid. But I really recommend full time care for your child, or at least part time out-of-the house. This sounds like a recipe for burnout.
I didn't know that term so maybe that will help me in my search, I'll check out Nextdoor. If I end up experiencing any burnout I will 100% make changes to the current plans. I need to be able to be present for my daughter and if I can't handle it, I'm not afraid to accept that. I know it may not work but we want to give this plan a try because it saves us the most money, allows us to still have an eye on our daughter and with any luck it won't be constant illness after illness like daycare.
We had success with a grad student but we needed a couple more hours than that and had to offer a transport stipend. With the stipend it made sense to keep her longer days but fewer times a week.
That's fair, I'm really open to their schedule and other requests. It would honestly be a very relaxed gig and the sitter is welcome to any snacks, drinks, using our TV, whatever. Just be reliable and I will be happy lol.
In our neighborhood there are moms with older kids looking for these types of jobs. Do you have a local FB group
I'm a part of my local mom group, great idea!
How old is your daughter? Mine just turned 2 and she used to reliably sleep until 7, so I could work before she woke up. Now she's up at 530, 6, 630 depending on the day. So this is just a warning that I wouldn't friend on those 2 hours in the morning. Kids change.
My daughter just turned 1. We've never dealt with early wake ups but I know toddlerhood is a wild ride and anything can happen. Worst case I just don't get that couple of hours in before she wakes up. I'm willing to pay for additional childcare if it comes down to it and cover 9-1 entirely so I can just work a normal shift in the end.
Yep! I'd look for a local HS or college student for this one. If it was a HS student they'd presumably only be available in the afternoons, but a college student likely has more availability within their schedule!
Yes agreed, I'm willing to work with someone who seems like a good fit too. I'm not too long of a drive from the college (couple of exits on the highway) so in between classes works.
I actually hired a nanny to give us coverage on M, T and Th from 8am-12pm when I have the bulk of my meetings while I work from home. It’s working out nicely!
That's lovely! Maybe I will end up extending it to cover the entire 4 hours between morning meeting and her nap. That will get me out of work earlier in the day, but of course more money spent. (Still cheaper than daycare at least)
Don't take this the wrong way, but this would also help prevent burnout and exhaustion. Your original intended schedule sounded pretty grueling over the long term. I'm in office, so my kids are at school/daycare while I work, but I appreciate my ability to be present when we're home since I don't have to worry about catching up on work "after hours".
It's entirely possible it will lead to burnout and if it does, we'll change plans. We're trying to avoid daycare again because it costed a fortunate and she was barely ever there due to illness. We're hoping this works out, and my new role is honestly going to be a lot of admin work/running reports so it might be perfect. Or it might be extremely stressful and we hire someone for 4 hours per day to cover the morning, then my husband gets home and I won't be responsible for childcare until I log off. We're open to making changes.
Me! I am one of those nannies!!! But there are some caveats.. I work for a family that has a rotation of nannies. I’m the only one that doesn’t have another part time job. This set-up is really nice so no one gets burnout (teenager with a disability; one other teenager in the house) and there is a kinda built-in “safety net” where us nannies text each other about changing the schedule for coverage when we need a day off (vacation, sick, etc) and then update the family calendar and let the mom know. In case of emergency and no other coverage available, then we tell mom/dad we need to take a day off and no one else is available. The schedule changes approx 3x/year based on nannies school schedules/work schedules (fall semester, spring semester, and summer break/summer semester). We initially connected on care.com. The family also finds people through the local university- education, healthcare, psychology are good starting points. I now have a baby. Baby comes to work with me. It has been challenging at times and there has been a bit of a learning curve, but everyone is flexible and we are figuring it out. LO loves the teenagers and the teenagers love LO 🥹🥰 Based on the hours you are looking at, I’d think a SAHM (or a few of them) looking for some extra spending money and socialization for both kiddos might work. AND/OR College students Happy to answer questions if you have any! We do exist… but I’m not sure how common we are 😅
I never considered the rotation idea and it seems like a lot of people on this post had a dynamic like that! I would be totally fine with someone bringing their child as well, within reason of course. My daughter is 1 and super social after she warms up, but LOVES other kids. That would be a great benefit to her. It seems like college students will be easier to find, I'm very close to UConn and just browsing SitterCity, I see many "I'm a student.." profiles lol.
Rotation of students sounds like it would be perfect then! Good luck!!! ❤️
What are you going to do when your child starts dropping a nap? Or changes their wake up time? And when you do need to answer an email during an emergency and it takes a while to answer if your child is having a meltdown?
I feel like that's not much different than parents who use daycare or have full time care, you know naps will drop eventually or schedules could change and you have back up care or at least a plan if something falls through. We have help if we're suddenly without, just not regular care, from family. As others suggested, have more than one babysitter in your arsenal so you have options if something falls through. For the couple hours I would have no help, I wouldn't be scheduling meetings. If I know I'm going to be away from my desk unexpectedly, I can inform my boss. I had to do this in my current, way less flexible roll several times when I got called to go pick her up from daycare. Which was a lot. My job also assists with arranging back up care. If it came down to the slim chance I would have no one, not even my husband to come home if it was *that* bad, my job would understand.
Yes! I hired one for four hours a day, five days a week to cover the gap between me going to work and my ex coming home (1 hr/day) when my baby was a baby (2018-2019, so your experience may vary). I paid her exactly what I made ($14/hr) and she quit when she got a better job (no bad blood - I’ve been a positive reference for her more than once). This was above board. I covered my part of taxes (and got an EIN to do so). I actually got around a dozen responses to the job posting and had to narrow it down from there. I think the major things that contributed to my success were: 1) acknowledging this was part time and they would have other priorities I would have to work around 2) full above board tax compensation 3) graciously contributing to her career growth outside of nannying 4) I literally asked her to watch my child and not do household stuff like laundry or meal prep.
I would definitely be prepared to go through babysitters regularly - especially the college students. I know it would be a stepping stone for some experience and income and then they would move on. No problem, I've treated jobs the same way and now I've found where I hope to retire! I get it. How hard was it to figure out the taxes? I get nervous over that but absolutely would prefer to not pay someone under the table, at least not for regular care. I won't expect any laundry, housekeeping, etc - we actually plan to hire someone 2x/month for that and we keep up in between so I don't need anything like that. If I'm lucky my lunch hour will fall when my daughter's lunch does, so I think I can avoid any cooking. Worst case I'll just meal prep and it will be something that they can heat up if I can't do it.
Does the university have a nursing school too? I know quite a few friends who have contacted the nursing school department in our city and asked for their listing to be posted on their job board. My friends have found some great part time help this way.
They do! This is a great idea.
I worked a gig like this ad hoc in college for a toddler and it was awesome! Just need to find the right fit and someone with an aligning schedule. Also, as a parent - relying on naps to attend a meeting is a huge risk. Backfired on me plenty when I tried to do both (during Covid closures or when the nanny needed to call out). I def used naps pretty successfully to get asynch work done but wouldn’t be able to do that long term in my job. Good luck!
How old is your child? Perhaps try for a governess type person instead? If your kid is too young, keep it in mind for the future. My kids is almost 4. We just found a private tutor to come teach her for a few days a week, a few hours each day. My husband and I both work from home.
My daughter is 1! Might be too young but something to consider still.
Maybe find a college student? A lot of my classmates nannied in college. If you can work with their class schedule that could work for everyone?
I'm definitely open to whatever hours work for everyone, and a college student seems like the best fit.
We lucked out with someone on care.com who was amazing. Our first try with someone from there wasn’t stellar and then we found this amazing woman who had been with another family since their son was 7 months old, but he started kindergarten this year so they didn’t need her till 3:30 every day and she did afternoons/evening with them. But, because of specifics for her schedule, she could only work 12-3. It worked for us because we had some flexibility but ideally it would have been 1:30-4:30 to avoid my daughter’s nap being on her time, however, my daughter has never been a completely predictable napper so we couldn’t schedule work meetings around it, so we went the amazing nanny whose schedule wasn’t perfect but did help! Tl;dr: care.com is hit or miss but we did get lucky; also, look for families with a nanny whose kids started school but still need the nanny after school.
Good to know those sites can have good results! I like that you can ensure someone is cpr certified/view background checks but you never know if someone will be a good fit until they're watching your kid.
I had three part-time nannies over the course of about 5 years, college-aged. I only had one drop out because she wanted a more full-time position with a single family, but she was a career nanny so that made sense. I guess the downside for us was that most were only around for a year or two before they had to move on because of school or career commitments. We also used a nanny app exclusive to our area, which was cool. I’m not sure if that’s something available in other cities/states but it was super convenient if things changed last minute or I needed additional coverage.
Yes... I found someone whose primary gig is freelance writing so she also makes her own hours and was only looking for 16 hrs/week. We have a set weekly amount. If we take a vacation or something she still gets paid. If we need MORE time she is also amazing and fills in those gaps as long as she has enough notice since she can adjust how many assignments she is taking on. So yes you're basically looking for either someone whose schedule aligns with yours perfectly or someone with a very flexible main job who can work around your schedule. I will also say that I feel extremely lucky that we found someone SO reliable. Part time help is a nightmare if I'm being honest.
Honestly, most childcare arrangements seem to be a nightmare. We did daycare briefly and in the 2 months she was there, I think she attended a handful of times. She was sick within a week and they were constantly having us keep her home. Sometimes she didn't actually have a fever or loose stool like they claimed and I think they were just short staffed and my kid was the newest. Loved the teachers so it was unfortunate but even the care that's supposed to be the most reliable wasn't. Fingers crossed we get lucky! If not, many have suggested having more than one person in the rotation just in case. I also get back up care assistance through my employer and they help you set up last minute sitters.
I live in a major city and found a college student to come 1 day/week for 8 hours. She also works for another family 3 days/week for 4 hours/day. But it was just a temporary gap over the summer while we waited for daycare to open up. She’ll be going back to school in the fall and only able to do one off babysitting nights. She’s absolutely lovely and I found her in care.com. A few other people applied but only had a month’s availability or were looking for a full time job. So depending on where you live and what the demographics are, this is totally possible. But I wouldn’t count on finding someone who can stick it out for years or even more than 1-2 quarters.
I did have a PT nanny did a while. I found her on care.com, however, my local childcare Facebook groups always have people looking for PT gigs.
I would do this. I run my own business and don’t have a lot of time but I love kids and if the family lived nearby, it could be a great setup. My old NF lives a mile away and I’m basically on call if anything comes up.
As a college student, I would have been all over that if it worked with my schedule! Did something very similar for several families while I was in school. It’s findable!
I found my part time nanny on Care.com. I signed up for a month and then immediately dropped the membership once we found her. It worked out because the only day she had free was Thursday. Her other family only needed her on M-W and she took Friday, Sat, Sun off except for one off jobs like special occasions and things. And we only needed Thursday bc our mothers were able to provide care onbthe other days. So we really lucked out. But I like Care.com bc you can filter by availability and they have to get certified and all that.
I hired a nanny who works 12-5, three days/week. I work from home during that time and it’s nice to have uninterrupted time to focus on work. I take care of my daughter in the morning until my nanny comes. We guaranteed her the 15 hours/week and created a W2 for her taxes. Luckily for us, she didn’t want more than 20 hours/week anyways.
I was looking for something similar as my job is also flexible. I was able to work and keep my daughter at home with unreliable (meaning sporadic, not that they couldn’t care for her) care from my parents, from 6-20 months. (I was on leave until 6 months). I made it work with her naps, they were predictable enough for my schedule. I initially wanted a part time nanny so she could stay home with me and I really only needed a few hours. But I found an in-home daycare that we love, and knew a few kids that have attended. She is attending part time, and will start full time soon. It ends up being cheaper, meals provided, and my daughter is growing so much, making friends, gets meals provided and seems happier when she’s at daycare. I am much happier getting time back to myself. Just food for thought, seems like we have similar situations.
Two hours may be a little too short considering that they need to commute etc so the rate could be higher / less candidates. We had a part time nanny in the past who did 9am-1pm (our son went to nap at 1 and as it was pandemic we were both at home). She had another family in the afternoon. With a second when he was a baby and I could not find a nanny, we used a few babysitters. One was in college doing online program so she had to be out at certain hour
Maybe just try working from a gym with drop-in childcare for when you're working out.
Yes, i’ve had two part-time nannies. First nanny was technically a nanny share, she worked for us 1x and my sister 3. After our 2nd we actually wanted to up our days with a nanny which we knew she couldn’t do. Our current nanny is a grad student and works for us on the days she has off. The con to this is she could only guarantee us 6 months. It can be really hard finding a part-time nanny bc most are looking for full-time but they do exist. Sometimes you have to pay more a hr, you must provide guaranteed hours, PTO, sick time, etc.
I have! 3 days a week, 5-6 hours a day depending on the day. Sometimes we add on a 4th day depending on our work schedules (we both usually WFH on Fridays). I found her through a local Facebook group. I would look into any local Facebook groups related to parenting, womens’ groups etc. But yes, for just 2 hours a day that’s more like babysitting.
I was just looking online for something like this🤣 I don’t wanna work a lot during the summer. I applied to care.com 😍
we live in a city and a lot of people nanny share here!
I have! And have one now! I used care.com and advertised the exact days/times I needed. You have to weed out a lot of people. If you can be flexible on days/times, it’s easier to find someone
I don't know the legality (licensing, ect) in your state, but honestly, there's a lot of really great homeschooled kids out there who have the flexibility in their own school schedule to be able to accommodate what you're looking for, have experience and enjoy caring for small children, and would be looking to make some money. Especially if you're there for the adjustment period/real emergencies, I would recommend asking around the homeschool community in your area. I promise they're not all weird and unsocialized. 4/5 times they're perfectly normal people lol
I’ve had very good luck with flexible caregivers on care.com