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I have owned and operated Safe and Sound Nannies for 19 years. Like many career moms, I was ecstatic to finally become pregnant after six agonizing years of trying. Even after my pregnancy was confirmed, I was petrified I would miscarry. When my doctor finally assured me that I would keep this baby, my first […]

I want to talk about time. Specifically—your time. My guess is that the reason you need a nanny is because a large chunk of your time goes toward providing for your family. Your income is probably vital to your child’s future, his or her education, your family’s standard of living, your environment, your financial security, […]

There has been a lot of attention paid lately to the cost of employing a nanny and whether it makes more sense for a mom to stay home from work rather than incur the cost of child care. Lilian Faulhaber, an associate professor of law at Boston University recently wrote an article for the New […]

Pitfall #3: Underpaying a Nanny Hiring a nanny rather than using a daycare is a luxury for many people. It’s understandable that a family would look for the best rate possible when hiring a nanny. Her employment is typically a long term commitment, and her pay represents a substantial monthly expense to the family. Unfortunately, […]

Pitfall #2. Neglecting to look at the job from the nanny’s point of view. To attract and keep a great nanny long term, the family needs to consider her needs as well as the family’s. Although the economy is not as strong as it used to be, good nannies are still in high demand. Parents […]

10) A Parent’s Unexamined Ambivalence Regarding Going to Work Rather Than Staying Home with the Child This is a sensitive and complex topic. Hiring a nanny to care for a child is a very personal decision that no one outside of the parents can fully understand. Only the parents can judge whether this is the […]

Nanny Applicant Overload If you’re using a database to conduct your own nanny search, you’ll probably be inundated with candidates. That’s the easy part. The time-consuming part is figuring out which ones are reliable, experienced, patient, have good judgment, and truly love children. The last thing you want is a revolving door, or a nanny […]

Families Frustrated with Nanny Databases Families frequently come to us seeking an excellent nanny after they’ve already tried to find a nanny themselves on a database or Craigslist. Most of the time they tell me some version of the following: “The nanny we found on our own changed her mind the day she was supposed […]

Nanny Databases Nanny databases have allowed families to find nanny candidates on their own. They’re the electronic equivalent of placing an ad in a newspaper. They provide a low cost alternative to using an agency, but as with any low-cost alternative, they come with pitfalls such as requiring extensive time and effort to find the […]

Full Service Nanny Agencies There are two main alternatives when it comes to finding a nanny: full service agencies and nanny databases. Full service nanny agencies are by far the easiest alternative but the most expensive. The good ones are likely to survive even during a recession, because they provide a lot of value. Good […]