What about other types of in-home childcare?

Recently, I have had a lot of inquiries from parents in St. Louis who are looking at different alternatives to the standard live-out nanny placement. There are other types of nanny placements that are just as successful as the live-out nanny, it’s just that they are less common.

Hopefully, this will make it a bit easier to understand the different types – all of which TLC placement counselors can help with. Other types of in-home childcare:

Live-In
Live-in caregivers generally are on duty 10-12 hours per day, five days a week and an occasional evening. They eat meals with the family and share in the cooking and cleaning-up duties. Be assured that nannies will expect most nights and weekends off, unless previously arranged.
Most live-ins require a private living space, use of the family car, and specific hours off-and on-duty. Both you and your live-in nanny may have to make concessions regarding visitors and curfews, but it is your house and you have the right to set reasonable rules.
Live-in nannies help out with emergency care and babysitting and, depending on your personal preference, often become more a part of the family than live-out nannies. It does, however, require special care on your part to realize that your nanny has a life beyond the job and she is not at your beck and call.
While it may seem more convenient and less expensive to have a live-in arrangement, it can also be more difficult to keep the relationship professional. Live-in relationships are the hardest. It can be very difficult spending so much time under the scrutiny of your boss. Could you live with yours?

Shared Care
A third, less talked-about yet more economical alternative is shared care. This situation involves one nanny and two neighboring families. The nanny works in one home and might spend part of the day at the other home. The nanny cares for both families’ children in one home. For a live-in nanny, the family that provides room and board may pay a smaller portion of the salary.
Before you and your friend or neighbor decide to share a nanny, discuss and agree upon a philosophy for childcare. You need to discuss exactly what each of you will want the caregiver to do on a day-to-day basis. And realize when hiring this nanny she must be able to handle all types of personalities in order to please two families at once.

These are other options that each parent can also weigh when deciding on what type of in-home care they need! Next post, I’ll talk about other alternatives to consider such as hiring an entry-level nanny, mommy-nanny and tips for doing it your self!

Do you employ a live-in nanny or are you considering reaching out to a friend or neighbor to start a shared-care search? Leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers, Jessica