Do you actually need a full-time nanny? Here’s how to decide.
Piecing together the weeks as a parent can be stressful - your kids need to get to their activities, there’s a random day of school closure right when you have an important work meeting, and you have to coordinate the schedules of your three different babysitters to make sure you have coverage for the gaps in the week. Maybe you have a regular part-time sitter for the weeks you know will be particularly hectic, but since you cannot promise them a long-term hire, they’re already out looking for their next gig.
As a nanny agency, we speak with countless families in this exact position, and the conclusion we often reach together is that what these families really need is the complete confidence and reliability of a full-time nanny. In this post, we go over a few of the benefits of hiring a full-time nanny when you thought you only had a part-time need.
Hiring a full-time nanny can complete your schedule
A full-time nanny is a steady employee for whom your family is the main employment and focus. This means that you can count on your full-time nanny on a regular basis and a steady schedule. Further, there isn’t reason to expect they won’t be there except in very special or previously agreed upon circumstances.
Hiring a full-time nanny is a long-term commitment from both sides. Part time sitters often babysit for a family - or several - as a complement to other jobs and commitments. In this way, a full-time nanny is usually going to be more reliable and able to accommodate your needs.
With a full-time nanny, you know that morning drop-offs and noon pickups are handled. You know that there is a buffer of time in case something happens, because your nanny doesn’t have to rush straight from drop-off to their other commitments that day. You know that you are covered during school closures (increasingly significant in the last few years) and if your child is sick. This also means you are not scrambling every week to cobble together solutions. In fact, you can set that whole part of your brain aside and let it rest!
Full-time nannies vs. part-time nannies
Besides the more complete coverage offered with a full-time nanny, there are several responsibilities in the day-to-day of caring for your family that are a given with a full-time nanny, and not so much with a sitter. Both part-time and full-time caregivers will look after and engage your child, handle homework where applicable, and go to playdates or activities you have planned. However, a full-time nanny takes over more of the ongoing responsibilities of making sure your household runs smoothly.
Full-time nanny responsibilities may include:
Planning and cooking meals
Handling your child’s laundry
Scheduling playdates
Researching and planning activities and outings
Managing preparations for school
Going to doctors appointments
In general, a full-time nanny has a complete overview of your family’s childcare needs and the goings-on of your kids, both in the short term and the long term, taking it off your plate.
Is it worth hiring a full-time nanny?
While some parents are concerned about the financial aspect of hiring a full-time employee over managing part-time solutions, it’s worth thinking twice about the actual cost:
What is the cost every time you lose a few days of work to school closures?
How much is your peace of mind worth?
When looking for childcare solutions, really give yourself some time to think about these aspects and consider if the calm and confidence of a full-time caregiver is actually what your family needs.
A full-time nanny covers all your childcare needs
At the end of the day, it comes down to what you need and how you want your days, weeks, and months to look. In this way, hiring a full-time nanny when you figured your need was mostly part-time is just as much an emotional decision as it is a practical one. Let yourself consider how it might feel to know you had all your childcare covered, what you could do with that time and energy, and factor that into your decision.
Has your family gone from frantically putting together a weekly puzzle of caregiving schedules to hiring a full-time nanny? Do you have questions about hiring a full-time nanny? (Pro-tip: how to attract top nanny talent to your position!)
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