Nanny services (merged)

[89coupe]

Any parents use them? Any feedback?

[ExtraSlow]

I just pulled my daughter out of one this morning.

Beyond.ca - Does your daycare allow offsite walks? (http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=324973)

Overall, I really liked the staff at the Eau Claire Location. But, as far as I know, that is the most expensive daycare in the city.

The new one we have found is not a kids and co, is right by our house, and is 25% less money.

EDIT: the "backup care solution" provided by kids and co is wicked, and very affordable. I think the sponsor companies must pick up some of the tab.

[Pahnda]

One of my ex-girlfriends (now friend) and a friend work at the Eau Claire location. And yeah, they're expensive-ish, but they're convenient and have (from who I've met) good people. Wouldn't know from a parent's perspective but from just knowing some people that work there, I would think it's a good place.

[superflychief]

I had my daughter in there from October 21 to December 15 and we pulled her out. We had her in the London House (4th and 4th) location and it was nothing but problems and complaints. It started with the 2 caregivers in the room. Both were asian and spoke the worst chinglish I've ever heard. They couldn't understand simple instructions we were giving them and we couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. They were both fired/quit (who knows) and the crazy staff turnover began from there. In the 2 mths my daughter was there, she had easily 5 different caregivers come through the room. No instruction were passed on and it was like starting from scratch every time. The facility is also garbage. The room she slept in (Infant 2) was like a sauna. Couldn't believe how hot it was and building management couldn't fix it. Twice while she was there the heat went out in the building. Once was for one day and it was fixed. The second time was during the cold snap of -30 for a couple of days. We were looking at the webcams and my daughter was crawling around the floor in bare feet and we though nothing of it as the floors are heated. That afternoon we get an e-mail saying the heat had been out all day. When we picked her up we felt the floors and they were ice cold. During the 2nd heat outage, they just closed the daycare without proper notice. The sent out e-mails to parents expecting everybody to check their e-mails every night. We showed up in the morning and the doors were locked. Ummm how come no phone calls? They fixed the heat after 3 days. Then we showed up in the morning a couple of weeks later and a pipe burst in the hallway and water was running from the ceiling. That was the last straw and we broke our contract and left. We are awaiting our promised refund. Oh and that place is expensive as shit. $1340/mth for an infant.

[Penis McNickels]

For Kids and Co. I think it depends on the location (and site director) more than anything.

My daugther went to the Bow Trail one while waiting to get into our preferred location by Brentwood. She was supposed to be at Bow Trail for 2 months and after that she would go to Brentwood. We ended up taking her out after one month and didn't finish the second month and made arrangements to have her stay at home.

We found Bow Trail to be pretty dirty and noisy. And my wife was really pissed off as one of the caregivers promised to take good care of our daughter only to watch her be ignored on the webcams... From that experience my daugther lost a lot of her confidence.

At Bow Trail I believe they have a high staff turnover as well.

However, at Brentwood she is doing great and has managed to get most of her confidence back; although, other activities she also does helped in that too. We find that Brentwood is also very clean, and the staff pleasant, friendly and organised. My daughter is very happy going there now and we are happy having her there as well. This place is also a bit cheaper than the other Kids and Cos in Calgary.

Brentwood also has a smaller capacity, so the waitlist is long...



I have also heard about the recent high turnover at the London House location from a friend that recently pulled their kids from there.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by superflychief
It started with the 2 caregivers in the room. Both were asian and spoke the worst chinglish I've ever heard. They couldn't understand simple instructions we were giving them and we couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. They were both fired/quit (who knows) and the crazy staff turnover began from there.

This makes me glad that my wife is at home with our son.

I used to ride the train during the day going to meetings and our data center and saw TONS of strollers with white kids pushed by Asian nannies.

First generation of white kids with Chinese and Filipino accents.

[89coupe]

Anyone dealt with a good Nanny service? Any feedback?

[89coupe]

Anyone else?

[89coupe]

Anyone have any experience with this daycare? Comments?

[superflychief]

I sense a theme in your posts today......

[benyl]

Import one. haha.

Get a second job so the wife can stay home with the kid! haha

[89coupe]

Originally posted by benyl
Import one. haha.

Get a second job so the wife can stay home with the kid! haha

My Wife makes more then I do, maybe you can relate? :D

[ExtraSlow]

89, it's scary how close your thoughts seem to follow mine these days.

I don't know any good services, but when/if I get a second rugrat, I'll be looking into it. I like Philipinos . . . .

[89coupe]

Who is the knuckle head who merged these threads together?

Can you please separate them, so I can keep track of comments related to each topic.

[ExtraSlow]

Probably makes sense for the two daycare threads to be merged, but the Nanny thread is truly a separate topic. I vote to re-separate this one.

[VWEvo]

This is annoying. We're on the fence about getting a nanny also, not sure why they merged the thread.

All of our friends that have nannies have absolutely loved them. We are leaning towards a live in Nannie. Gives you freedom to enjoy your life and spend lots of time with your kids.

[ExtraSlow]

Just got this email from my buddy who has a nanny.
he used Canadian Family Nanny Services.
He's been very happy with it.

[Wrath]

Originally posted by 89coupe


My Wife makes more then I do, maybe you can relate? :D


Let her stay home....make the sacrifice for your kids

It's hard....but who would you rather your kids spend 8-9 hours 5 days a week with?

[Wrath]

Originally posted by Wrath



Let her stay home....make the sacrifice for your kids

It's hard....but who would you rather your kids spend 8-9 hours 5 days a week with?

I guess this is being presumptuous.....I guess she may not want to stay home

;)

[SilverGS]

Having a nanny is a great convenience. Not only will they take care of your kid but clean and cook as well.

The cost of a nanny for one kid is definitely more than daycare for the child but not for 2.

I guess it depends if you think the cleaning and cooking and having an extra person to watch the kids is worth the extra money a nanny will cost over daycare.

Not sure what everyone pays for daycare but it seems a good average is around $1000/kid/month. A live in caregiver I think runs around 1600-1800. I know people who spend $300/month bringing in a maid service to clean so even for a single kid, if you have the money to pay for it, hiring a nanny is a very nice option.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by SilverGS
Having a nanny is a great convenience. Not only will they take care of your kid but clean and cook as well.

The cost of a nanny for one kid is definitely more than daycare for the child but not for 2.

I guess it depends if you think the cleaning and cooking and having an extra person to watch the kids is worth the extra money a nanny will cost over daycare.

Not sure what everyone pays for daycare but it seems a good average is around $1000/kid/month. A live in caregiver I think runs around 1600-1800. I know people who spend $300/month bringing in a maid service to clean so even for a single kid, if you have the money to pay for it, hiring a nanny is a very nice option.

Kids & Company is $1550/mth for one child 5 days a week.

I can get a Nanny for $1600.00

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Wrath



Let her stay home....make the sacrifice for your kids

It's hard....but who would you rather your kids spend 8-9 hours 5 days a week with?

She has a career, so out of the question.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Maybe 89coupe can stay home

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by 89coupe


Kids & Company is $1550/mth for one child 5 days a week.

I can get a Nanny for $1600.00

Holy crap. I was told $1350 or something. I have a coworker who is paying 1100 or so for 4 days/week. Kid & Company is a bit more expensive then most. Just asking around some friends $1000 seemed like a good average to base things on. More and more though it's more like 1100-1200/kid

If that is the case seems like a no brainer to me. Only $50 difference but you get a lot more convenience

- Don't have to wake the kid up early and pack them to daycare so you can get to work on time
- Individual attention for your child
- Someone who will cook and clean

I guess the bad is they don't benefit from making friends and seeing other kids at daycare.
Also good and bad is they won't sick from all the different kids at daycare.

[ExtraSlow]

I could afford t have my wife stay home, but she goes to work three days a week because she enjoys it.

Some people have no trouble being with the kids 24/7. For some people, it would cause a nervous breakdown.

I totally disagree that having the mother stay home is the gold standard of childcare. I believe that for my daughter, daycare has been the best thing for her development.
Hell, even if we do get a nanny once we have a second child, we'll still probably send the kiddies to daycare a couple days a week just for the socializing.

[Wrath]

Originally posted by 89coupe


She has a career, so out of the question.

So do many wifes who choose to stay home..

Comes down to priorities I guess (thats another thread though :D

/hijack

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Wrath
So do many wifes who choose to stay home..


My wife is now a stay-at-home mom with our 15 month old son and she probably won't go back to work until we are done having kids and they are all in school full time.

She prefers it, and couldn't imagine having to leave him with a stranger for 10+ hours/day to go to work. Since he goes to bed at 7pm every night it would suck to only be able to spend a couple hours a day with him during the week.

Lately he has been developing like crazy and I am even envious of the time I have to spend at work and miss the little things he does and learns during the day.

Sure some days can be hard, but it helps that she has other friends/family who are also at home full time that she can hang out with. It would also be nice to have the extra money, but in reality life is never about the money. We still live a comfortable life and like our current lifestyle.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by The_Rural_Juror
Maybe 89coupe can stay home :werd:

[lint]

Originally posted by SilverGS
Holy crap. I was told $1350 or something.

It also depends on whether the kid is toilet trained or not. Cheaper if they are.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by SilverGS


Holy crap. I was told $1350 or something. I have a coworker who is paying 1100 or so for 4 days/week. Kid & Company is a bit more expensive then most. Just asking around some friends $1000 seemed like a good average to base things on. More and more though it's more like 1100-1200/kid

If that is the case seems like a no brainer to me. Only $50 difference but you get a lot more convenience

- Don't have to wake the kid up early and pack them to daycare so you can get to work on time
- Individual attention for your child
- Someone who will cook and clean

I guess the bad is they don't benefit from making friends and seeing other kids at daycare.
Also good and bad is they won't sick from all the different kids at daycare.

It maybe for kids over 12months. But for us it would be for a child under 12months.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Wrath


Comes down to priorities I guess (thats another thread though :D

/hijack

Retiring at 55...LOL

[benyl]

Originally posted by The_Rural_Juror
Maybe 89coupe can stay home



Originally posted by max_boost
:werd:


:rofl: :rofl:

[sputnik]

Originally posted by 89coupe


It maybe for kids over 12months. But for us it would be for a child under 12months.

Your wife doesn't get mat leave?

[89coupe]

Originally posted by sputnik


Your wife doesn't get mat leave?

Yeh of course, but she doesn't want to stay home for a whole year.

LOL, anyways. This has nothing to do with the original topic.

Keep on topic.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by 89coupe


It maybe for kids over 12months. But for us it would be for a child under 12months.

Ah ok.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by 89coupe


Yeh of course, but she doesn't want to stay home for a whole year.

LOL, anyways. This has nothing to do with the original topic.

Keep on topic.

It's all a little clearer now...

[ExtraSlow]

So this super old merged thread didn't really get anywhere. Brad, did you get a nanny?

I've got two kids now, looking at this hard.

[msommers]

Holy shit kids are expensive!

[89coupe]

We went with daycare

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, kids are expensive, that's not really earth shattering news.

Also, I see I mis-read, Brad wasn't looking at a nanny, this darned merged thread tricked me again.

[nzwasp]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
So this super old merged thread didn't really get anywhere. Brad, did you get a nanny?

I've got two kids now, looking at this hard.

Do any of you guys ever consider that with two kids its better to only have one person working, i mean if you pay 3k or so to a daycare and you only make 4k after tax like me why bother working.

[78si]

I got find a place for our little guy by Sept. Any NW recommendations?

[ExtraSlow]

Some people much prefer to work instead of staying home. It's not always an economic decision.

Or some people just make that much money that it IS an easy economic decision.

[CapnCrunch]

This thread is kind of useless.

Does anyone actually have a fucking nanny?

Where the fuck did you find your nanny?

How much do you pay your fucking nanny?

Does your nanny live in your fucking house or does she go the fuck home every night?

Does your nanny cook you fucking dinner and clean your dirty fucking toilets?

[charlie2]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
This thread is kind of useless.

Does anyone actually have a fucking nanny?

Where the fuck did you find your nanny?

How much do you pay your fucking nanny?

Does your nanny live in your fucking house or does she go the fuck home every night?

Does your nanny cook you fucking dinner and clean your dirty fucking toilets?

:clap:

ya details....some of us read 3 pages of crap to learn nothing.

Also considering a nanny with the second kid on the way, but need the above answers.

[89coupe]

The average is $1600-2000/mth

They cook, they clean, and look after your kids. Sometimes they stab them to death.

[Aleks]

^

Yeah this last point is a bit of a worry.

We have two kids and my wife stays at home and takes care of them. Gave up a pretty decent JV job to do that.

There are days where I'm sure she would much rather be at work but when I read stories like the one from New York it makes me glad she's the one watching them during the day.

[benyl]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
This thread is kind of useless.

Does anyone actually have a fucking nanny?

Where the fuck did you find your nanny?

How much do you pay your fucking nanny?

Does your nanny live in your fucking house or does she go the fuck home every night?

Does your nanny cook you fucking dinner and clean your dirty fucking toilets?

Surprised that with all the "fucking" in your post you didn't ask if you could "fuck" the Nanny.

[SilverGS]

There is definitely a huge trust issue in leaving your kid with a nanny and then you read about situations like what happened in NY but overall I think it is very safe. I don't have an statistics but how many successful nanny situations are there for every 1 NY situation? I imagine NY is quite the rare case of a nanny gone that bad.

Like 89Coupe said Nannies are around $1600-$2000

Most people bring in Filipino nannies from HK since they seem to be the best prices and generally have quite a bit of experience.

Company I used no longer does it but if you google it there are quite a few companies in Calgary that will help you bring them in. Other choice is find someone with a nanny and ask if they have any friends or family that want to come to Canada to work as a nanny then do the paperwork yourself.

If you bring a Nanny from overseas then it will most likely be a live-in nanny so part of the process will be to ensure you have a room with a lock for them to use. You do charge them room and board which is why it brings the price down to 1600-2000 or so.

You can get live-out nannies but they cost a lot more.

Yes most nannies will cook and clean as well unless they have 5 kids to watch.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by SilverGS
There is definitely a huge trust issue in leaving your kid with a nanny and then you read about situations like what happened in NY but overall I think it is very safe. I don't have an statistics but how many successful nanny situations are there for every 1 NY situation? I imagine NY is quite the rare case of a nanny gone that bad.

Like 89Coupe said Nannies are around $1600-$2000

Most people bring in Filipino nannies from HK since they seem to be the best prices and generally have quite a bit of experience.

Company I used no longer does it but if you google it there are quite a few companies in Calgary that will help you bring them in. Other choice is find someone with a nanny and ask if they have any friends or family that want to come to Canada to work as a nanny then do the paperwork yourself.

If you bring a Nanny from overseas then it will most likely be a live-in nanny so part of the process will be to ensure you have a room with a lock for them to use. You do charge them room and board which is why it brings the price down to 1600-2000 or so.

You can get live-out nannies but they cost a lot more.

Yes most nannies will cook and clean as well unless they have 5 kids to watch.

Where do you find live-out nannies? We just want someone to come over maybe twice a week and watch the kid. I don't really care about cooking or cleaning. (We have a cleaner and I cook LIKE A FUCKING BOSS)

[clem24]

My cousin brought in an Au Pair a few years back from France. She was exactly as I had pictured a french au pair (young, hot, HUGE boobs). :drool:

[ExtraSlow]

From what I've seen, live-out nannies are very hard to find for part time work. If you do find one, you'll be paying $15-$20 per hour for them. That's nearly $1400 per month for two days a week.
Full time live-out nannies are easier to find, but again are pretty expensive.

live-in is definetly cheaper.

[theken]

My wife runs a day home. Charges like 750 a month. Seems cheap when everybody else pays like 11-1400

[ExtraSlow]

Day homes are almost always cheaper than day cares. There are different liscensing and inspection requirements.

A daycare is required to have enough staff that one or two illnesses can be covered and the entre can remain open. Most dayhomes will close if the one person who runs it gets sick.

[Thomas Gabriel]

I'll just leave this here (http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/us/new-york-nanny-deaths/index.html)

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by Thomas Gabriel
I'll just leave this here (http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/us/new-york-nanny-deaths/index.html)

Thats bad, but I'd be okay with this.

babies (http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/21/justice/delaware-day-care-fight-arrest/index.html)

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
From what I've seen, live-out nannies are very hard to find for part time work. If you do find one, you'll be paying $15-$20 per hour for them. That's nearly $1400 per month for two days a week.
Full time live-out nannies are easier to find, but again are pretty expensive.

live-in is definetly cheaper.

I'm guessing by the time you add in all the food, extra utilities, etc, they're not that far apart.

I also can't handle having a roomate. I don't even let my parents stay over night. :rofl:

[G]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
This thread is kind of useless.

Does anyone actually have a fucking nanny?

Where the fuck did you find your nanny?

How much do you pay your fucking nanny?

Does your nanny live in your fucking house or does she go the fuck home every night?

Does your nanny cook you fucking dinner and clean your dirty fucking toilets?

1) We hired a fucking nanny that will start in August
2) We placed a fucking ad in Kijiji but found her through a referal from a fucking friend
3) We are going to fucking pay her $12.50 based on a 44 hour week. Room and board will be fucking deducted (~$300?) but we stated that if she is good we will waive the RB after 3 months.
4) She will be fucking dwelling in my basement

My question is for those who have/had a nanny. What does light house cleaning include as I found this to be pretty vague?

[ExtraSlow]

1) I hired a fucking nanny that started yesterday
2) we placed ads on three nanny specific websites, and combed through kijiji. Found good candidates on each one. I advise to sread a broad net. Took us a month to find one that fit well.
3) Pay varies immensely. Some "fresh off the boat" types get $10 per hour, minus room and board. More common for anyone who's been here a few years, or is a canadian citizen, would be $15. Some make north of $20 per hour. Mine is paid on salary, not per hours, but it works out to around $15/hr.
4) most "fresh off the boat" have to live in yoru basement as a condition of the Live-in caregiver" work visa program. Most that have been here for a few years prefer to live-out.
5) Light cleaning means different things to each person. My rule of thumb would be the less time they've been in the country, the more cleaning you can get them to do. If it's a canadian citizen, laundry for the kids and keeping the kitchen tidy is probably about it.


I'll know a lot more in a few months. I've only had a nanny for one day.

[G]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
1) I hired a fucking nanny that started yesterday
2) we placed ads on three nanny specific websites, and combed through kijiji. Found good candidates on each one. I advise to sread a broad net. Took us a month to find one that fit well.
3) Pay varies immensely. Some "fresh off the boat" types get $10 per hour, minus room and board. More common for anyone who's been here a few years, or is a canadian citizen, would be $15. Some make north of $20 per hour. Mine is paid on salary, not per hours, but it works out to around $15/hr.
4) most "fresh off the boat" have to live in yoru basement as a condition of the Live-in caregiver" work visa program. Most that have been here for a few years prefer to live-out.
5) Light cleaning means different things to each person. My rule of thumb would be the less time they've been in the country, the more cleaning you can get them to do. If it's a canadian citizen, laundry for the kids and keeping the kitchen tidy is probably about it.


I'll know a lot more in a few months. I've only had a nanny for one day.

Thanks a fucking lot!

[ExtraSlow]

fuck yeah.

[nzwasp]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
1) I hired a fucking nanny that started yesterday
2) we placed ads on three nanny specific websites, and combed through kijiji. Found good candidates on each one. I advise to sread a broad net. Took us a month to find one that fit well.
3) Pay varies immensely. Some "fresh off the boat" types get $10 per hour, minus room and board. More common for anyone who's been here a few years, or is a canadian citizen, would be $15. Some make north of $20 per hour. Mine is paid on salary, not per hours, but it works out to around $15/hr.
4) most "fresh off the boat" have to live in yoru basement as a condition of the Live-in caregiver" work visa program. Most that have been here for a few years prefer to live-out.
5) Light cleaning means different things to each person. My rule of thumb would be the less time they've been in the country, the more cleaning you can get them to do. If it's a canadian citizen, laundry for the kids and keeping the kitchen tidy is probably about it.


I'll know a lot more in a few months. I've only had a nanny for one day.

So roughly $2400 a month - does this nanny live in or live out? im guessing live out.

[ExtraSlow]

Mine lives out.
There is also the complication that most full time nannys work more than 40 hours per week. So you may be getting into overtime at 1.5x pay.

[nzwasp]

How are you guys finding your nannies? are they worth it?

[ExtraSlow]

There's a lot of factors, but my nanny's last day is tomorrow. Will have both kids in daycare full time starting on Monday.

[G]

Mine is a great...cleans up the entire house the kids love her...worth every penny.

[nzwasp]

One of our friends got a live in nanny about six months ago, she was more of the fresh off the boat kind. Within about 2 weeks she had met some white guy and was engaged. Although I hear that didnt last.

I hear from other people that alot of fresh off the boat nannies get pregnant within their first term as well.

[you&me]

With baby number two arriving soon, we're thinking about a nanny. Currently debating between a full live-in (more cost affective, but do we really want someone living in our house?) vs. having a live-out or someone we can schedule a few days / evenings a week with.

Any updates from previous posters about their situations, what they like, what they don't, etc, would be really appreciated.

Also, does anyone have any websites we can start browsing through? Not quite ready to register with one of the agencies, but I recall a site being posted here that listed age, experience, availability, skills, etc...

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by nzwasp
One of our friends got a live in nanny about six months ago, she was more of the fresh off the boat kind. Within about 2 weeks she had met some white guy and was engaged. Although I hear that didnt last.

I hear from other people that alot of fresh off the boat nannies get pregnant within their first term as well.

I know this post was while ago but someone I know just married a nanny and they have 2 girls already. Well I am pretty sure she is/was a nanny before she met him. They bought a house and a van and now she is set. Don't get me wrong they all seem extremely happy so good for them. No idea what happened with her nanny employment.

This was part of the reason we decided to get someone a bit older for the following reasons
- Already has husband and kid so isn't looking for someone with a CDN passport
- More years of experience looking after infants/toddlers
- Less likely to go out and party or other
- Generally more responsible

Some friends were joking I should hire a good looking young nanny but the last thing I need is for her to find someone here and bail first thing after waiting 6 months to get her here in the first place.


Originally posted by you&me
With baby number two arriving soon, we're thinking about a nanny. Currently debating between a full live-in (more cost affective, but do we really want someone living in our house?) vs. having a live-out or someone we can schedule a few days / evenings a week with.

Any updates from previous posters about their situations, what they like, what they don't, etc, would be really appreciated.

Also, does anyone have any websites we can start browsing through? Not quite ready to register with one of the agencies, but I recall a site being posted here that listed age, experience, availability, skills, etc...

If you can get over having someone live in your house I recommend live-in for sure.

Pros for Live-in Nanny
- They can't really be late or not show up since they live there
- As you mentioned cost is better. They generally get less than live-out and you can deduct some boarding costs.
- You have a built in babysitter if you need to just step out for a few minutes or pay them a bit of OT and you can have date nights whenever you want.

Cons
- Someone living with you
- Risk of them stealing stuff

[ExtraSlow]

I agree about those pros and cons for live-in. I did the live-out thing and there were many times we wished we had gone live-in.

I would say you aren't at any increased risk of them stealing stuff, they'll be in your house with your kids unattended either way. If they are going to be stealing anything, it's not like they wouldn't have time during the day.

I let my nanny drive our car, and I had people tell me that was a big risk. Bit honestly, if I'll let her spend 45 hours a week with my kids unsupervised, the chance of her stealing a $30k vehicle which i have full insurance on is minor.

[nzwasp]

Originally posted by SilverGS

Cons
- Someone living with you
- Risk of them stealing stuff

Just put cameras everywhere, thats what i'd do, it would be like the big brother house from TV when i was done.

[Lex350]

I was lucky. My ex is an investigator for Child and Family services. Anytime we had to check out a dayhome or whatever she did thorough background checks and made sure she gave them her card.

There were some highly regarded daycares and homes that we avoided because of these checks.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by nzwasp


Just put cameras everywhere, thats what i'd do, it would be like the big brother house from TV when i was done.

Yeah I thought of that and didn't end up doing it. In the end I she earned our trust quite quickly and I felt if I had cameras on them all the time it could damage that trust between us.

[ExtraSlow]

We considered the cameras and decided against it. I don't think that actualyl increases your security, but it does create an adversarial atmosphere.

[SkiBum5.0]

Originally posted by rotten42
I was lucky. My ex is an investigator for Child and Family services. Anytime we had to check out a dayhome or whatever she did thorough background checks and made sure she gave them her card.

There were some highly regarded daycares and homes that we avoided because of these checks.

So based on that what would your recommendations be? Do you have any suggestions for us soon-to-be parents?

[nzwasp]

I dont think a nanny is worth it unless you have 3 kids under 5. Otherwise just stick them in daycare for $2k a month (for both). I would also be thinking about all the problems with the TFW program and how that could affect getting future visas for your live in caregiver.

If they make changes to that program and it becomes undesirable for foreign nannies to come here then daycare/dayhome is going to be hell expensive in Alberta imho

[ExtraSlow]

There are reasons people go for nannies aside from cost. I do agree that it isn't really saving you any money with two kids.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by nzwasp
I dont think a nanny is worth it unless you have 3 kids under 5. Otherwise just stick them in daycare for $2k a month (for both). I would also be thinking about all the problems with the TFW program and how that could affect getting future visas for your live in caregiver.

If they make changes to that program and it becomes undesirable for foreign nannies to come here then daycare/dayhome is going to be hell expensive in Alberta imho

Except for the same price there is someone who will also cook and clean and babysit.

You don't have to pack them up in the morning to get to Daycare on time. You don't generally need to worry too much in picking them up right on time based on what time the day care closes. If you are 15min late most nannies won't care. Especially if they live there.

I know of some nannies who do 4 10 hour days and get Fridays off since it works well for their employer. I know of many others who's nanny drive and can drop off and pick up kids from school and other activities.

Having a nanny with 2 kids may not necessarily by financially cheaper than daycare but it is way more flexible.

[you&me]

Originally posted by SilverGS


Except for the same price there is someone who will also cook and clean and babysit.

You don't have to pack them up in the morning to get to Daycare on time. You don't generally need to worry too much in picking them up right on time based on what time the day care closes. If you are 15min late most nannies won't care. Especially if they live there.

I know of some nannies who do 4 10 hour days and get Fridays off since it works well for their employer. I know of many others who's nanny drive and can drop off and pick up kids from school and other activities.

Having a nanny with 2 kids may not necessarily by financially cheaper than daycare but it is way more flexible.

That's exactly what we're looking for. We don't need a child watcher per-se (like a daycare would be), but we want someone to take some of the overall household work load so we can do more than take care of the kids and the house.

My wife stays at home - wouldn't have it any other way - and she does so, so she can be involved in our child(ren)'s lives. She loves the mom-role and all that it entails. It's just that with all that our first kid does, it entails a lot and with a second one, she's either going to be over-worked and stressed, or worse yet, I'll be called in for backup :D

My ideal nanny scenario would be to have someone to keep the house tidy, cook some meals, cover one kid if my wife's busy at a class with the other, do some errands and give my wife some 'adult' time during the day too (go to the gym, hang out with adults instead of being bombarded with Treehouse all day, etc).

For those with live-ins, am I expecting too much domestic work in lieu of actual child care, or is there generally a balance struck for the nanny to "tend to the house", whatever duties those may be while she's on the clock?

[nzwasp]

Originally posted by SilverGS


Except for the same price there is someone who will also cook and clean and babysit.

You don't have to pack them up in the morning to get to Daycare on time. You don't generally need to worry too much in picking them up right on time based on what time the day care closes. If you are 15min late most nannies won't care. Especially if they live there.

I know of some nannies who do 4 10 hour days and get Fridays off since it works well for their employer. I know of many others who's nanny drive and can drop off and pick up kids from school and other activities.

Having a nanny with 2 kids may not necessarily by financially cheaper than daycare but it is way more flexible.

Well i agree its more flexible but I dont think babysitting would be ontop of the agreed monthly wage where its typically 40 hours a week. We pay a friends nanny to look after our kid and its $15 an hour for that.

I guess cooking and cleaning is expected when its done for the kid but I wouldnt expect my nanny to cook my dinner every night and clean the whole house I think that would be setting unrealistic expectations. There was a show on cbc that said some nannys were expected to clean out the garage and mow the lawn for their employers.

And while I dont have a nanny at the moment, as soon as baby 3 is on the way im looking into it. I'd rather pay $2500 a month for a live out or 2k for a live in than pay 3k plus for daycare.

[rage2]

Originally posted by nzwasp
I guess cooking and cleaning is expected when its done for the kid but I wouldnt expect my nanny to cook my dinner every night and clean the whole house I think that would be setting unrealistic expectations.
Every nanny we've interviewed brought up cleaning, laundry, and making dinner as part of their job responsibilities. We've never brought it up, and was blown away.

[you&me]

Originally posted by rage2

Every nanny we've interviewed brought up cleaning, laundry, and making dinner as part of their job responsibilities. We've never brought it up, and was blown away.

Was this for live-in?

That level of expected responsibilities would be exactly what we'd want...

[rage2]

Originally posted by you&me
Was this for live-in?

That level of expected responsibilities would be exactly what we'd want...
For both live in or part time.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by nzwasp


Well i agree its more flexible but I dont think babysitting would be ontop of the agreed monthly wage where its typically 40 hours a week. We pay a friends nanny to look after our kid and its $15 an hour for that.

I guess cooking and cleaning is expected when its done for the kid but I wouldnt expect my nanny to cook my dinner every night and clean the whole house I think that would be setting unrealistic expectations. There was a show on cbc that said some nannys were expected to clean out the garage and mow the lawn for their employers.

And while I dont have a nanny at the moment, as soon as baby 3 is on the way im looking into it. I'd rather pay $2500 a month for a live out or 2k for a live in than pay 3k plus for daycare.

Yes the babysitting would be extra at your agreed rate but they are basically available all the time at a moments notice which is quite nice. Most don't go out at night since many don't drive or have cars and transit is not great so they basically just stay in their rooms in the evening.

The ones coming from over seas all expect to cook and clean for the household. Depending on the age of the kids they are watching they definitely still have time to do some of the household chores. Most of the ones I know of do all of it.

[78si]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow


I let my nanny drive our car, and I had people tell me that was a big risk. Bit honestly, if I'll let her spend 45 hours a week with my kids unsupervised, the chance of her stealing a $30k vehicle which i have full insurance on is minor.

Did you look into the insurance end of this? We live on an acreage and would need our "future" nanny to drive our kids to preschool and kindergarten.
I'm guessing it would be like adding a new "teenager" driver to your policy.

[nzwasp]

We are now thinking of getting a nanny vs putting our 2nd kid into daycare with the older kid. Reason being is that Daycare and Nanny will end up being about the same price for the next 18 months. However Im torn because then my wife would want to put our oldest into preschool for 2 days a week costing an additional $300 a month.

Also our youngest child has some physical special needs and we feel like she wouldnt get as much support in a small classroom with 11 other kids between 12months and 18 months.

The only issue I really have is what if one of us loses our jobs, did any of you guys / girls pull your kids out of daycare/nanny once you got laid off?

[Strider]

Bump.

Any more experiences with daycares and nannies?

I've just started looking into daycares and the prices for Kids and Company seem to have gone up pretty significantly over the years that this thread spans. Now looking at just shy of $2000/month when we start daycare at around the time that baby turns 1.

That seems to be about the going rate for a live-in nanny ($1800-$2200/month), and the idea of coming home to a clean house and cooked dinner is quite compelling.

I've also found some less expensive daycares on the outskirts of the downtown core (~$1200), but I'm quite leery of daycares where the main contact uses @shaw or @hotmail email addresses.

[ExtraSlow]

Check out Churchill park, they run several daycares around town, they manage a some dayhomes and they run at least two school-age care centres for before and after care, which trust me, is insanely hard to find. They are well organized and well managed.

As for the price of Kids and Co, many companies sponsor employees children to go there, so if you aren't in that situation, you are kind of paying double. I don't think their high prices are in indication of higher quality.

[Strider]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Check out Churchill park, they run several daycares around town, they manage a some dayhomes and they run at least two school-age care centres for before and after care, which trust me, is insanely hard to find. They are well organized and well managed.

As for the price of Kids and Co, many companies sponsor employees children to go there, so if you aren't in that situation, you are kind of paying double. I don't think their high prices are in indication of higher quality.

Thanks, looks like a good alternative. The two Churchill Park options for an infant are in Hillhurst (age 0-2) and the Penn West building, but iirc the Penn West daycare pricing is pretty much in line with Kids and Company.

Haven't done enough investigation into dayhomes to form a solid opinion on them. My initial thought is that it'd be looking for a diamond in the rough - maybe someone can educate me.

[ExtraSlow]

For Dayhomes, you are basically looking at ones who are "accredited" and ones who are not. accredited day homes have standards to adhere to that are similar to those in any kids and co or churchill park location.

Also, one of the reasons for the very high price for infants is the really low ratio. You can probably imagine that one caregiver can't deal with very many 11 month olds.
I don't remember the ratios permitted, but it's much lower as they get older, and price generally drops accordingly.

[nzwasp]

What do people pay their nannies these days?

Since becoming fly in fly out at work we are thinking about getting a nanny again which sucks because I don't really want to pay more than $2100 (what daycare currently costs) but at the same time my wife wants the convenience since dropping off two kids, then working 8.75 hours and picking up is really tedious.

We also have no basement so therefore no way to store a nanny downstairs.

This decision would be alot easier if the fly in/fly out job paid me uplift which it does not - theres no financial benefit to being up there.

[ExtraSlow]

I think you'll be looking at minimum wage for the first 40 hours, and overtime for the rest.

Also, live-out nannies with a drivers license, speak decent english and reliable transportation are STILL a hot commodity. Hope you live near the train line . . .

[G]

Originally posted by nzwasp
What do people pay their nannies these days?

Since becoming fly in fly out at work we are thinking about getting a nanny again which sucks because I don't really want to pay more than $2100 (what daycare currently costs) but at the same time my wife wants the convenience since dropping off two kids, then working 8.75 hours and picking up is really tedious.

We also have no basement so therefore no way to store a nanny downstairs.

This decision would be alot easier if the fly in/fly out job paid me uplift which it does not - theres no financial benefit to being up there.

I would really redo the math here. With no financial benefit to be up north plus an additional $2100 for a nanny you might as well just find a part time job in Calgary and drive the kids around yourself.

[nzwasp]

Due to the nature of my work I am required to fly in fly out for work on occasion depending on project - 75% of the time I am based in Calgary. We are supposed to get a 20% extra on our rate but our employer has not passed it along to us yet. Although they said it would be backpaid when it is.

A nanny wont be 2100 she will be more like 2500


Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I think you'll be looking at minimum wage for the first 40 hours, and overtime for the rest.

Also, live-out nannies with a drivers license, speak decent english and reliable transportation are STILL a hot commodity. Hope you live near the train line . . .

somewhat - we are in aspen area however we would need one that can drive to take the kids to activities etc.

[Buster]

We pay our nanny $3500 per month.

3 kids.

[nzwasp]

So we have a part time nanny who works my shifts while I'm at site but she is absolutely useless. For example we set hours of work from 4pm to 7pm every day im away. She gets to our house at 3 or even 2.30 some days then leaves to pick up the kids at 3.30pm they are a 10min drive away she gets back at 5.30.

When she does get home she just sticks the tv on and then attempts to heat up dinner. She can't follow instructions most of the time so she doesn't cook from scratch I cook on my offshift days and she hears it up. And also we have cameras inside and outside our house and she still acts like this. That and can't speak much English (speaks Spanish)

So now we are going to a full time nanny and pulling the kids both out of day care since our oldest starts school this year anyway.

[Epididymitis]

3500 eh? I'll watch your kids for a small price oooof, leave me a 24 in the fridge.

[nzwasp]

So we hired a Nanny and I found out that I have to pay her as a domestic worker - we are going to pay her $15 an hour plus holiday pay i think (4%) however how do i remit all the employer contributions to EI, CPP and Taxes on behalf of her. I did do this when I was incorporated but I have no idea how it happens outside of that. I signed up for a business number from CRA to have a domestic worker last week. And I know i can use the payroll calculator to find out what to pay her what to remit back etc. I just dont know what to do with all those remittals.

[SQ2]

You could contact someone like Ceridian or ADP. They can set up a nanny payroll for you and they'll take care of the remitting. There's a cost, of course, but it's not too bad.

[ExtraSlow]

You don't need ADP or anyone to do it for you, it's not hard. My wife took care of ours, but I think the folks at service canada can help you with this.