Hellobee Boards

I am and love it! There are so many benefits and a few drawbacks. Let me know if you have any questions. Btw, I am in Brooklyn.

We are in Boerum Hill. What about you?

So drawbacks. When the nanny calls in sick or takes a holiday, you need back up care or a really flexible job. We generally try to take a vacation when the nanny does, but sick days are a bit of a scramble. But she has only taken 2 in four months. We do 2 days at our place and 2 at the other family's house, but I will say you save some money from the nanny being at the other house all day (supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, electricity, etc.). And no mess to clean up at your place.

Make sure you and the other family are compatible and talk about what you would do if they are sick, take a day off, go out of town, etc. You really need to keep the lines of communication open to make sure problems and issues are resolved quickly. For example, what if your kid starts biting or hitting their kid. How would everyone handle it. Have a contract between both families and the nanny detailing the logistics. There are good examples on park slope parents website. Plan ahead for contingencies as best as possible. As long as the other family is pretty close, it should work well. Designate who will pay for certain expenses (double stroller, two high chairs, snacks, etc.). Talk about salary, benefits, bonuses, raises, etc ahead of time.

Otherwise, with a great nanny and a compatible family, the share can be super easy and very cost effective and a great built in socialization for the kids. We love our share so far mostly because the other family is very laid back and their son is a super chill baby.

Another benefit to it being at one house is that all the toys and gear are in one place.

Hope that helps, but let me know if you need more specifics.

When we have a baby we will have no choice but to do a nanny share. There are no daycares anywhere near us that take infants and we cant' afford a nanny on our own. Honestly I don't know how anyone finds daycare for an infant in this city I'm not sure if it actually exists!

@shortcake: Just saw your reply. Thanks! I think we are neighbors.

This has really interested me for a while! It seems like such a good compromise between the group setting and affordability of daycare, and the individual attention and home setting of a nanny. One of my potential scenarios when we have a baby is to work part-time, and it would be great to find someone with a full-time nanny who would let us nanny share 2-3 days a week.

@mrsjazz: Let us know how it works out! Sounds like a great setup.