I'm a mom of two, 7 week old baby boy and 20 month old daughter. We have had a nanny since October (our first ever). Up to now we have been giving her every holiday off with pay. She also gets 2 weeks paid vacation and 5 paid sick days. I'm also extremely flexible with any requests she has. I'm starting to think that giving her EVERY holiday off with pay is a bit much. What does everyone else do?
Consider how you would feel if the shoe was on the other foot? Do you want to get paid for holidays? I had the same dilemma and I thought to myself how unfair would it be for the hospital not to pay me for a holiday. Once I put myself in the equation I knew the right thing to do was to pay my sitter on holidays.
Genieve,
I am not sure if I can help you though I can only tell you what my sister in law does. They live in Forest Hills, Queens. (very elite area in Queens for business parents)Her nanny is a live in nanny from 8am on Monday to 9PM every day. Saturdays at 5PM she gets to go home and she has off on Sundays only. She needs to report back on Monday agan at 8AM. She cares for a 5 year old, 2.5 yr old and a 1 month old. My sister in law also stays at home. I see her nanny at almost every holiday except those that fall on a Sunday as that is her day off anyway. She works ALL day and cooks, cleans and cares for the kids too. She is able to rest after the kids go down, which is about 9PM at night. I believe she gets paid about 350.00 weekly. I would hire her in a heart beat as I am a working mom. My sister in law has the only hook up. She also goes on vacations with the family..I think you are being very flexible as well. As far as vacation, I never see my sister in law's nanny EVER take a vacation and she has been with her since Nov 2004.Hope this sheds some light on your nanny. I really like her nanny and she has watched my 2.5 year old daughter on numerous occasions. There are alot of nannies out there willing to do anything and are caring and great people. Take care.
when we used a Nanny, I did not pay her for days off that were planned in advance. I DID pay her if it was a last minute cancelation, sick day etc. Any time she chose to take off for a day or a vacation I did not pay her for.
Now we are at an in home daycare. We do have to pay all holidays that the place is closed and for the providers 2 week vacation each summer..
Genieve
I believe this is a personal choice. I think you have to consider what she does and doesn't do for you. From your request above, you are very giving, does she do the same for you? Does she go above and beyond her duties for you? I think as employers of child caregivers, we need to remember that nannies care for our most valued treasure(s)....our children. Is she the type to stay without complaint, arrive early when you need her, can you see the true care within her nature for your kids? More importantly, what is the feel of your children when they are with her? There are certain intangibles that you can't put a dollar value on. These are the things to consider when you are making monetary decisions because some nannies do work very hard for their wages. You are the one that has a pulse on your household and how it functions with your nanny in it. Is she easily replaceable, or is she a part of your family. Even though you have had her only since October, one can tell right away, whether she has what it takes or not. My nanny was irreplaceable and I gave her all that I could. Nothing was a bit much, she was worth it, and when she had to leave me due to her husband relocating to Chicago, the kids and I were devastated. Good luck to you.
