Nanny ?nanny share - nursery dilemma ? nanny/nanny share cost advice needed

[MrsPR]

We have two children, toddler who is currently at nursery 3 days a week (and we are very pleased with the care she receives there) and baby who is currently at home. I am going back to work full-time in a few months and the intention is to put both children to this nursery full time. My children will then be almost 3 and just over 1. The cost for both of them full time will be just over ?3k which I think is exceptionally high and as much as I adore this nursery I feel, I ought to consider other options. I am not too keen on childminder as I just don?t like the idea of my children being put in the buggy two times a day (rain or shine) and to go on a drop off/pick up for other children that this person will have in care. I also have a long list of other reasons why I don?t think a childminder is a right option for me. So at the moment I am considering two options:

1) Take full time nanny for both of them ? I will need 8-6:30, 5 days per week. I honestly think that nanny will never be able to provide as much quality time as they get at nursery simply because at home we have much less resources and this is my biggest dilemma with this option. I think this is particularly important for my older one as she will be just over 3 yrs old then and will need some age appropriate structured learning in order to get her prepared for school which nanny will not be able to do as she will have to run around after our younger one who will be all over the place by that point. Or am I just making the bigger deal of this than it is? I also have lots of questions regarding the cost of this option: What is the current rate for these hours or similar? How much on top of that is tax? How much in addition goes on car insurance, food for nanny, play groups, swimming and other activities?

2) Keep older one in nursery and get nanny share for younger one. Again same hours (8-6:30, 5 days per week). Nursery for older one will be just over ?1k due to government funding so the idea is that the nanny share reduces the cost for younger one. I would be more comfortable with this option as the 3yr old would get all the benefits from nursery and younger one will have a playmate who is similar age and enjoy home environment. Again, I am keen to know what is the current rate, additional tax and how does this work. Any issues specific for nanny share that I should consider i.e what do you do for holidays, do both families need to take them at the same time and when nanny gets her holidays?

Please let me know if you have similar dilemma, if you think I should consider childminder and why, if you have nanny/nanny share for children of similar age or if you know about the costs for either/both options. Many thanks

[simonethebeaver]

I have two children of similar ages. We have a nanny share with another family with a one year old. In September my three year old will be going to preschool for three days a week for free with her 15 hours, and for now is doing play dates when possible, plus playgroups. She is also a very maternal little person so enjoys spending time with the younger ones.

It is MUCH cheaper than two sets of nursery fees would be. And the convenience of a nanny is great. We're very happy. We use one of the nanny payroll companies to sort the tax stuff out.

[etta166]

When I had 2 children of a simliar age, we also did a nanny share and my 3 year old went to pre-school for 15 hours a week. I agree with simonethebeaver that this gives the best of both worlds. For us, given the cost of our local nurseries, it was a much cheaper option than 2 places at nursery and also a much more attractive option over all for us (I didn't like the idea of full-time nursery). Bear in mind that in this set up, the little ones will be doing a drop-off and pick up in the buggy, every day, rain or shine.

But... a nanny can provide great pre-school and school preparation at home. It just depends on the nanny and child, what groups they go to etc.

As for cost, a nanny-share is about ?12-?14 net per hour (so add approx 30% for tax and NI), usually split between two families equally. Both families get a full allowance free from NI, but split the tax free allowance between them. It's easiest to get a payroll company to work this out for you unless you want to do it yourself with the HMRC software.

[AnyaJoeli]

I'm not sure if this will be particularly helpful but for your question abut whether you should consider a childminder, just to say that my childminder doesn't do nursery pick ups etc and I don't think that they all do necessarily?it involves a bit of shopping around which you may not have time or headspace for but for example my childminder has a maximum of 3 kids a day and she has them in her home, drives them to parks/stay and plays etc in the morning but then goes home for lunches and naps and the afternoons are based around play and learning in her home setting which is laid out around the children sort of like a nursery, with outside space etc. I think I might be quite lucky as childminders go, as I have heard tell of stories of childminders taking kids out to the supermarket on their own shopping run etc, and would similarly dislike the idea of my son being lugged around to fetch other kids or drop off (although a nanny share wouldn't sidestep this issue). But I don't think necessarily that all childminders have pick ups and drop offs as part of their service but you might have to just ask specifically about this as part of your criteria. My childminder isn't any cheaper than a nursery though so her lovely focused services come at quite a hefty price...

[minder]

Can understand your dilemma (cost-wise) but do think you are making a bigger deal of some things.

You sound like you've already ruled out a childminder due to the possible buggy runs and a long list of other reasons. I'm a Registered Childminder and I've done school runs in the past and most nearly 3 year olds get a lot out of it. For instance, learning how to cross the road, spotting numbers on buses, letters on street names, going to a nursery/school environment. All basic stuff which helps prepare them for starting school in a few years time.

A full-time nanny is more than able to care for a 1 year old and 3 year old in the home I'm sure.

[Saffron]

For my daughter, we've done a split between nanny 2 days a week, and nursery 3 days a week. This is a good mix of one-on-one time with the nanny, and excellent socialising at the nursery.

If your child(ren) attend a private nursery (all year long), then your free 15 hour grant will likely be spread over the weekly hours of the whole year, as the grant applies to term time attendance schedules.

Are you making a big deal of things? Who knows. Impossible to tell from a single post. But I think you should do whatever you will feel good about, not cause you extra stress. It's hard enough already just working and sorting childcare!

[Norfolkvillas]

We have a full time nanny for our two (1.5 and 4.5), and my eldest goes to pre-school for his 15 hours which along with play dates etc seems to be more than enough socialising. Our pre-school is term-time only so I don't pay anything over and above his 15 free hours. I feel lucky to get the free hours, as it does seem like the perfect balance, and I'm not having to pay two sets of childcare costs - ie nanny salary plus nursery fees.