5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Get a Nanny For Your Children

Nowadays, there are so many different options when it comes to childcare. Even with options, choosing what is best for your family is not always easy. Whether it is daycare, family support, babysitting, or afterschool care, your family's unique needs will influence what childcare option is best for you.

Hiring a nanny is a great option for families that prefer to keep their children home and have care in the house. Nannies offer a lot of help around the house. Not only do they provide childcare, but based on hired responsibilities, they can clean the house, cook meals, do the laundry, help with family pets, etc. Although this might sound enticing, there are also cons to having a nanny. Here are five reasons a nanny might not be a good fit for you.

Lack Of Privacy

By hiring a nanny, you will have someone in your house providing care on a regular basis. If you're a private person, this might be difficult to get used to. Although you may not like this lack of privacy to start off with, most people do get comfortable with their caregiver being around. The inconvenience usually doesn't outweigh the benefit of having the nanny around. But, if you highly value privacy and prefer to keep your home private to your family, a nanny is likely not a good option for you.

Cost

Hiring a nanny often is one of the most expensive childcare options available. The average salary for a nanny in the U.S. is approximately $53,000, which breaks down to almost $4,500 a month. This can be compared to daycare which on average is around $1,200 a month per child. Mind you, hiring a nanny will offer you more benefits than placing your child in daycare. So although it is a significantly higher cost, you are receiving more. But this high monthly can make hiring a nanny worth it if it's something you can afford.

Sick Days

As a nanny is the sole caregiver for your children during the day, if they come down with any sickness, there isn't a backup caregiver that can cover them. This is one of the trickier parts of having a nanny. If your children are in daycare and a worker becomes sick, there are other care workers who can step in and take over. If your nanny becomes sick, it will be your responsibility to either stay home or to find backup care.

Managing An Employee

Hiring a nanny, in turn, makes you a boss. Whether you're hiring part-time or full-time, hiring a nanny means that you will now be managing an employee. This can look like being responsible for setting work hours, planning for your employee's vacation time, having a plan B for sick days, paying a salary, and handling taxes. If this is something you're not comfortable with or feel like you have the time for, then hiring a nanny is likely not a good option for you.

Parenting Style Conflicts

Parenting style conflicts can be a difficult thing to navigate. It's not uncommon for caregivers and parents to disagree on important topics like discipline, nutrition, activities, sleep schedules, etc. Having these disagreements can put a strain on both the caregiver and the parents and cause an unhealthy work environment. It is best to make sure that before you hire a nanny, your parenting styles align so that you can try to avoid this kind of conflict. Even so, things will come up regarding how you want your child to be raised. It will be your responsibility to make sure the nanny is following your wishes.

It's important for a child's development that there is consistency between caregivers. One caregiver allowing a child to do something that another doesn't can cause confusion and difficulty for the child. If they've learned that certain behavior is appropriate and are then punished by someone for that behavior, it's very confusing. This can cause a child to feel unsafe and hinder them from learning self-discipline.

Conclusion

Having a nanny offers pros and cons. Depending on your family and the gaps you need help filling, you will need to determine if the pros outweigh the cons. A nanny can help your family by providing childcare as well as help around the home so that you can spend more time with your children when you're free. But, there are challenges that come along with having a nanny. Nannies are expensive, if they are sick you'll have to figure out care for your child, you'll need to manage an employee, you won't have privacy at home, and you'll need to make sure the nanny is following your parenting style.

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