Is There Such a Thing as a "Morning Nanny?"

Updated on June 07, 2012
C.K. asks from Plainfield, IL
17 answers

My husband and I both work full time, and once school starts up for him in the fall, we'll both have jobs that require us to be at work at 7am most days. Our children (4.5 and 2) both attend an excellent in-home daycare that we're very happy with and don't want to change. However, 6:30am or earlier drop off does not work well for the daycare provider or the kids. We have to pull them out of bed far earlier than they would normally wake up (well, the 2 year old is sometimes up at 5:30, but that's a different story entirely), there is no time for any real morning routine, and it tends to stress out whichever parent is doing it because we're invariably late to work.

Is there such a thing as a nanny that we could hire to take care of the morning part of the day? Someone that could arrive at 6:15am, get the kids up and dressed, and take them to daycare? And then perhaps in a year when my oldest starts kindergarden, take her to school? Has anyone had experience making this kind of arrangement? And if so, how did you get started? Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all taking the time to respond! We ended up hiring our daycare provider's college-aged daughter as our morning nanny, and she started this week. We trust the daughter (who already babysits for us), and things are going very well! It was SO nice to be able to have her be there to snuggle with my youngest while I finish getting ready and get out the door. I can get to work earlier now, the kids can take their time getting up and getting dressed, and everyone is WAY happier. The one thing that I did learn through this process is that I had to do some investigation with the IRS on how to register myself as an employerr of a Household Employee to make the arrangement on the up and up from a tax perspective. (A requirement if you ever pay someone more than $1500/year for household assistance). But now that's good and we're all set. Thanks again!

Featured Answers

☼.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello,
I was a 'morning nanny' as a grad student. Worked well for the family and my classes. I found the job through job placement at my university. Good luck!

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L.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

Yes! I also recommend sittercity.com- i've had GREAT luck with people in my area off of there.... good luck!

More Answers

B.M.

answers from Pocatello on

you could probably find a college student or Grandma type that would love to do this! I would start asking around town. Some cities have nanny services you can call. You could ask friends if they have any extended family members this age. Or get in tough with people from your church. Or a friends church that could recommend someone. Hey even a close co-worker might know of someone who would be interested in a job like this.

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X.O.

answers from Chicago on

My neighbor has an older lady come to her house every morning to do exactly that. She gets the girls up, fed, dressed & off to school, and actually also comes back later on to meet them at the busstop and sit with them until their mom gets home from work.

I don't know where she found her lady, but you could always check a website like Care.com or SitterCity.com.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Yes.
There are Nannies for all times of day or night.
Make sure they are background checked and have references etc.
And insurance.
And a car seat to take your children to school.

Try www.care.com as well.

Or ask your daycare if they know anyone?

1 mom found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Absolutely! I hired someone off of sittercity.com and she works 615-845 Mon-Friday for me. I pay her $100 a week, but she gets paid whether she works or not. She NEVER has to work the full week, so she makes out pretty well.

So I just searched on sitterycity.com and actually had a lot of college kids or people with full-time jobs who were intersted. We've had some issues with our girl this year (her and my daughter butt heads) but otherwise we don't have any problems with her.

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

You might be able to find a college student who wants to earn some money. I would contact the local college or university and see if they have a job board that you could advertise on. Your daycare provider might also be able to point you in the right direction as well.

I think this is a great idea. Good luck!

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

The phrases to 'search' are

- Beforeschool Care. While a lot of your findings will be places that work like your daycare, you'll also find individuals.

- Pt AM nanny 6am-8am (or whatever).

When searching for a PT (or FT) nanny wording is VERY important... Because some people set up so that the nanny is responsible for sick child care/ no school days/ etc. those hours ate PAID for, whether you use them or not. So you need to be very clear what start and end times are. Similarly, there will need to be vacation (nannies need to be able to schedule vacation just like you do, on their own schedules, not just when you go on vacation), and sick time/plans. AKA what do you do when the nanny is sick, and what are your expectations when the children are sick.

I bring this up because with super PT work (10-15 hrs a week say) hiring families often forget, and those who take such short hours usually have more than 1 job or family.

So when looking for an individual, have your needs (nonnegotiable), and wants (negotiable), set up ahead of time.

And yep! The most common place people find individuals around HERE are college students. Typically Early Childhood Ed or Psych students. Any degree path will have great people in them, those two just tend to have more students who would prefer your job on their CV.

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

When I had classes at eight and the kids started school at eight thirty I hired a college kid with a later class to kick them to the curb. I am sure you could find something similar. It cost a premium because they have to get up early and get them ready but they aren't hard to find.

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Yep--such a beast exists--that's called a PT nanny.

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D..

answers from Charlotte on

Try talking to your neighbors who don't have children. Perhaps an empty-nester couple? Pay them by the hour.

Hope this works out!

Dawn

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M.S.

answers from Chicago on

Go to sitterscity.com. You'll find someone there to do and you can list your price.

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R.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi C.,

I have friend who do a nanny-share with a nanny who works for a family only when the kids aren't in school. And when I was growing up we had an early morning babysitter. So it definitely happens. I would suggest posting on Sittercity.com, or a similar Site. I've found almost all of my babysitters through the Site and I've been pleased. Just make sure to be specific in your job posting.

Good luck,
R.

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K.M.

answers from Denver on

I saw some recommendations for sittercity.com. We have used care.com and found some good people. I would def try these websites.

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D.B.

answers from Chicago on

My neighbor has a lady that comes n the morning and gets her kids off to school. They are 9 & 11 and go to different schools. One has a bus that picks up and the daughter has to be brought to school. She had had her for two years now. She just put her feelers out there. Told everyone she knew, what she was looking for. She had an even bigger challenge of only needed someone 3 mornings a week. She ended up finding a mom that had older kids. It is perfect for this mom because she makes extra money and all she had to do is work a couple of hours every morning. However, I would think you would need to pay someone pretty well to that. A good flat rate for the week would probably be best. IMO

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M.C.

answers from Chicago on

Yes, we had a nanny from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm and she did mention she had other clients that filled in the gap so she had a full schedule. We used Care.com. Just be specific on your expectations. Also, if you have any pets put that on your ad too. I had interviewed one candidate who I liked, but she was highly allergic to cats so that was a no-go from the start.

Good luck!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I am a nanny. During the school year my job is pretty much what you described every morning. I arrive at the home. get the kids up, dressed, breakfast and then out the door to school. (in your case it would be to the daycare) then I come back after school and feed them, stick them in the bathtub and into pjs after they have done homework and had playtime. I can tell you that your cost for something like this will run in the $10 to $15 an hour range. There are a lot of good sitters / nanny's and caregivers on sittercity. You just have to really interview and follow up on references. I was hired thru sitter city. I have been with this family for more than 2 years now.

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