Benefits Of In-Home Care
Whether you like the idea of hiring a professional nanny or prefer to sponsor a live-in au pair, the benefits of bringing the professional into your home to provide personalized childcare are clear. For instance, you can reduce stress in the morning by counting on someone else to get the children ready for school and feed them breakfast so you can focus just on getting yourself out the door. In-home care also comes in handy when your children are sick, so you don’t have to take time off from work. Further, if you have a large family, it may be more efficient and more cost-effective to have one person come in to care for them all, rather than paying for each one separately at a daycare center. And finally, when you have a nanny or an au pair, you are paying to have them focus solely on your children, unlike in a daycare setting, where the providers have to respond to multiple children competing for their attention. All of these advantages, and a host of others, make sense for many families who want exceptional care.
Better Safe Than Sorry
If you find a nanny or an au pair you like, make sure to get some references and check them out to be sure they are a good fit for your children. Like any one you would bring into your home, you want to make sure you know who they are and what kind of experience and background they bring. After all, you are entrusting this person with the care of your children, so you want the very best and most reliable person you can get for the position.
What You Can Expect To Spend
The cost to hire a nanny varies depending on in what part of the country you live, how many hours of care you need, whether you are also providing living quarters and what kind of experience the person brings to the job. That being said, there are some general estimates that can help you know what to expect.
An experienced nanny can cost between $350 and $700 a week, plus employer’s tax, social security tax and health insurance.
If you decide to sponsor an au pair instead, the costs include a weekly stipend, as well as all of the placement and travel expenses.
An au pair can cost about $140 a week, plus $5,000 to $6,000 in expenses.
No matter which option appeals more to you and your situation, the peace of mind you will receive in having either type of highly-qualified professional to care for your children in your own nurturing home setting will more than make up for the financial investment.