Need a new PT Nanny...WWYD?

[infocrazy]

Our nanny of 2+ yrs is graduating college in December and starts student teaching in January. We are happy for her, but sad to lose her. We need someone new. I don't want our nanny to recommend someone, because given the difficulty of getting teaching jobs, she may want to come back after this semester and I don't want any hard feelings between friends.

We only need PT 3-6, so not really appealing for "nannys" because we aren't FT. The local high school gets out around 2:15. I have thought about using a high school student. We have a 1st grader who gets dropped off at 4, a 4 yo, and a 20 month old (who should be sleeping the first hr+). She will never need to drive them anywhere.

I called our church and had them recommend someone (not sure if she talked to the girl or not). She is a sophomore. We need someone who has their own transportation so she must be at least 16.

Do you think I'm crazy to consider a high school age nanny?

ETA: At this point I am just looking to finish out the school year. By plan, I will be on maternity leave this summer and will determine long term plans after that...

[hillview]

15? It would really depend on the girl but that would be pretty young. Experience? Support close by? Are you close by?

[kozachka]

I would not be comfortable leaving 3 kids with a high school age babysitter, particularly given the age of your youngest DC. So, yes, in my opinion it is a crazy idea. Then again, if the said high schooler comes from a large family and is used to be around small kids, then it could be an option. You know your kids better then us, so you are the only person who can decide whether this is crazy or not. My one DS can be quite challenging, and he is 8, so almost entirely self-sufficient.

[maylips]

Our regular babysitter (at night) is 15 and is way more responsible than our previous night babysitter who left for college this fall. It totally depends on the kid. I know college girls who aren't reliable and sophomores in high school who are awesome.

One thing you can try with the HS kid is to have her "apprentice" under your current nanny. Younger girls seem easier to train and set expectations with than older girls, IMO and your nanny could be your other set of eyes to see how she interacts with the kids, responds to issues, etc.

For that amount of time, I don't think you're crazy. Just make sure no after school activities can ever interfere with her. HS kids have a hard time thinking longer than a few weeks out and she could flake on you if her sport gets in season, her family travels a lot, etc.

[lhafer]

My baby sitter is a highschool senior. She is the oldest of 6 kids. Her youngest sister is 3 years old. She lives 4 houses down from me. She is a life guard at my community pool in the summers, and is of course CPR certified. I am totally comfortable with leaving my kids (5.5yrs and 21mo) with her. We are going on a date night tonight in fact!!

It is totally dependent on the person who will be watching your kids. It's hard to say yes or no to a high school kid without having someone in particular in mind to have a little background.

But I would say a HS senior or a young college kid would be great.

[daniele_ut]

Our regular babysitter is 15 and I would absolutely hire her to nanny in the situation you are describing. She's responsible, knows CPR and my kids totally adore her.

Frankly, she is much more reliable and attentive than the college age sitters we've used. The older girls tended to have more going on in their lives to distract them from the task at hand (ie, cell phone calls and texts from guys and friends)

[pinkmomagain]

My oldest is 15 yo and knowing her and her friends, I think responsibility and capability could vary greatly. I agree with pp who said it depends on the sitter and your kids personalities. I would interview a few and maybe do some test runs.

[luckytwenty]

I would not be comfortable with that, but I can't say I know kids that age very well. We have a 23 year old and before that had a 19 year old (both part time nannies, 2-6) and while they have worked out very well, both women, I do think there are some issues even at their age that wouldn't have come up with an older person.

[ellies mom]

Why don't you try and get an Early Ed major from your local college. They will be older and more likely to have transportation. Those hours would probably work great with schedules and it is extra money but not super full time. Could be win-win for both of you



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[infocrazy]

Why don't you try and get an Early Ed major from your local college. They will be older and more likely to have transportation. Those hours would probably work great with schedules and it is extra money but not super full time. Could be win-win for both of you

That is how we found our current nanny, but no takers so far. Still have some time, but I'd like to do some practice runs too...

[JoyNChrist]

When I was 15/16 I was baby-sitting three kids (ages 10, 6, and 1) all day during the summer. It worked out fine.

So I really think it would be okay, depending on the sitter, especially since it's just for a few hours a day.

[daniele_ut]

When I was 15/16 I was baby-sitting three kids (ages 10, 6, and 1) all day during the summer. It worked out fine.

So I really think it would be okay, depending on the sitter, especially since it's just for a few hours a day.

This just reminded me that when I was 15.5 years old I went to Tokyo with a family for whom I had been a regular sitter and nannied for their 2 year old six days a week for 6 straight weeks while the mom worked 10 hour days and the dad was back in NJ. That probably colors my opinion somewhat!

[AnnieW625]

Why don't you try and get an Early Ed major from your local college. They will be older and more likely to have transportation. Those hours would probably work great with schedules and it is extra money but not super full time. Could be win-win for both of you.


While the above sounds like it has good intentions I wouldn't limit it to early education majors because IMHO you are limiting the number of quality candidates that way. I lost a lot of jobs esp. when I lived in San Diego because I wasn't an early ed. major and I was more than capable in my late teens and early 20s to handle 3 kids for 3 hrs. a day even though I didn't have the right major (I had no interest in being an elementary or preschool teacher).

I baby sat at most two kids at a time at 16 and I was fine. I baby sat a 6 mos. old occasionally and his older sister who was 4 and had ADD and other behavior issues do it was often like having to watch 3 kids. Granted I lived across the street from them I would've been fine had they lived further away.