Nanny Question

[20165]

We are taking my 26 yo niece on our next cruise to act as our 'nanny' and I was wondering if anyone had some recommendations on how much to pay her. We have 2 sons ages 2 and 5. We of course are paying for the cruise and airfare, but what is a reasonable daily per diem? Any info from people that have experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[rebeccalouise]

Wow- I didn't have to pay my "nanny"- the $ 1700 for the cruise was enough for her. I did pay for all her onboard expenses- which were only $100 because she is a very considerate person.

 

But if you think she deserves pay as well- then pay her whatever you see fit. What do you normally pay her?

 

I should add that my nanny had her own stateroom and mornings to herself and late night to herself (after 11). Which worked out great because I go to bed early and like to get up with my kids early. She liked late nights and sleeping in. So I didn't work her like a dog. She was very happy to come on another cruise with me!

 

Now she is married with a child of her own. She still thinks back to those carefree cruise days!

[crusinmama06]

What cruiseline? Would the 2 year old be old enough to be heading to a kid's club. In that case then I would agree with Rebecca and say that the cruise is enough.

 

Maybe you could tell her that you would pay for any additional onboard expenses that she may occur and give her a little spending money for the ports. But I don't think I would pay per hour or per day.

[20165]

Its on RCL so the 2yo wont be able to go into the kids club. My niece hasnt asked for any money, but I want to give her something. We were thinking a daily rate of something like $100, but i just wanted to get some opinions from others that have done this and what they paid.

Thanks

[Kerry's Girls]

I pay my nanny $150 a day + all expenses when she travels with us because she's working full time. For a cruise, I think $100 a day is reasonable and I would outline your expectations clearly ahead of time. (What times you expect her to be babysitting, what free time she'll have, who'll be doing baths, meals, etc.) Otherwise, I'd be concerned about her wanting to play with the other young adults on board and getting in late, etc., so I think you're smart to pay her a wage for being there so it's clear it's not a vacation for her (though she's going to have tons of fun).

 

Sounds like you're going to have a perfect family vacation! Have fun!

 

Best,

Mia

[crusinmama06]

WOW! That's $700-$1050 week plus travel expenses. Can I be your nanny???? Seriously that's some great money :D And at the end of the week I can take another cruise with my $1050...lol.

 

Kids...I love kids ;)

[PassionFruit]

WOW! That's $700-$1050 week plus travel expenses. Can I be your nanny???? Seriously that's some great money :D And at the end of the week I can take another cruise with my $1050...lol.

 

Kids...I love kids ;)

 

Nuts!! You beat me to it!! If crusinmama06 doesn't work out, let me know! (After all....those eyes in that pic look kind of shady! ;) )

[MissOlive]

We took my SIL once, and we did not pay her to watch the kids (it was one kid at the time). Her cruise and flights were her payment. We covered the cost of any "family" excursions, where she was watching the kids, but anything that she did on her own, she paid for. It was nice because I don't snorkel or scuba, but she does and so does my husband-so they got to do that together. She did get alone time (I would go out with her at night, while my husband watched the kids) but for the most part, she watched them 24/7.

I think the fact that it is a relative is important, verses a non-relative. We tried to take someone this time around, but I think once I said that we could not pay her anything hourly, she was less interested.

Although it is a "free cruise" for someone, it is a lot of work. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be looking for someone to take with us, now would we? ;)

[crusinmama06]

Nuts!! You beat me to it!! If crusinmama06 doesn't work out, let me know! (After all....those eyes in that pic look kind of shady! ;) )

 

Hey don't listen to the FRUIT! :p

[rebeccalouise]

I hired a co-worker ( a lovely 21 year old receptionist where I worked) to be my nanny.

 

I made it clear ahead of time that she would be responsible for my son from 12-3 and from 6-10 everyday. When we did beach excursions- she went with us and helped out.

 

It was an 8 night cruise and she had one full day to herself on an excursion. I paid for the excursion.

 

It worked out great. There were no arguments. She went to the disco every nite and let men buy her drinks- so that her onboard expenses were only $ 100. I appreciated this!

 

I traveled once with my little sister to Hilton Head. It was a disaster because she thought I was bossing her around. I was! She was being paid to be there with us but somehow this escaped her once we got there. So- no family for me. Changes the dynamic of the situation.

[20165]

Thank Mia. Sounds like we are in the ballpark at $100 a day and we do need to outline our expectations before the cruise. Thats a great idea. I know a lot of the other post were joking about paying her anything, that the cruise should be payment enough, but beleive me, its well worth the $100 a day to have someone i know and trust watch my kids rather than someone from the ship. We have used on board baby sitting on other RCL cruises and never had a problem, but it was always in the back of our minds throughout the night wheather or not everything was allright, not to mention the multiple trips back to the cabin to check on things.

 

Thanks again

[Jen1229]

Hi! I just wanted to also support your decision to pay a fair amount. As a former nanny and current Mommy, it is a lot of work caring for kids, especially on a vacation and deserves more than just the travel expenses! Just my two cents, but depending on how much free time your nanny receives, I would say $50-150 is very reasonable ($150 being pretty high, but if the nanny is working full-time hours, than it is only right to pay full-time $.) I think people are not aware of how much a good nanny actually costs in most places (we're East Coast) and are shocked when compared with what they pay a teenager to babysit for an evening or even comparing it to daycare center rates. Have a great time and definitely follow the suggestion to have a clear set of expectations for your nanny's work schedule on the cruise, it will prevent conflicts during the trip!

[rebeccalouise]

Honestly- if someone is taking a nanny with the expectation that they are going to bath the kids, sleep in the cabin with the kids and have dinners alone with the kids- two things spring to mind....

 

Why take the kids? it would be more cost effective to just leave them home and pay a nanny.

 

Taking kids on vacation is expensive. Add in the cost of a nanny and a salary for the nanny- it certainly isn't cost effective.

 

So if the niece is willing to do some work and get a free trip- I think that is a good trade off. In my case, my receptionist could not dream of doing a cruise and having her very own cabin. She had time to herself each night and could sleep in each morning until noon. So she was quite happy.

 

For my part, I got a break from 12-3 and from 6-10 so it was worth it for me. I actually got to swim and lay by the pool and enjoy quiet dinners each night.

 

I don't think that taking a neice on a vacation is the same thing as being a true "nanny"- where the expectations are demanding. I just finished watching the nanny diaries and it is really is a sad state of affairs how some people have children only to shove them off on the nanny all the time.

[Kerry's Girls]

Honestly- if someone is taking a nanny with the expectation that they are going to bath the kids, sleep in the cabin with the kids and have dinners alone with the kids- two things spring to mind....

 

Why take the kids? it would be more cost effective to just leave them home and pay a nanny.

 

Taking kids on vacation is expensive. Add in the cost of a nanny and a salary for the nanny- it certainly isn't cost effective.

 

With the limited vacation time that many of us have, I think it makes perfect sense to be able enjoy your children AND enjoy time alone with your spouse while on holiday. To me it's a great solution if kids aren't old enough for the kids club and you can afford it.

 

Best,

Mia

[20165]

Honestly- if someone is taking a nanny with the expectation that they are going to bath the kids, sleep in the cabin with the kids and have dinners alone with the kids- two things spring to mind....

 

Why take the kids? it would be more cost effective to just leave them home and pay a nanny.

 

Taking kids on vacation is expensive. Add in the cost of a nanny and a salary for the nanny- it certainly isn't cost effective.

 

.

 

This isn’t a cost issue, I just wanted to make sure we were paying a reasonable daily rate to my niece. The reason we're not leaving the kids at home is because this is a family reunion cruise and all of our family will be there so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to leave part of my family home.

[Maddycakes]

I am scheduled on LOS in May. I too am bringing my 2 1/2 with me and our Nanny. We have two rooms but baby will sleep where ever she is most confortable at the time. My Nanny is a seventeen year old that I have worked with/known for 5 years.

 

She not only agreed to go, but was exctied to go on the cruise, knowing her only compensation would be the cruise. I am planning to do special things for her...like an excursion to little divi for a massage day and she is really into theater (my husband is not) so she will probably go to the shows with me as well.

 

When it comes to baby duty it normally is a tag team/ team effort.

 

I know she would not FEEL comfortable wandering on the ship solo for any long length of time, so we will probably do a lot together like a big happy family. Which is like it is at home and on previous trips, such as to Disney.

 

I was a little offended with the post that said "why bring the kids at all"...I would NEVER dream of going ANYWHERE without the baby...I feel that I just have the privilegde to have an extra set of hands when needed (which frankly is often with mine who is going through a rough case of the terrible two's)

 

Just my two cents:o

[Rhealsmom]

OUr situation is something similar to Maddycakes. We are the parents to one child -- we differ though with the fact that our child is now a 29 year old grown man with the development of a 2 year old child.

 

We would never consider traveling with out our son. These are family vacations and we want him to be able to enjoy them as well.

 

When we cruised in 1999 we paid to have our care provider travel with us. Our expectations were clear and the time frames were set out in advance. My DH and I primarily wanted our nights to ourselves. Our DS and the attendant were to be in the cabin beside us (this attendant was a grown man -- well suited to caring for our son). We were covering all of the costs for the cruise -- all expenses down and back and the cost of excursions.... but he was responsible for his own spending monies (ie. drinks, photos, casino, etc.). His only real responsiblity to our son was from 11pm - 6am --- and even then, we told him that if something came up -- all he had to do was let us know and we would make alternate arrangements for our son.

 

Well, things did not work out with him at all. He behaved worse then our "two" year old son did. Security had to chase him out of the pools 4 or 5 times (he kept wearing my husbands sandles into the pool). He tried to come to dinner in the dining room with just swim trunks on. After about the third day (of a 7 day cruise) he refused to come out of the cabin -- so had room service 5 or 6 times a day --- but didn't bring any monies to tip the waiters (didn't bring a cent with him -- even though he would be away from home for 12 days).

 

Needless to say - it was a very disappointing cruise and a very, very long and silent trip home (we have to drive as our son can't fly. We live in New Brunswick, Canada so it was a very long drive).

 

In 2001 my parents came along with us. Our son stayed with us, in our cabin -- but we had grandma and Grandpa who would occasionally take him for a walk. Granddad gets figity like our son does if they sit for more then a couple of minutes --- so the two of them would wander off and when Granddad became tired -- he would bring our DS back and we would have him for the next few hours.

 

On our upcoming cruise -- my sister and her 18 month old daughter are coming with us (we're covering all of the expenses). We have my sister, her baby and our son booked into one cabin with my husband and I in the adjoining cabin. If need be, we can switch cabins around (if our DS won't settle with his Aunt) -- or we may have to take the baby in with us... But whatever happens - at least we are all getting to spend some time together in the sun. Our DS and our DN (Dear Niece) are together a lot and are becoming very attached... It's quite funny to watch this 29 year old - 200 lb man, sitting on the floor playing with the sames toys that his 14 month old cousin is playing with. Both are learning to share and have already figured out how they can team up together to "drive me crazy" (DN stays overnight with us quite frequently).

[Maddycakes]

Dear Rhealsmom,

 

Thank you so much for sharing your story... My heart truly was warmed to hear your plight with your grown son. It really puts life into perspective for me when I feel challenged with my "terrible two" daughter. I have been a teacher of students with disabilities for some time and now I am a behavior specialist.

 

So I feel that I have glimmer of understanding of what it must be like to be a care giver all the time.

 

In your posting your originally had the companion from he**!!! How well did you know him prior to the trip? I only ask because the Nanny that is coming with us I FEEL I know REALLY well...but maybe you felt the same way about your's too (Prior to the cruise).

 

In closeing I pray you have a AMAZING time on your cruise:)

 

Maddycakes

[rebeccalouise]

This isn’t a cost issue, I just wanted to make sure we were paying a reasonable daily rate to my niece. The reason we're not leaving the kids at home is because this is a family reunion cruise and all of our family will be there so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to leave part of my family home.

 

My remarks weren't directed at your situation. I was in the same boat (no pun intended). My family wanted me to go on a family cruise with a six month old. My father was paying for the whole thing. So bringing along my co-worker to babysit- set me back $ 1700 but the cruise was free to me otherwise. It was a win-win.

 

What I was talking about is how people do treat nannies. I have witnessed it first hand. I sat on the beach one summer with a couple who never moved from their beach chairs- while the nanny took care of four kids under the age of 5. The nanny chased them, rinsed them off, built sand castles with them. The nanny carried the inflated pool to and from the condo- went in with them at nap time. The couple in question never lifted a finger and they were 30 and 31 years old. I didn't have my son with me- I left him home for the weekend with his father. But the whole time I was astounded by the work they heaped on this nanny.

 

I could never expect another person to do something that I wasn't prepared to do myself. So this is what I would keep in mind when hiring a nanny. They need to have some fun or why would they want to be on a cruise for seven days. They could stay home and make more money.

[20165]

I was a little offended with the post that said "why bring the kids at all"...I would NEVER dream of going ANYWHERE without the baby...I feel that I just have the privilegde to have an extra set of hands when needed (which frankly is often with mine who is going through a rough case of the terrible two's)

Just my two cents:o

 

Thanks Maddycakes. I agree. My orginal question was how much i should pay our nanny and get some others opionions that have done this in the past, not to debate wheather or not i should take my kids.

[merela]

I would pay the nanny $10 per hour she is working. But you have a 5YO who will enjoy the kids club, so essentially, your nanny will be working with only 1 child most days. So $100 per day is more than enough.

 

I think it's fair that you pay for her cruise and the $10 per day auto-tip that the cruise line will levy on your bill. However, I don't think you need to pay for her other expenses like excursions and bar/soda bill if there are any. I would pay for her excursion only if your children are going along. But rather than bringing children with you on excursions, I would leave the kids on the ship. The 5YO can go to the kids' club, so your niece/nanny would only have to watch the younger child while the ship is in port.

 

I used to have a nanny, so I know how hard it is to live without one if you are used to one. So I would suggest bringing a nanny along on vacation if you normally have a nanny at home helping out on a day-to-day basis. Believe me, it's not a vacation if you have to play nanny when you have a nanny at home. Your children will have a better vacation too with a familiar nanny.

[Rhealsmom]

Thanks Maddycakes...

 

We thought we knew him very well. He was a teachers assistant at the school that our son attended. He was more a friend then an attendant -- and had spent a lot of time with our son (with us as well).

 

I could never imagine travelling without our son - despite the extra considerations that have to be made -- he is our priority, and if it means taking an attendant - then that is what will be done.