What is the Difference Between a Nanny and a Baby Sitter?
Nannies and babysitters are two terms that are used interchangeably too often, but there is a clear cut difference between these two. Sometimes parents even get confused about whether to get a nanny or a babysitter. So, what’s in a name?
Both babysitters and nannies care for children while parents are away though a nanny’s job goes beyond making mac and cheese and popping in the latest Disney film to keep your kids entertained. A nanny’s job is more holistic and they play a bigger part in the children’s lives and does other tasks such as housekeeping, meal preparation, and home management. Whereas babysitters are short-term caretakers who are usually hired on an ad-hoc basis. Let’s discuss further about these childcare providers so you can make an informed decision on what childcare options will work best for you.
What is a Babysitter?
A babysitter provides childcare as needed or on an “on-call” basis, therefore the care they provide for your child or children is just temporary. Ensuring your child’s safety and well-being while they are in charge is their primary responsibility. Babysitters don’t work full-time as a nanny does and they get paid by the hour. Most of the time, they only work on an “as needed” basis like when parents have an appointment or an occasion where they can’t bring their child. A few babysitters work on a regular schedule like after school babysitters who would usually pick up your child from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM during weekdays. Some parents would only call for babysitters on date nights.
Babysitters are responsible for planning and facilitating activities for your child including arts and crafts, games, or sports. Some babysitters will do additional tasks such as driving the kids to soccer practice, take them to ballet school, or Taekwondo lessons. A higher wage is expected if the babysitter does light housekeeping, cooking, and helping with homework.
Hiring a babysitter is ideal if you need only need someone to take care of your children for a few hours until you become available. This is also a cheaper option since you only pay the babysitter by the hour therefore you don’t have to provide her benefits such as health insurance.
What is a Nanny?
A nanny is generally more involved with your child’s wellbeing and development in a much more holistic way than what a babysitter provides. They care for children on a regular, full-time basis so they become an integral part of your household. A nanny is more intimately involved with your child’s emotional, physical, and mental growth. They have more responsibilities than a babysitter which includes but not limited to the following:
Organizing playdates
Tidying up children’s rooms
Cleaning children’s play area
Teaching manners and socially appropriate behavior
Facilitating age-appropriate activities
Cook meals
Taking the children to museums, zoos, etc.
Bathing and dressing children
Ensure the children’s overall hygiene
Help the kids with homework
Grocery shopping
Drop off and pick up the kids from school
Doing kids’ laundry
Newborn care including feeding, diapering and nap times
Reading books and teaching letter and numbers
Nannies usually have more advanced childcare training more than the basic CPR or first aid certification that a babysitter has. Some parents look for the following skills and certifications in a nanny, depending on their children’s needs:
Early childhood education or other teaching degrees/experience
Child nutrition training
Sign language
Water-safety certification
Having these certifications, nannies are compensated better than a babysitter. They basically provide an unrivaled level of care that you can’t get from a babysitter. Karen’s Nanny Agency makes sure that only the top professional nannies get placed in your family since they become part of your family, forming a bond with your children which makes them a co-parent rather than just being a basic caregiver
In terms of experience, a nanny usually has at least 5 years of experience working with children. Some of them started off as babysitters while others have been teachers or daycare workers who transitioned their career into a professional nanny. They might have a degree in early childhood education, child development or similar related field. Unlike babysitters who are usually doing their job as a side gig, a nanny makes it her career and stick with this profession in the long-term. They are more invested in this profession and are usually not pursuing anything else.
7 Different Types of nannies
Long-term Nanny is usually on a contract for at least one year but usually stays longer. They work as an extension of parents, providing consistency of parenting styles and stability. Parents can tell exactly the nanny what food their children should eat and the day-to-day activities for their children. Nannies in this type of setting can choose a live-in or live-out arrangement. Many parents who both work full-time choose this option to help them raise their children well while they work to provide for their family and pursue their careers.
2. Nanny-Household Managers are usually employed by families with school-aged children to help them with childcare and household management. Their tasks include doing the laundry, grocery shopping, running errands, dropping off kids to school and picking them up in the afternoon, serving lunch and dinner, assisting with their homework, and driving the kids to after-school activities.
3. Newborn Nanny is a nanny who specializes in newborn care and is employed by both first-time and experienced parents. Newborn nannies mentor first-time parents on how to properly care for their newborn baby and integrate the baby into the family’s existing routine. They also help working mothers who are returning to their professional careers to establish a routine and help with the transition by providing patient, personalized care for both the mother and the baby. Their essential tasks include feeding, cuddling, changing diapers, and bathing the baby.
There are a couple of options in having a newborn nanny: a daytime nanny and a night nanny. Having a daytime nanny is ideal for mothers who work from home and needs someone to take care of their newborn baby while she conducts meetings or completes a task in her job. A daytime newborn nanny is a newborn care specialist who can teach a first-time mother the ropes on newborn care. Night nannies are typically hired by mothers who had a C-section or difficult labor. They will usually start their day around 6:00 PM and leaves the following day, granting exhausted parents some much-needed rest. Night nannies are responsible for everything pertaining to the baby for the period they are there, some would only need to wake the mother to breastfeed the baby. Both daytime and night nannies can assist parents how to set up a feeding schedule, how to bathe a child, how to handle a baby when he’s fussy and even help a mother figure out breastfeeding. Because of the convenience of having a daytime and nighttime nannies, some couples would request of having both or would negotiate a live-in arrangement where a nanny will stay with them round the clock. Typically, newborn nannies only work for a period of 8 to 12 weeks but some families who love their nannies and are satisfied with the care she is giving to their baby would request for an extended arrangement. Karen’s Nanny Agency provides this option as most of our nannies have served families from when their child was just a baby up until the time he is old enough to go to school. The trust developed from our newborn nannies is so tight we always have repeat clients asking for the same nanny.
3. Live-in Nannies work on a regular or full-time schedule and live with the families they care for where they have their own bedroom and sometimes her own living space. As mentioned, newborn nannies can work in a live-in arrangement to ensure optimum care is given to the baby while the mother is recovering from childbirth or is on her way to go back to her career. Live-in nannies also manage a household where both parents have extremely busy schedules and travel often, or has numerous children. A live-in nanny has agreed-upon work hours and schedule and provides more flexibility when it comes to additional nannying times and additional tasks such as cooking, housekeeping, and driving the kids around.
4. Live Out Nannies work either part-time or full-time depending on the agreed-upon arrangement with the employer. Having a live-out nanny also provides flexibility in a way that they can work in daytime, after-school, or a few days in a week and provides the family more privacy since she doesn’t have to live with them. Many families employ a live-out nanny to pick up their children from school and take them to their activities. Single parents also opt for live-out nannies to assist the parent by providing an extra set of hands in taking care of his or her children
5. Shared Nannies are employed by two or more families to take care of their children simultaneously at the same time. Many families choose this route due to financial reasons. For example, in a regular nanny situation, a family would hire a nanny for about $3000 per month. With the nanny share structure, each family will pay $2000 a month. This is a win-win situation for both the families and the nanny. Each of the families would save $1000 per month while the nanny would take home $4000. This option is far less expensive than high-end daycares and also allows your children to develop her social skills with other children. Usually, the families employing a shared nanny will arrange which home to use as the location for care, some would use each home alternately. There is also another type of shared nanny wherein a nanny works part-time for each of the families to fulfill a “full-time” schedule, this is called “partial share”. Partial shared nannies can spend the first half of her schedule in one family in the morning and have the other half of her schedule on the other family.
6. Summer Nannies are hired to take care of the children while school is out for the summer. A summer nanny is responsible for preparing meals, supervising and keeping the children safe, and playing games or other activities. Some families would employ a summer nanny to travel with them for the summer to ensure the children get adult supervision while parents take their time off to relax.
7. Special Needs Care Nannies are highly-trained and knowledgeable nannies who specialize in taking care of special needs children. Most nannies who work with children who have special needs have certifications and an educational background in special needs. Special needs care nannies are aware of the demands of the job and create daily schedules and plans with the parents in order to align their goals, both developmental and educational, for their child or children. They are also responsible for taking care of the nutrition of the child and are trained to deal with emergency situations should one arise. Aside from that, special needs care nannies are probably the most compassionate and the most patient type of nannies.
A nanny is considered as a household employee which means parents who employ a nanny will have additional tax responsibilities. The social security and medicare threshold for 2020 is $2,200 or more so if your nanny makes this amount per year or more, you have to pay employment taxes. Medicare and Social Security funds should also be taken into account aside from the taxes that will be deducted from their pay. Unlike babysitters who are paid in cash, nannies have an actual paycheck which they get either on a bi-weekly or monthly basis depending on the terms of their contract. Karen’s Nanny Agency helps families and nannies negotiate a fair salary and a fair work agreement that includes rules for overtime, time off, vacation, and on-call hours.
In conclusion, the benefits of having a nanny rather than having a baby sitter are far too many. It certainly justifies why a nanny is paid more than a babysitter. A nanny is a critical thinker, a problem solver, and an anticipatory, all rolled into one. They take a lot of work, become a part of the family, and help you raise healthy and well-adapted children.
To initiate a nanny search, call us at (312) 868-0711 or fill out our Family Questionaire. Karen’s Nanny Agency provides an in-depth assessment of potential candidates to ensure we place the right nanny to help your family. Our agency’s advocacy is to ensure that your children grow in a nurturing and loving environment and to always place your family’s well-being first. We are highly selective of our candidates and we only provide experienced, reliable, knowledgeable, and committed nanny.