7 ms·

Let me put it this way: I have lived in Silicon Valley my entire life (and I'm not that young), and the only person I've ever met who was raised by a nanny was

Let me put it this way: I have lived in Silicon Valley my entire life (and I'm not that young), and the only person I've ever met who was raised by a nanny was a rich kid who went to my high school. I've never met anyone who hired a nanny, except that kid's parents. But maybe that's because I don't live in Atherton.

pfarnsworth 10y ago
And let me put it this way: Every working couple except for one that I know with a kid has hired a nanny for at least some portion of the time, including myself.
- ernestbro 10y ago
  Nanny != babysitter
- twblalock 10y ago
  A nanny is not a part-time worker. That is a babysitter. A nanny lives with the family.
  - gutnor 10y ago
    Is it in the US ? In the UK to be a nanny, childminder or work in a nursery you have specific regulation and qualification required. A babysitter requires nothing, it can and generally is some teenage kid. The difference with all 3 is where the child go. Nursery has special dedicated facilities to take care of several children, number limited by the number of employee and size. A childminder will take care of 1 to 3 children in her own home. A nanny will come to your home and take care of 1 to 3 of your children. All 3 are available in full-time ( i.e. working hour full time ) or part-time. The movie type, stay at home Nannies are "Au Pair". Depending on the qualification ( from foreign student doing a bit of cleaning and getting the kid to and from school to fully qualified nanny ) the price varies enormously. Au Pair is not unusual, Au Pair Nannies is rich people stuff.
    - blowski 10y ago
      Again UK-specific: They only _need_ qualifications to register with OFSTED, and as a parent, it's up to you whether you require your childcare to be registered. If you leave your kids with a friend, for example, your friend doesn't need any kind of qualifications. However, you can only get Government subsidies (like child tax credits and childcare vouchers) for a registered childcare provider.
      - manarth 10y ago
        Technically, the requirements are a little stricter: "You must register with Ofsted or a childminder agency if you want to be paid to look after children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day in England"[1] In the example of leaving your children with a friend, the exemption is for a maximum of 3 hours (per day), if the friend is being paid. Any longer and the friend is obliged to register with Ofsted (with a penalty of an unlimited fine and/or jail for not being registered). I doubt many people would think to check the legal requirements though. [1] https://www.gov.uk/register-childminder-childcare-provider/overview https://www.gov.uk/register-childminder-childcare-provider/o...
        blowski 10y ago
        Blimey - I didn't realise that, and I will continue to completely ignore it as it's ridiculous.
    - S4M 10y ago
      Here in Spain I know a family that hired a young girl "au pair" (in their case a Polish girl who wanted to learn Spanish). The father told me they paid her about 400 euros/month + food and accommodation, so it's not something prohibitively expensive.
      - pjmlp 10y ago
        Given that is half of the salary of many people in the peninsula and above the Portuguese minimum wage, it looks expensive to me. I mean, that only medium level and upper classes can afford it.
  - blowski 10y ago
    A nanny doesn't necessarily live with the family, but the 'primary care setting' (i.e. where they take care of the children most of the time) is the child's home. They can also be part-time. The key difference is that a nanny is usually a formal salaried employee with regular contracted hours, whereas a babysitter is typically paid an hourly rate and is self-employed. https://www.care.com/a/what-is-the-difference-between-a-babysitter-and-a-nanny-1203061623 https://www.care.com/a/what-is-the-difference-between-a-baby...
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    False. Wife was a nanny in college. Never lived with anyone. At least in the US nanny means long term babysitter with more steady hours.
  - mercutio2 10y ago
    In the US in the 21st century vernacular (at least in NYC and Bay Area), nanny means child care provider with fairly regular hours, taking care of a smallish number of children (1-5ish). The phrase "nanny share" is very commonly used. Sometimes the nanny is in their own home, sometimes in [one of] the parents' home. Babysitter generally means someone who comes occasionally to watch a single family's children. There are obviously fuzzy lines separating the two terms.
  - pfarnsworth 10y ago
    By portion of the time, I meant a full-time nanny working for many months or years, and eventually sending the child to daycare or school.
BurningFrog 10y ago
> I've never met anyone who hired a nanny I doubt you know that.
asveikau 10y ago
I'm raising a kid in SF. Many people have nannies. Go to any major playground in the city during the work day and you will see nannies. Sometimes on weekends too.

pfarnsworth 10y ago

And let me put it this way: Every working couple except for one that I know with a kid has hired a nanny for at least some portion of the time, including myself.

ernestbro 10y ago
Nanny != babysitter
twblalock 10y ago
A nanny is not a part-time worker. That is a babysitter. A nanny lives with the family.
- gutnor 10y ago
  Is it in the US ? In the UK to be a nanny, childminder or work in a nursery you have specific regulation and qualification required. A babysitter requires nothing, it can and generally is some teenage kid. The difference with all 3 is where the child go. Nursery has special dedicated facilities to take care of several children, number limited by the number of employee and size. A childminder will take care of 1 to 3 children in her own home. A nanny will come to your home and take care of 1 to 3 of your children. All 3 are available in full-time ( i.e. working hour full time ) or part-time. The movie type, stay at home Nannies are "Au Pair". Depending on the qualification ( from foreign student doing a bit of cleaning and getting the kid to and from school to fully qualified nanny ) the price varies enormously. Au Pair is not unusual, Au Pair Nannies is rich people stuff.
  - blowski 10y ago
    Again UK-specific: They only _need_ qualifications to register with OFSTED, and as a parent, it's up to you whether you require your childcare to be registered. If you leave your kids with a friend, for example, your friend doesn't need any kind of qualifications. However, you can only get Government subsidies (like child tax credits and childcare vouchers) for a registered childcare provider.
    - manarth 10y ago
      Technically, the requirements are a little stricter: "You must register with Ofsted or a childminder agency if you want to be paid to look after children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day in England"[1] In the example of leaving your children with a friend, the exemption is for a maximum of 3 hours (per day), if the friend is being paid. Any longer and the friend is obliged to register with Ofsted (with a penalty of an unlimited fine and/or jail for not being registered). I doubt many people would think to check the legal requirements though. [1] https://www.gov.uk/register-childminder-childcare-provider/overview https://www.gov.uk/register-childminder-childcare-provider/o...
      - blowski 10y ago
        Blimey - I didn't realise that, and I will continue to completely ignore it as it's ridiculous.
  - S4M 10y ago
    Here in Spain I know a family that hired a young girl "au pair" (in their case a Polish girl who wanted to learn Spanish). The father told me they paid her about 400 euros/month + food and accommodation, so it's not something prohibitively expensive.
    - pjmlp 10y ago
      Given that is half of the salary of many people in the peninsula and above the Portuguese minimum wage, it looks expensive to me. I mean, that only medium level and upper classes can afford it.
- blowski 10y ago
  A nanny doesn't necessarily live with the family, but the 'primary care setting' (i.e. where they take care of the children most of the time) is the child's home. They can also be part-time. The key difference is that a nanny is usually a formal salaried employee with regular contracted hours, whereas a babysitter is typically paid an hourly rate and is self-employed. https://www.care.com/a/what-is-the-difference-between-a-babysitter-and-a-nanny-1203061623 https://www.care.com/a/what-is-the-difference-between-a-baby...
- brianwawok 10y ago
  False. Wife was a nanny in college. Never lived with anyone. At least in the US nanny means long term babysitter with more steady hours.
- mercutio2 10y ago
  In the US in the 21st century vernacular (at least in NYC and Bay Area), nanny means child care provider with fairly regular hours, taking care of a smallish number of children (1-5ish). The phrase "nanny share" is very commonly used. Sometimes the nanny is in their own home, sometimes in [one of] the parents' home. Babysitter generally means someone who comes occasionally to watch a single family's children. There are obviously fuzzy lines separating the two terms.
- pfarnsworth 10y ago
  By portion of the time, I meant a full-time nanny working for many months or years, and eventually sending the child to daycare or school.

BurningFrog 10y ago

> I've never met anyone who hired a nanny I doubt you know that.

asveikau 10y ago

I'm raising a kid in SF. Many people have nannies. Go to any major playground in the city during the work day and you will see nannies. Sometimes on weekends too.