Often the line between a babysitter and a nanny can be blurred. Below are some typical differences:

   Common differences between Babysitters and Nannies

                        BABYSITTER                                                                    NANNY

                      Babysitter - Casual contractor                                               Nanny Full-time employee

                       Often a temporary position                                                          Permanent position

          Works on an on call basis when needed                                   Works longer hours on a consistent schedule

  Performs basic child-minding and entertainment                          Provides holistic childcare centred around                                                                                                                                      your child's wellbeing and development

                   Performs minimal household duties                                   Helps to run the house sometimes cooking

                               Often a family outsider                                                    Becomes a  connected part of the family

    Has basic training and sometimes minimal experience                Advanced training and education with                                                                                                                                                              years of experience

                                Small monetary investment                                          Substantial monetary  investment in                                                                                                                                                         return full family  support                                                               Paid per hour                                                           Hourly rate with super + holiday pay                                                     Lives elsewhere                                                           Sometimes lives in the family home

                             Babysitting is often just a job                                      Childcare is typically a long-term career goal                     

There are many different names and types for childcare providers, but nannies and babysitters are two of the most common ones. Before you decide to hire one or the other, read this article to learn the finer details. Then you'll be ready to make an informed decision and pick the best childcare option to fit your family's needs.

What is A Babysitter?

A babysitter is usually someone who provides temporary care for your children while you're away.. Their primary role is ensuring the well-being and safety of your children while they're in charge.

Babysitters are part-time workers who get paid by the hour.

They are trained to watch children of all ages.

Most commonly parents use a babysitter on an "as needed" basis, when they have an appointment or a special occasion where they can't bring their child.

Some babysitters work on a regular schedule though.

For example, you might get a babysitter to pick your children up from school and watch them until you get home, from 3 to 6 pm every weekday. Or you might schedule them to babysit for you every Friday night.

Sitters are also usually responsible for planning and facilitating activities for your children. That includes things like arts and crafts, games or sports.

Some babysitters will do additional tasks like driving children around, helping with homework, cooking, or light housekeeping. But normally a higher wage is expected for these types of activities and they aren't considered to be normal babysitter tasks.

Some babysitters will even work full-time. Essentially like having a one on one child-care in your own home during the week. In this case, the line really starts to blur between what's considered a babysitter, nanny, or child-care provider.

What is A Nanny?

While a babysitter only cares for your child part of the time, a nanny is really involved with your child's wellbeing and general development in a much more holistic and complete way.

Nannies  care for children fulltime when parents are at work. They have a lot more responsibility than a babysitter, including setting daily schedules and activities for the children. They're intimately involved with your children's emotional, physical, and mental growth and wellbeing.

Nannies do a lot more around the house, sometimes including cooking meals, helping with homework, doing the dishes and laundry, and driving children to activities like swimming lessons or gymnastics.

Where a babysitter is still somewhat of an outsider, a nanny is a really connected part of your family.

They might even run errands for you, like going grocery shopping or getting your clothes dry cleaned.

Nannies usually have advanced childcare training, beyond the basic CPR or first aid certification that a babysitter probably has.

To compensate for all of their extra duties and responsibilities, a nanny typically gets paid more than a babysitter.

They earn a weekly salary, as opposed to working for an hourly rate.

A nanny is essentially a full-time employee of yours, the same as other household staff like a gardener, janitor, or butler. Because of this, there's a lot more administrative work involved with paying your nanny.

A babysitter often gets paid cash. As a parent, there aren't really any concerns about things like taxes. But if you have a nanny, you'll need to issue them an official paycheck. That means also deducting taxes from their pay and submitting it to the government, as well as unemployment benefits and potentially even providing healthcare benefits.

It's normally expected that nannies will receive at least two weeks of paid vacation per year as well. Most nannies would also expect holiday pay and a Christmas bonus.

You can also get a live-in nanny, who will have a bedroom in your house or perhaps an attached apartment. In this case, you'll be providing room and board to your nanny in addition to a salary.

Live-in nannies can travel far from home to stay with their employers, so it's a nice gesture to pay for a plane ticket so they can return to see their family once per year.

A live-in nanny also creates a complicated situation in case you ever need to fire your nanny. Since they're both an employee and also a tenant, you usually can't simply terminate them instantly. You'll need to give them notice and a reasonable time to move out, along with potentially paying for their relocation.

Hiring a nanny can sound like a really big commitment and responsibility, and it is. That's why it's important to have an in-depth nanny contract that lays out all of the terms and conditions of the job, including everything above, plus other items like sick days.

However, nannies also provide an unrivalled level of care that you can't get from a basic babysitter. Nannies become a part of your family, and bond with your children to form a relationship that is more akin to a role model or co-parent than just a caregiver. Your nanny will be more involved with parenting and discipline and generally raising your child.

Things That Differentiate A Career Nanny From A Babysitter

Schedule

A nanny can work part-time or full-time, but they almost always work exclusively with one family. Babysitters, on the other hand, can often work for multiple families even within one week. Nannies normally have set hours that are planned well in advance or don't change from week to week.

Experience

A nanny usually has at least 5 years of experience working with children, at least 3 years of those being experience working as a nanny. Nannies may have started off as babysitters, or they may have previously been teachers or childcare workers who transitioned into the role.

Job duties

Nannies look after your children's nutrition, transportation, schedule, hygiene, and lots more. Babysitters have a much more limited job scope. Usually just supervising the child is the majority of a babysitter's job.

Education

Nannies might have a degree in early childhood education, child development, or a similar related field like human psychology. Babysitters typically have less education or no specific related education at all.

Long term career goals

Babysitters are usually doing their job part-time as a way to earn extra money while they're still in school or working toward some other career goal. Nannies have picked their career and stick with the profession in the long-term. They're more invested in their work and aren't pursuing anything else. Nannies might belong to professional nanny associations or attend conferences and workshops.

Myths About Nannies

A nanny is just a babysitter that works longer hours

As discussed above, a nanny's job description goes above and beyond what is expected of most babysitters. It's a lot different than just making a microwave dinner for children and letting them watch a DVD while their parents are out.

A nanny is actively involved in the day to day care of your children and their development.

Anybody can become a nanny

Nannies are often more highly educated than you'd expect. In addition to certification in CPR and first aid, they might also have early childhood education or a similar teaching degree, knowledge of child nutrition, and specialized skills like sign language depending on the family they work for.

Some people might think being a nanny isn't a "real job." Try telling that to a full-time nanny with 15 years of job experience!

Nannies just sit around all day

Being a nanny is hard work. While they deserve the occasional break, nannies are on their feet most of the day. When they aren't actively looking after or engaging with your children, they're usually cleaning up after them.

Compare that to a part-time babysitter, who might just spread out on the couch with your children for a movie marathon while you're out.

Nannies are hard workers, problem solvers, and critical thinkers.

Babysitter vs Nanny – Pros and Cons

Wondering whether a babysitter or nanny is better for your situation? Let's look at some of the pros and cons.

Babysitter Pros

Cheap.

 If you just need someone to watch your children for a couple of hours after school, you can likely get your 13-year-old neighbour to do it for a fraction of what a nanny would charge.

Flexible. You can choose the exact hours that you need your babysitter to work. You can book them for a 3 or 4-hour time slot instead of having to pay them for an entire day. Plus you can have multiple backup babysitters in case your main sitter isn't available.

More privacy. A babysitter is less connected to your family than a nanny would be. They might help themselves to food in your cupboard, but they won't be folding up your clothes and opening your underwear drawer as a nanny might. They have a more casual surface-level relationship with your children.

Babysitter Cons

Less intensive. Babysitters might do arts and crafts with your children, but most of them are pretty hands-off when it comes to discipline and actually raising your child.

More limited availability. It's hard to get a younger and more inexperienced (and therefore cheaper) babysitter during daytime hours because they're probably in school or have another part-time job. A daytime sitter will be a more experienced caregiver and have rates more comparable to a nanny.

Nanny Pros

More control. Having a nanny gives more consistency and control compared to a babysitter. You can tell your nanny exactly what your children eats and what their schedule is like. They also give more consistency and stability. Most nannies even give a detailed report at the end of the day to let you know how things went.

More attention. Nannies are more focused on your child than a babysitter might be. They create a one on one bond with your child. They are likely to get your child much more engaged than a babysitter will.

Better logistics. A nanny is around your house all the time during the day. That means you can use them to deal with deliveries or to have a contractor come to perform repairs on the house. If you forget to do something, you can call the nanny and ask them to do it for you. Plus nannies will often do housework and chores that a babysitter usually won't.

Nanny Cons

Potential discipline or parenting style conflicts. Your nanny is with your children all day, every day. So if you disagree on things like discipline or when your child should sleep, it might make things difficult. It's less serious to have a babysitter with different rules than Mom and Dad, compared to someone who's with the children for 40 hours a week.

Investment. A nanny will usually cost you significantly more than a babysitter. In addition to working more hours and having more responsibility, they also tend to have more experience and qualifications that warrant higher pay.

No backup. If your nanny is sick or shows up late, you likely won't have a replacement and will need to stay home with your child or scramble to find alternative arrangements. Plus your nanny likely gets paid sick pay even if they don't show up.

You're an employer. Having a nanny as a full-time employee means you're responsible for things like taxes and benefits. You'll need a much more in-depth contract, you'll have to pay them vacation time, and you generally have a lot more legal responsibility and liability. Overall it's more paperwork and hassle.

What About A Full-Time Babysitter Instead Of A Nanny?

You can give your nanny the job title of a babysitter or vice versa, but in the eyes of the law, the details are much more important than a superficial label.

In some places, you're considered a childcare provider instead of a babysitter if you look after the same child for more than 15 hours per week. That comes with all kinds of legal ramifications attached to it. In the eyes of the law, that would be a daycare or nanny as opposed to a babysitter.

Are They An Employee or Independent Contractor?

One way to get around the tax laws regarding employees would be to make your babysitter an independent contractor. But is this possible?

Technically if you control what work is done and how it's completed, then you've got an employee. It doesn't matter if they're paid an annual salary, per hour, or per job.

In contrast, a contractor is someone who runs their own business and contracts with you for individual jobs. For example, a window cleaner or a lawn care company.

You might be able to argue that a babysitter or even a full-time nanny is an independent contractor if you can get them to agree to it. Your argument is stronger if you got a babysitter to watch your children at their own house, as opposed to coming into your home to look after them.

The laws concerning independent contractors vary depending on where you live, and the law is always changing. So it's crucial that you get advice from a certified accountant before making any big decisions regarding your babysitter's pay.

But if you're able to hire your babysitter as a contractor, you'll save yourself paying for vacation time, social security, taxes, and other benefits.

If your babysitter is a contractor and you're going to be claiming childcare costs as a deduction on your own tax return, make sure that you inform your babysitter or nanny. They'll need to pay taxes on their own income, or the tax authorities may flag them for an audit when they see your deductions.

Conclusion – In My Opinion, Which Is Better?

While the idea of having a nanny look after your child full-time is appealing, I don't think it's a reasonable solution for most parents.

The extra cost and tax requirements aren't feasible for many families.

A nanny might be a great option for a family with two professional parents who both work full-time. In that case, you might be able to justify paying a nanny to work for you 40 hours per week.

Especially considering that they may take care of cleaning and other household tasks that you may not have time to stay on top of. They can even deal with teaching your child life skills like potty training.

If you only need childcare to fill in gaps during a few hours per week, then a babysitter is a much better option. They're more affordable, there's less (or no) complicated paperwork to fill out, and they generally offer a lot more flexibility.

Related Questions

How much does a nanny earn?

A nanny usually earns an hourly rate of anywhere from $35.00 + an hour or more, depending on their experience and other factors. As an annual salary, that is about $72,000 per year for a full-time nanny.

That's not including taxes or other benefits that you'll need to pay as an employer, as well as accommodation if you've got a live-in nanny. Some families will even provide meals for their full-time nannies, while others see a nanny as a regular employee and expect them to pack their own lunch. There may be other factors such as overtime pay or bonuses as well.

What is an au pair?

An au pair is a person from a foreign country who receives room and board from a family in exchange for helping with childcare and housework. An au pair may receive a monetary allowance but doesn't usually receive a full salary like a nanny.

An au pair might have other obligations besides their host family and may only do part-time childcare and housework. For example, they might be attending college or university full-time and help with their family responsibilities between classes or in the evening.

An au pair can be a good compromise between a babysitter and nanny, depending on your situation and needs.

Still can't decide?  Contact us and we can help you with the investment in your family.

Australian Nanny Agency

Phone: +61 02 8005 6242

Contact us jus@australiannannyagency.com.au

Did you enjoy this blog leave a review https://g.page/r/CQUsVzm9_ohQEAg/review

Letting us know how we went are you interested in finding out more reach out to us we love to have a chat .