Nanny share

At the start of the new year, we began sharing our nanny full time. There was a transition period in December, where we shared with the other family one time per week in order to get the nanny and babies more accustomed to the arrangement. Our nanny share family lives in our neighborhood, but much further up the hill, away from Golden Gate Park, so we have decided to host the nanny share full time. Ruby is almost 4 months older than the other baby, so by hosting at our house, the other baby can use all the baby gear that Ruby has just grown out of.

During the transition period, either the other mom or I were always present on the days of the share care. Even though I was technically "working from home" on those days, there were always several instances throughout the day where I would have to intervene in order to prevent a Simultaneous Meltdown. Even when I was just observing, I felt exhausted just watching the nanny. Whereas when it was just Ruby she was caring for, her job was quite easy and low-key, with two babies she was juggling a constant cycle of feeding, diaper changing, putting to sleep, and entertaining.

The personalities of the two babies are quite different as well, with Ruby being more mellow, tending to do things slowly and thoughtfully, while the other baby is more high-strung, constantly wriggling around and quick to cry. However, since Ruby is older, she is in certain ways more demanding, sometimes only wanting to be held, sometimes only interested in the toy the other baby is currently using. It has only been one week, so everyone is still adjusting, but there was at least one day that got pretty hairy for the nanny, with each baby feeding off of the other's tantrums. As much as that makes me want to stay home with Ruby every day so that she is always happy and content, I realize that the experience of having a playmate will benefit her in the long run.

Hosting the nanny share has also caused our living room to be transformed into a play room, furthering Ruby's take-over of our house.