Full-Time Infant / Young Toddler Nanny | $40–$45/hr

Why This Role Stands Out

This is a wonderful opportunity for a nanny who genuinely loves the infant and young-toddler stages and wants meaningful one-on-one time with a child, rather than spending the entire day juggling two young children.

The nanny's primary responsibility will be the family's younger child. His 2.5-year-old sister attends part-time preschool, currently around 8:30 AM–12:00 PM, with plans to transition to full-time over the next several months to a year. The nanny will generally help with preschool transportation, but most of the morning will be dedicated one-on-one time with the younger child.

After preschool pickup, the children typically have lunch followed by afternoon naps, so the nanny will generally have only a limited portion of the afternoon when both children are awake together, perhaps for outdoor play, a park visit, patio play, or one simple activity.

The family has had a wonderful long-term nanny relationship in the past and genuinely values the person caring for their children. They are looking for someone who can confidently own the children's day while building a collaborative, respectful relationship with the parents.

About the Role

The family is looking for a nanny who is warm, observant, calm, proactive, and genuinely enjoys helping young children explore the world.

During preschool hours, the nanny will focus primarily on the younger child's:

• Language development.
• Gross-motor development.
• Floor play and movement.
• Reading and songs.
• Sensory exploration.
• Feeding and age-appropriate solids.
• Outdoor time.
• Independent exploration.
• Nap routine.
• Changing developmental needs.

The family values meaningful interaction but does not believe children need to be entertained every moment. They would love someone who understands when to engage, when to create an interesting environment, and when to step back and allow a child to explore independently.

A Typical Day

The schedule will evolve as the children grow, but a typical day may include:

• Helping with preschool drop-off.
• Spending the morning one-on-one with the younger child.
• Floor play, reading, language-rich interaction, outdoor time, and developmental activities.
• Supporting his feeding and nap routines.
• Picking the older child up from preschool around midday.
• Having lunch together.
• Helping both children transition into afternoon naps.
• Spending a shorter period with both children after naps.
• Outdoor play, patio activities, a walk, park visit, or another simple afternoon activity.
• Supporting the older child with potty training as that transition progresses.

The family values plenty of outdoor time, but activities do not need to be elaborate: bubbles on the patio, a water table, a walk, or time at the park can be just as valuable as a scheduled class.

Child-Led Care

This is one of the most important parts of the role. The family wants a nanny who sees herself as a guide alongside the child rather than someone responsible for directing every activity or teaching every concept. They value someone who:

• Observes what a child is interested in.
• Follows the child's curiosity.
• Creates opportunities for exploration and discovery.
• Allows independent play when a child is meaningfully engaged.
• Encourages experimentation and problem-solving.
• Models language, manners, and skills naturally throughout everyday life.
• Gives children time to attempt things independently before automatically stepping in.

Learning colors, numbers, language, and everyday skills can happen naturally through conversation and play rather than through frequent quizzing or testing.

Montessori experience is a plus, but it is not required. The family cares much more about whether the nanny naturally supports independence, curiosity, open-ended play, and child-led learning.

Warm Boundaries & Emotional Development

The family strongly believes that children can experience warmth and connection while adults still hold clear boundaries. The ideal nanny can:

• Remain calm when a child is upset.
• Set clear and developmentally appropriate limits.
• Follow through consistently.
• Validate feelings without removing a necessary boundary.
• Offer appropriate choices.
• Recognize when an upset child may need fewer words rather than more explanation.
• Stay emotionally available while allowing a child to experience disappointment.
• Redirect without using shame, threats, or punishment.
• Safely and confidently intervene when necessary.

This is not a permissive household. The family is looking for someone who can be both gentle and confidently boundaried.

Collaboration With the Parents

A strong nanny-parent relationship is extremely important to this family. The nanny should be confident enough to independently manage the day while also being flexible and collaborative. The family values someone who:

• Communicates openly and proactively.
• Shares meaningful observations about the children.
• Asks questions when something is unclear.
• Receives feedback with curiosity and openness.
• Is willing to adapt when the parents share an approach that works particularly well for their children.
• Offers thoughtful ideas without needing her approach to be the only approach.
• Works collaboratively on larger transitions such as feeding, sleep, potty training, behavior, and development.
• Follows through consistently once everyone has agreed on an approach.

The parents do not expect the nanny to already know everything about their children. They care much more about someone who is curious, adaptable, and genuinely interested in learning who these particular children are.

Ownership & Initiative

Once the nanny understands the family's routines and expectations, they want her to feel comfortable taking genuine ownership of the day. That may include:

• Planning age-appropriate activities.
• Preparing for outings.
• Remembering routines without repeated reminders.
• Keeping track of child-related supplies.
• Rotating toys and materials.
• Noticing when children have outgrown clothing or developmental activities.
• Integrating new routines naturally as the children grow.
• Solving straightforward day-to-day problems independently.
• Thinking ahead about what the children will need.

The family does not want to micromanage the nanny's day. They are looking for someone who can be independent in execution while collaborative in decision-making.

Child-Related Responsibilities

The children always come first. Regular responsibilities include:

• Children's laundry.
• Bottle washing and sanitizing.
• Children's dishes.
• Assembling meals and snacks from food prepared or stocked by the parents.
• Cleaning up after children's meals and activities.
• Tidying and resetting play areas.
• Toy rotation.
• Keeping child-related supplies organized.
• Rotating and putting away outgrown clothing.
• Small child-related organization projects.

When time allows during preschool hours or naps, the family also appreciates a naturally helpful nanny who is comfortable pitching in with small household resets, such as:

• Loading or unloading family dishes.
• A quick vacuum or pickup of a high-use area.
• Small organization projects.

These responsibilities are secondary to the children. The family would much rather the nanny meaningfully interact with the children than prioritize an optional household task while a child needs her attention. This is not a deep-cleaning, housekeeper, or traditional family-assistant position, and significant cooking is not required.

Driving & Transportation

Driving is an important part of the position. The nanny will likely be responsible for preschool drop-off and pickup as well as occasional activities and outings. The ideal nanny will:

• Have a valid driver's license.
• Have an excellent recent driving record.
• Be a confident and safety-conscious driver.
• Have experience driving young children.
• Be highly comfortable with car-seat safety.

The family prefers the nanny to use her own safe and reliable vehicle, with mileage reimbursement for work-related driving. Alternative vehicle arrangements may be considered for an exceptional candidate. Parking is available at the family's home.

The Ideal Nanny

The strongest candidate will be:

• Warm & Attuned: responsive to each child's cues, emotions, temperament, and developmental stage.
• Child-Led: comfortable following a child's curiosity rather than constantly directing play or activities.
• Calmly Boundaried: able to stay warm while confidently holding appropriate limits.
• Proactive: notices what needs to happen and follows through without requiring repeated reminders.
• Independent: comfortable planning and managing the children's day once expectations are understood.
• Collaborative: values a strong nanny-parent partnership.
• Receptive to Feedback: responds to new information with curiosity rather than defensiveness and is comfortable adjusting her approach.
• Organized: enjoys helping maintain calm, functional child-related spaces.
• Flexible: understands that young children, schedules, and family needs naturally evolve.

Requirements

• Strong professional experience with infants and/or young toddlers.
• Solid understanding of infant and toddler development.
• Strong toddler behavior-management skills.
• Warm, respectful, gentle-but-firm approach to boundaries.
• Comfortable supporting potty training.
• Child-led, play-based approach.
• Comfortable encouraging independence.
• Excellent emotional regulation.
• Strong communication skills.
• Comfortable receiving and implementing feedback.
• Collaborative working style with parents.
• Demonstrated initiative and ownership.
• Valid driver's license.
• Excellent recent driving record.
• Confident transporting young children.
• Reliable vehicle preferred.
• Infant/Child CPR and First Aid certification, or willingness to obtain current certification before starting.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Comfortable with W-2 employment.
• Non-smoker and drug-free.
• Comfortable working with an LGBTQ+ affirming family.
• Able to commit for at least one year, with preference for someone interested in growing with the family long-term.
• Comfortable completing background and motor vehicle checks.

Compensation & Benefits

$40–$45 per hour, depending on experience.

Benefits

• 40 guaranteed hours per week.
• W-2 household employment.
• Two weeks paid vacation.
• Paid holidays.
• Paid sick time.
• Mileage reimbursement for work-related driving.
• Long-term employment.