I had her help me 3x. 2x on Monday while I was working and 1x on a Saturday. I did not feel like she could manage two kids on her own and I had to help out. Based on the time I spent with her, I'd be willing to pay her 15-17/hr work. I would prefer better childcare and less nagging. Maybe with more time, she would have gotten more adjusted, I just did not enjoy the time I had her there and felt like she was overpaid for the level of engagement she provided.
My thoughts on Linda Ayi:
She is very willing to help, learn, has experience with infant care, to cook and tidy up. Very affectionate the first time meeting them and very confident in her skills.
She is more old school child care where she will coddle toddler and is proud to be doing everything for the kids.
She has her moments of sweet moments with the kids, but not consistent and found myself not wanting to spend too much time with her.
Downside:
Not enough energy for an infant, let alone a toddler and infant.
The below downsides are just preference: I think with communication with her she might change? I have a different preference in care taking styles.
-Inconsistent engagement - she would engage/sing/talk/read if I was present or close by, but sometimes would sit in silence and not do anything (other nannies would multi task and tidy up/do something productive). She does not play on her phone in front of the kids, which is a good but also an expectation.
-She is more old school child care where she will coddle a toddler and is proud to be doing everything for the kids. Nags a little, which I did not enjoy.
-Sometimes she likes to give her assumptions and opinions over a crying baby to prove she knows what the baby wants instead of taking action to help soothe the baby.
-Managing crying toddler/baby - she would raise her voice over crying and repeat don't cry. I would prefer calm/comfort to identify what the issue is to help toddler/baby to emotionally regulate.