Are you curious about the au pair experience? If you’re a working mom (or hope to be a mom someday), figuring out childcare options can be a huge challenge. Today, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares how she decided to hire an au pair, including the pros and cons of an au pair versus a nanny versus daycare. An au pair is someone who comes from overseas to live with your family for 1-2 years and provide child care. In exchange, you provide a weekly stipend, room and board and a cultural experience. Pros: Time: If you work from home or don’t have a daycare you like near your home or office, you’ll save a ton of time not having to commute for drop-offs and pick-ups. Flexibility: An au pair is available for a set number of hours per week, but those exact hours are flexible. For example, an au pair may babysit for a date night and do fewer hours during the day. Breastfeeding: If you’re breastfeeding, it’s so much easier to breastfeed instead of pump with your baby at home. Cost: It’s often more cost effective to have an au pair versus a nanny. Limitations: Restrictions: Au pairs have strict guidelines on how much they can work and what kind of work they can do. They can work 45 hours per week with a max of 10 hours a day and one full weekend per month. In addition, au pairs are only available for childcare-related tasks, not dishes, laundry, etc. Resources: While their weekly stipend is less than paying a nanny, you do need a room and a car available for your au pair. Stay tuned for the upcoming episodes which will discuss how to hire an au pair and how our au pair helps with meal prep! Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans!