Au Pair vs Nanny: Which Works With a Baby Under One
Au pair vs nanny with a baby under one: the State Department's infant rules, the 45-hour weekly cap, who the employer is, and how to choose for your first year.
An au pair is a young adult from another country who lives with you for a year on a cultural exchange visa and provides childcare within fixed federal limits. A nanny is your own employee, hired on terms the two of you agree. With a baby under one, the difference matters more than usual: the State Department says an au pair cannot be left in sole charge of a baby under three months old, and can only be placed in a home with a child under two if she has at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience. For most families going back to work in the first few months, that points to a nanny.
The two arrangements, plainly
An au pair comes through the US Department of State’s exchange visitor program. You don’t hire her directly. You match through a sponsor organization the State Department has designated, and the sponsor screens both of you. The State Department’s au pair program page, which we loaded in November 2026, sets out the terms: she is 18 to 26, lives with your family for 12 months with the option to extend 6, 9 or 12 more, and completes college coursework while she is here.
A nanny is someone you find, interview and employ yourself. She can live in or out. Her hours, duties and pay are whatever you agree in writing, within your state’s wage laws, and you are her employer for tax purposes.
The infant rules that decide it
This is the section most comparison pages leave out, and it matters most with a new baby. The State Department lists limits on where an au pair can be placed. Au pairs cannot be placed:
- “With a family that has an infant less than three months old unless a parent or other responsible adult is at home.”
- “In homes with children under two years of age unless the Au Pair has at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience.”
In practice:
- Baby under 3 months, both parents back at work: an au pair can’t cover it alone. A parent or another responsible adult has to be home.
- Baby 3 to 24 months: you need an au pair with the 200 documented infant hours. Ask the sponsor to show you the documentation, and ask what the hours actually were. Hours as a classroom assistant with toddlers aren’t the same as hours alone with a four-month-old.
- Any age: the screening is real but general. The State Department says au pairs get a minimum of 32 hours of childcare training before they start, and pass a background investigation with references and a criminal background check.
A nanny has no federal rule like this. That means the vetting is entirely on you. The club’s nanny interview questions has a full set on infant experience, safe sleep and emergencies.
Hours: a hard cap against a contract
| Au pair | Nanny | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily limit | No more than 10 hours a day | Whatever you agree, within state law |
| Weekly limit | Maximum 45 hours a week | Whatever you agree; overtime rules may apply |
| Time off | One complete weekend off each month, plus two weeks paid vacation per 12-month term | Whatever your contract says |
| Length | 12 months, extendable by 6, 9 or 12 | Open-ended |
| Lives with you | Yes, always | Your choice |
The au pair column is from the State Department page. Work out your real week before you fall for either option. Two parents with a commute often need 50 hours of cover, and an au pair can’t legally give you that. You’d have to stagger your own hours to stay under 45, or add other care around her.
Cost: the shape, without invented numbers
We haven’t printed dollar figures here because the reliable ones are local and the published ones mostly come from agencies with something to sell. The costs are structured like this:
Au pair
- A program fee to the sponsor organization. Each sponsor publishes its own fee, so compare two or three.
- A weekly stipend. The State Department says host families “pay a weekly minimum stipend based on the program option selected” and that au pairs are paid according to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Up to $500 toward her required coursework.
- Room and board: her room and her meals, plus anything you add, such as use of a car or a phone. This is the part families underestimate.
Nanny
- An hourly wage at your local market rate, which is the largest part of the cost.
- Your share of employment taxes on top of the wage, plus whatever paid time off you agree.
- A payroll service, if you use one.
An au pair’s cost is mostly fixed whether you have one child or three, so with one baby the advantage is smaller. Ask each sponsor for the full first-year total in writing, and ask a local parent group what nannies are actually paid in your area.
Who is the employer?
With a nanny, you are. You withhold and pay household employment taxes, give her a W-2 and put the terms in a nanny contract.
With an au pair, the relationship runs through the sponsor and a written agreement that you both sign before she arrives. The State Department says host families and au pairs must sign an agreement detailing her childcare obligations, and that the sponsor monitors the placement through the year. Ask your sponsor, or a tax professional, how the stipend is treated for tax purposes. Don’t assume it works like a nanny’s wage.
Living with it
Money aside, the day-to-day question is whether you want another adult living in your house during your first year as parents.
- An au pair is part of the household. The program expects you to include her in family meals, outings and holidays whenever possible. That is the point of the exchange.
- A nanny goes home. You get your evenings back, and you lose the flexibility of someone who is already in the house at 7am.
- Turnover is built in with an au pair. The placement ends after one or two years, and your baby gets a new caregiver. A good nanny can stay through preschool.
- Experience usually favours the nanny. A career nanny may have years with infants. An au pair is 18 to 26 and may have the 200 hours and little more.
How club families choose
- Going back before 3 months: nanny, a nanny share or family care. The au pair rules exclude sole care this early.
- Going back at 4 to 12 months, one baby, regular hours: either can work. Choose on infant experience and on whether you want a housemate.
- Shift work or split days: an au pair’s 10 hours a day can suit this, if the weekly total stays within 45.
- No room for a live-in adult: nanny.
- Still deciding between home care and a centre: start with the club’s daycare vs nanny vs family comparison, then come back here.
If the answer is a nanny, the club’s search-and-hire plan takes you from job description to first day.
A sleep plan your caregiver can follow
Betteroo's sleep quiz builds a plan for your baby's age that you can hand to a nanny or au pair, so naps don't depend on who is home.
Take the free sleep quiz →
FAQ
Can an au pair look after a newborn?
Not alone. The State Department says an au pair can’t be placed with a family that has an infant under three months old unless a parent or other responsible adult is at home.
How many hours can an au pair work?
No more than 10 hours a day and a maximum of 45 hours a week, according to the State Department’s program rules.
Is an au pair cheaper than a nanny?
It depends on your area and how many children you have. An au pair’s cost is mostly fixed and includes room and board. A nanny’s cost rises with hours and local wages. Get a written first-year total from a sponsor and compare it with local nanny rates.
Does an au pair need infant experience?
For a home with a child under two, yes: at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience. Ask to see how those hours were earned.
