A Year of Nanny Mistakes: What We'd Do Differently

One of us has had a live-in nanny since September. The other has a cleaner for three hours a week and a robot vacuum called Robbie, who has just broken down.

A year into life in Riyadh, Carly and Vesna compare notes on help: how to find it, how to manage it, and what it costs you when you refuse it.

Carly walks through the two routes to finding a nanny in Riyadh, why she asks to see an iqama live in Absher rather than a screenshot, and why the one week trial she recommends should probably be a month. She is also honest about what she got wrong from day one, which was never setting expectations out loud.

Vesna has never had help. She grew up watching her mother do everything and did the same in Australia, until a back injury and a growing podcast made that untenable. Her teenagers, for the record, do not want a nanny anywhere near their rooms.

They close on mum guilt, the guilt of having help, and the boundaries they now actually hold.

If you've been here longer than us, tell us what we're still getting wrong in the comments please.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi

Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, co-hosted by two moms in Riyadh, made for Saudis, residents, and anyone trying to make sense of the Gulf during Vision 2030.

With @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx

Follow us for more: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insidesaudiarabia/ Carly: https://www.instagram.com/caroverman/ Vesna: https://www.instagram.com/vesnapetrovicx/

Chapters: 00:00 A year in, real and raw 01:11 Why this one is for people in the Gulf 02:27 Finding a nanny in Riyadh: the two routes 04:10 ~ Checking status and documentation properly 05:44 Why a trial period matters, and how long it should be 07:58 Hiring from abroad: agencies, timelines, cost 11:00 ~ Qualifications, first aid, and keeping kids independent 12:23 What I'd do differently: expectations from day one 14:30 ~ Weekly check-ins and positive reinforcement 16:32 I did everything myself, until I couldn't 20:30 Robbie the robot vacuum, and outsourcing the small stuff 25:24 Having help here is normal, so why the guilt 27:30 Mum guilt and the boundaries we hold now 29:31 Send us your tips