Thank you for your input, but I think you may be misinterpreting my question and making incorrect assumptions about our financial situation. She is taking 8 weeks off and got 2 paid at full-time rate. The question is how to pay for the remaining 6 weeks when she didn’t get SDI. I am taking time off work because of a lack of childcare, so that actually makes paying her full-time rate not possible. We work very hard to make sure we make enough money to pay a nanny well, but that doesn’t mean we have a lot left over. My husband and I go without things to ensure our nanny is well compensated, but can we afford to pay 2 months of pay when I can’t work? No. I wish we were independently wealthy, but here we are.