Baby Chefs To Potty Trainers, US Millionaires Spend Rs 2.4 Crore A Year On 'Parenting Squads'

For many parents, juggling work and raising children is a daily balancing act. But among America's ultra-wealthy, that balance is increasingly being achieved by hiring an entire team of professionals to help raise their children. From live-in family assistants and personal chefs to potty-training consultants and bike-riding coaches, affluent families are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to outsource much of the day-to-day work of parenting.

One such family is San Diego-based entrepreneur Christine Landis, CEO of Peacock Parent, and her husband, who reportedly spend around $250,000 (Rs 2.4 crore) annually on household staff to help care for their two children, the New York Post reported. 

Businesswoman Emma Grede, co-founder of Skims and Good American, has also spoken openly about relying on a team to help raise her four children. She has jokingly described herself as a "max-three-hour mum," saying activities like cutting sandwiches into fun shapes were never her style.

"If getting help with the logistics means I can spend my time focused on the moments that really matter with my children, I don't see that as outsourcing parenting. I see it as being intentional about where I spend my time," she said. 

More Than Just a Nanny

Such wealthy families are looking beyond traditional childcare. Instead of hiring only a nanny, many now employ "family assistants" who help manage everything from bath time, bedtime stories, and school pickups to grocery shopping, household organisation and administrative tasks. The goal, parents say, is to spend less time on chores and more time enjoying meaningful moments with their children.

Landis' household includes a live-in family assistant, a personal chef, and a housekeeper, creating what she describes as a support system that allows the family to function more smoothly. "Every hour I'm not bogged down with the doing is an hour I get to show up fully present with my kids," Landis told the Wall Street Journal.

Her company, Peacock Parent, also promotes using technology, including AI, to help families rethink work-life balance and reduce the pressure on parents.

A Luxury Industry Built Around Parenting

The growing demand has fuelled an entire luxury parenting industry. Specialist services now include chefs who prepare gourmet meals for babies, professional potty-training consultants, summer camp packing experts, and instructors who teach children how to ride bicycles.

But these services come with hefty price tags. Potty-training consultants can charge anywhere from $600 to nearly $5,000 for multi-day programmes. Bike-riding coaches may charge more than $400 per session, while someone hired simply to pack a child's luggage for summer camp can reportedly bill $125 an hour.

According to Seth Norman Greenberg of household staffing firm Pavillion Agency, business has never been stronger.

He says rising numbers of millionaires and billionaires have created unprecedented demand for domestic staff and specialised childcare professionals.

Does It Affect the Parent-Child Bond?

One question often raised is whether children become more attached to caregivers than their parents. Landis admits she once felt uneasy after hearing her child tell their nanny "I love you" and hearing the words returned. But over time, she came to see it differently and said those feelings passed.

"There is no world where my child doesn't know I'm their mother. Our bond, our love, it's irreplaceable," Landis added.