Typical Nanny Duties and "Light Housework"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a spinoff of a thread that was recently revived, but I want to be more explicit so I can make sure our agreement specifies things appropriately.


Our nanny is responsible for all things kid related -- caretaking, pickups, activities, kid laundry, kid dishes/bottles/pans, meal prep (whether defrosting BM, prepping formula, making purees or older kid food), tidying toys/kids rooms and the like. This would also include maybe seasonally or as appropriate setting aside toys that are broken/not played with, or clothes that are outgrown, for the parents to deal with. I think of these as "typical nanny duties" --- is that a correct assumption?

Then, in the "light housework" category, this would be things like running/emptying the dishwasher as needed (which is a combo of kids stuff and adult dishes), taking out the kitchen trash or kids bathroom trash as needed (definitely no one else's), swiffer/stick vacuum meal crumbs (that kids created, if needed), wipe countertops, wash/fold household sheets/towels (occasionally, no adult personal laundry - most likely this is a load of kitchen linens and bathroom handtowels) -- things that in the normal routine of the household keep things running smoothly.

For sake of argument - "housekeeper" duties are the weekly deep cleans, fridge clean out, mopping, vacuuming, baseboards, bedding swaps, etc....

As I've laid it out above, is that fairly typical? Unless "light housework" is specified, and somewhat detailed with types of tasks, it becomes a point of debate down the line. Are any of the kid-related laundry/cleaning duties a-typical and therefore things that need to be equally spelled out and detailed in the agreement?

Correct.
That is what we do and the other 4 families with live out nannies in our immediate Bethesda neighborhood. A couple times a week our nannies likes to do meal prep/cook dinner for us too during afternoon naptimes if house is in good order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nanny duties entail anything and everything that is directly related to my charge. All his laundry, meals, shopping, errands, cleaning his bedroom and toys. I would not have time for more even if I wanted to do more.

And I would not respond to any job posting that required "light housework" as that is a slippery slope and the people who post that are looking for a maid not a nanny.

I assume your charge isn't going to preschool. What happens after the charge goes to preschool, do you slow down and take 10x as long to do those same duties? You people complain about overtime and minimum hours, if you aren't working you shouldn't be charging hours.

DCUM "nannies" only watch child and then surf the web during naptime.
The other 99% of nannies help the family with the child and on downtime tidy up, help with household things, and as the children get older do more household errands, admin, laundry, meals, pack lunches, cleaning when kids are in pre-school and school.

Your choice, just watch babies/toddlers and find a new job every 1-2 years or grow with a family you like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nanny duties entail anything and everything that is directly related to my charge. All his laundry, meals, shopping, errands, cleaning his bedroom and toys. I would not have time for more even if I wanted to do more.

And I would not respond to any job posting that required "light housework" as that is a slippery slope and the people who post that are looking for a maid not a nanny.

I assume your charge isn't going to preschool. What happens after the charge goes to preschool, do you slow down and take 10x as long to do those same duties? You people complain about overtime and minimum hours, if you aren't working you shouldn't be charging hours.

DCUM "nannies" only watch child and then surf the web during naptime.
The other 99% of nannies help the family with the child and on downtime tidy up, help with household things, and as the children get older do more household errands, admin, laundry, meals, pack lunches, cleaning when kids are in pre-school and school.

Your choice, just watch babies/toddlers and find a new job every 1-2 years or grow with a family you like.

You need to find a nanny who needs the job not one that's just filling in or thinks that waving some type of meaningless degree is going to grant her some luxury easy lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a spinoff of a thread that was recently revived, but I want to be more explicit so I can make sure our agreement specifies things appropriately.


Our nanny is responsible for all things kid related -- caretaking, pickups, activities, kid laundry, kid dishes/bottles/pans, meal prep (whether defrosting BM, prepping formula, making purees or older kid food), tidying toys/kids rooms and the like. This would also include maybe seasonally or as appropriate setting aside toys that are broken/not played with, or clothes that are outgrown, for the parents to deal with. I think of these as "typical nanny duties" --- is that a correct assumption?

Then, in the "light housework" category, this would be things like running/emptying the dishwasher as needed (which is a combo of kids stuff and adult dishes), taking out the kitchen trash or kids bathroom trash as needed (definitely no one else's), swiffer/stick vacuum meal crumbs (that kids created, if needed), wipe countertops, wash/fold household sheets/towels (occasionally, no adult personal laundry - most likely this is a load of kitchen linens and bathroom handtowels) -- things that in the normal routine of the household keep things running smoothly.

For sake of argument - "housekeeper" duties are the weekly deep cleans, fridge clean out, mopping, vacuuming, baseboards, bedding swaps, etc....

As I've laid it out above, is that fairly typical? Unless "light housework" is specified, and somewhat detailed with types of tasks, it becomes a point of debate down the line. Are any of the kid-related laundry/cleaning duties a-typical and therefore things that need to be equally spelled out and detailed in the agreement?

Usually cleaning, cooking and laundry duties related to the child ONLY are not considered housework, light or heavy. This is a normal part of nanny duties. Another normal part of nanny duties is cleaning up after herself and the kid at the end of the day. I.e. - did you cook his dinner? please clean up the kitchen after yourself. Did you play in the playroom for two hours? Please straighten up the toys. Did you make a pillow fort in the living room? Please return the cushions to their regular upright position. Etc.

You venture into the "light housework" category when you go into duties that neither related to the child, nor to cleanup after their normal activities at home. Such as vacuuming the floors, doing laundry for other family members, running a dishwasher, taking out the trash etc. On this, there is no agreed upon list of duties, every family and nanny must come to an agreement on what is most useful for this particular family and not objectionable to the nanny. For instance, our nanny ran the dishwasher and vacuumed the living room and the playroom, simply because that's where they spent most of their time and she wanted to make sure it's good for a crawling child. That worked for us, we did not ask or need anything else as we had a cleaning lady come regularly.

Here's a thought if you want a raise or to stay past preschool age, pitch in extra and it will be rewarding. In america no one owes you anything and to lazy around doing the absolute minimum will get you no where.

I'm a nanny and I don't want to stay past preschool age. I've always gotten annual raises and always earn more at my new job than at my last. I have never been "lazy" and caring for and teaching a child is a full-time job in itself.

You can learn to make your own bed, PP, and wash your own dirty underpants. Have some personal responsibility!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you get a foreign born nanny they will be motivated to take on tasks. Ours does the household laundry, dishes, dishwasher, mops floors and cooks for the family. It is excellent and our family is going to keep her far longer than typical child age duties.

Foreign born nanny here, this isn't true in every case.

[Anonymous]

I pay $25.00/hr for a housecleaner to do what you call "light" housecleaning. Nannies are crazy for letting themselves be servants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pay $25.00/hr for a housecleaner to do what you call "light" housecleaning. Nannies are crazy for letting themselves be servants.

Preach on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Light Housework" means something different to everyone and I have been told that mentioning it in an ad will turn off the best candidates.

Agreed. I do light house work but if a job posting looks like they want a nanny who is also a free house keeper there is no way I apply. Better to post "child related cleanup" or something.

[Anonymous]

I'm part of a share that switches houses each week. They don't expect me to do anything other than clean bottles! NOTHING! I do however unload the dishwasher in the rare occasion it's full. They try not to leave it full for me which is refreshing because all my past jobs expected me to do it and, honestly, I'm just not a fan of unloading the dishwasher. I hate doing it at home so it kind of annoys me to do it at work. I will empty the diaper genie if it is full. I also do kids' laundry by choice. They thank me profusely, but again, it's not a requirement. I won't do adult laundry tho. I had a job about 15 years ago with 4 children and I had to do ALL laundry and iron DB's clothes for 7.50 an hour. MB used to leave her dirty liners in her underwear! I'd just moved to this country so I didn't speak up but I have NEVER been asked nor have I offered to do adult laundry since!

[Anonymous]

I think you've covered things well, OP. Every family and job is different. Our kids are in school full time so we advertised for a nanny/housekeeper, but we do have a cleaning lady come every Monday morning so the house is clean at the beginning of the nanny's work week and she does not have to clean bathrooms or do any deep cleaning. She is only responsible for the floors (stick vacuum and mop) in the main fairly compact living area of the house and if she and the kids do crafts in the basement she might do the floor there too. She keeps the kitchen clean and helps with some simple food prep. She folds family laundry but only puts away the kids stuff, and changes the kids' bed linens. She does most of this before picking the kids up from school, so that after school time is focussed on the kids. We leave her a list of things to do every day and we are pretty tidy and organised, which helps her work efficiently. She is happy with the arrangement - wwe made sure to be very clear what the job is so that we wouldn't get applicants who want strictly childcare related duties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Light Housework" means something different to everyone and I have been told that mentioning it in an ad will turn off the best candidates.

Our nanny does everything child related (his laundry, marketing, cooking, cleaning up after cooking for him, cleans his room) and absolutely nothing more. She never uses the dishwasher and would never empty it. She made this clear in our interview. And I respect her position. It would change the dynamics of our relationship if she did.

Very intelligent woman. This seems like common sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you get a foreign born nanny they will be motivated to take on tasks. Ours does the household laundry, dishes, dishwasher, mops floors and cooks for the family. It is excellent and our family is going to keep her far longer than typical child age duties.

Your immigrant housekeeper is "motivated" by poverty, right? She does everything you want while the kids stare at the idiot box. What a real bargain!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a spinoff of a thread that was recently revived, but I want to be more explicit so I can make sure our agreement specifies things appropriately.


Our nanny is responsible for all things kid related -- caretaking, pickups, activities, kid laundry, kid dishes/bottles/pans, meal prep (whether defrosting BM, prepping formula, making purees or older kid food), tidying toys/kids rooms and the like. This would also include maybe seasonally or as appropriate setting aside toys that are broken/not played with, or clothes that are outgrown, for the parents to deal with. I think of these as "typical nanny duties" --- is that a correct assumption?

Then, in the "light housework" category, this would be things like running/emptying the dishwasher as needed (which is a combo of kids stuff and adult dishes), taking out the kitchen trash or kids bathroom trash as needed (definitely no one else's), swiffer/stick vacuum meal crumbs (that kids created, if needed), wipe countertops, wash/fold household sheets/towels (occasionally, no adult personal laundry - most likely this is a load of kitchen linens and bathroom handtowels) -- things that in the normal routine of the household keep things running smoothly.

For sake of argument - "housekeeper" duties are the weekly deep cleans, fridge clean out, mopping, vacuuming, baseboards, bedding swaps, etc....

As I've laid it out above, is that fairly typical? Unless "light housework" is specified, and somewhat detailed with types of tasks, it becomes a point of debate down the line. Are any of the kid-related laundry/cleaning duties a-typical and therefore things that need to be equally spelled out and detailed in the agreement?

If that is "light" housework then what is left? You are asking her to do 80% of a housekeepers job without the pay. "Light" housekeeping would be one or two minor things like quickly wipe down the kitchen.

Of course it's not 80% housekeeper's job. Housekeepers vacuum and mop floors in the entire house, shine and polish the kitchen, do all laundry, clean bathrooms, sinks, toilets etc. What is described above (other than occasional laundry) is very light housekeeping that's mostly related to cleaning up the normal messes created during the nanny's day at home with an active child - i.e. clean up after the meals, wipe countertops if they got dirty etc.

I'm a nanny. The "Light Housekeeping" issue means different things to everyone, as other posters have mentioned. Here is an example - I don't mind cleaning up the kids dishes and keeping the kitchensink, counters, table, chairs and floor clean and ready for the next meal. What I resent is finding crumbs and sticky messes that haven't been cleaned up and tons of dog hair under the table. (I bet they just let the dog eat any spilled food.) Its as if the parents couldn't be bothered to keep a clean house, knowing I would do it to keep things clean and sanitary for the kids. But they don't respect this is my work environment. I am proud to keep a clean and tidy environment for the kids. However, I am not a maid, and should not have to play 'catch up" after every weekend/vacation, or in some cases every morning (!!) to get the kitchen back to a functional level. (Never mind these people have no counter space due to the amount of clutter everywhere!! ARG!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you get a foreign born nanny they will be motivated to take on tasks. Ours does the household laundry, dishes, dishwasher, mops floors and cooks for the family. It is excellent and our family is going to keep her far longer than typical child age duties.

Foreign born nanny here, this isn't true in every case.

This apply to those illegal nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you get a foreign born nanny they will be motivated to take on tasks. Ours does the household laundry, dishes, dishwasher, mops floors and cooks for the family. It is excellent and our family is going to keep her far longer than typical child age duties.

Foreign born nanny here, this isn't true in every case.

This apply to those illegal nannies.

That's a housekeeper, people.