Nanny refuses to get flu shot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work as nanny and i never got the flu either flu shot and I eat very healthy and i also washed my hands a lot and i make sure the kid eat good and clean after we come back i make sure they wash their hands.
The kids usually get sick on the weekend or when I am on vacation. They are under the parents cares.

I am more worry about getting sick from the kids and the parents. Once they did not tell me they some stomach virus during the weekend the only thing i noticed was a strong smell of clorox in the bathroom but I never asked o suspect I end the day very sick
I wondered why parents make sure about themselves and exposed their worker?
They did not tell me and expose me to get sick and i have to spend money in medicine and just no to feel good. Another day the father get cold a lot but some infection once again they did not tell me and i got sick again this time i have to spent a lot of money

Please parents be fair with us.

Pretty much every illness has an incubation period of at least 1-2 days, many a week or more. So the fact that the children begin showing syptoms on the weekend does not mean that they did not catch the illness when they were with you (I'm not saying they necessarily did, just pointing out that there is no way to know). For the same reason, if you became ill on the first day you were with them after they had the stomach virus, it is unlikely you caught it from them. I do agree that if parents know that they or the kids are sick, they should practice good hygiene and give the nanny a heads up. But really, you should be practicing the same precautions (frequent handwashing, etc) whether the kids are sick or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Employer here with a wonderful nanny. Our boys are 3 years and 1 year old. We asked if she wanted to get a flu shot (we would pay of course), but she declined. My husband and I will get the shot, and we'd prefer if our nanny got it, but bottom line is we adore her, she is great to our boys, and if it's the shot or her, we'd rather have her.

Right, but your children are both old enough to be vaccinated themselves. In that case, the only person who benefits from the nanny being vaccinated is the nanny, so it's not really an issue. If you had a child under 6 months who could not be vaccinated, and spent hours every day with someone who was herself not vaccinated, you might think differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Right, but your children are both old enough to be vaccinated themselves. In that case, the only person who benefits from the nanny being vaccinated is the nanny, so it's not really an issue. If you had a child under 6 months who could not be vaccinated, and spent hours every day with someone who was herself not vaccinated, you might think differently.

In that case, do not have a nanny at all.
You cannot check her health records, so why punish her for her honesty

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Right, but your children are both old enough to be vaccinated themselves. In that case, the only person who benefits from the nanny being vaccinated is the nanny, so it's not really an issue. If you had a child under 6 months who could not be vaccinated, and spent hours every day with someone who was herself not vaccinated, you might think differently.

In that case, do not have a nanny at all.
You cannot check her health records, so why punish her for her honesty

You cannot check her health records, but you can require that she provide proof of vaccination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work as nanny and i never got the flu either flu shot and I eat very healthy and i also washed my hands a lot and i make sure the kid eat good and clean after we come back i make sure they wash their hands.
The kids usually get sick on the weekend or when I am on vacation. They are under the parents cares.

I am more worry about getting sick from the kids and the parents. Once they did not tell me they some stomach virus during the weekend the only thing i noticed was a strong smell of clorox in the bathroom but I never asked o suspect I end the day very sick
I wondered why parents make sure about themselves and exposed their worker?
They did not tell me and expose me to get sick and i have to spend money in medicine and just no to feel good. Another day the father get cold a lot but some infection once again they did not tell me and i got sick again this time i have to spent a lot of money

Please parents be fair with us.

You clearly do not understand the incubation period for illnesses. Someone can be symptom-free for 1-3 days, yet already exposed to the virus. This is the one area where I have nearly zilch sympathy for the caregiver (and my husband tells me that I am generous to a fault). Of course, if our nanny is sick, she does not come to work. But if our children are sick and she is not, I do not have her stay home from work so she won't be exposed. She already has been exposed, and as long as she is not sick, I expect her to be on the job. There are some instances, especially when the children were younger, that I stayed home from work with her and we cared for the children together (DC are close in age). But DC are now 6 and 7 and able to describe their symptoms and express their needs. This is part of being a caregiver - just as it is being a health professional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Of course, if our nanny is sick, she does not come to work. But if our children are sick and she is not, I do not have her stay home from work so she won't be exposed. She already has been exposed, and as long as she is not sick, I expect her to be on the job.

Why?
Sick kids want to be taken care of by their mother, not nanny.

Am I the only one who thinks so?

You can use your vacation days for when the kids are sick. I do that and it is not a problem.
Under no circumstances do my kids want to be around someone else when they are sick

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course, if our nanny is sick, she does not come to work. But if our children are sick and she is not, I do not have her stay home from work so she won't be exposed. She already has been exposed, and as long as she is not sick, I expect her to be on the job.

Why?
Sick kids want to be taken care of by their mother, not nanny.

Am I the only one who thinks so?

You can use your vacation days for when the kids are sick. I do that and it is not a problem.
Under no circumstances do my kids want to be around someone else when they are sick

I think it depends on what the illness is. Cough/runny nose/low grade fever my kids are fine to stay with nanny. If they are sick enough that they don't feel like doing anything but laying on the sofa snuggling, then yes they want mommy and I stay home. Even if I do stay home our nanny works and either I take the sick kid while she entertains the one that isn't or if both are sick I really need an extra pair of hands to deal with both.

[Anonymous]

As a mother, I would not employ someone who did not get a flu shot before caring for my children. If she refuses, find a nanny who will meet your requirements.

[Anonymous]

Its as simple as this. Health care workers and certified child care/day care workers are required to have flu shots. Period.

If your job is to care for a child below 6 months in age you should be responsible enough to have a flu shot to protect the child from potentially life-threatening virus. If you are not compromised health-wise and don't want to have the shot for whatever reason then you are being irresponsible.