Does you nanny take your baby out a lot

[Anonymous]

My nanny takes our 8 month old out a lot during the day she is with her. I mean literally 10 minutes after she wakes up from her nap the nanny is out at our local park and doesn't come back until the baby is ready for her next nap and then out again. I wasn't sure if this is normal. Do most nannies do this? Is this something I should worry about? I know it can be boring being at home and my baby loves being outside but I feel like I don't see my baby much since i work from home. I don't know if she getting enough water, food etc. The nanny usually takes the food and water with her to the park.

Please do let me know what your nannies schedule looks like during the day(if you are aware of it).

[Anonymous]

It is "normal" in some nanny circles, but that does not mean it is good.

Is she spending any time reading to your daughter and playing with toys? Is your daughter confined to the stroller this entire time, or is she sitting on a blanket with a rattle? In other words, is this purely for nanny socialization or is it so that your dd can enjoy the weather? ONce your DD is more mobile, she may really enjoy burning off steam and have so much unstructured playtime.

Your nanny may be uncomfortable being around you all day, since you say you work at home. Are you in a home office, or in the living room?

If you are uncomfortable, you need to discuss it with her. What begins as something for the baby can quickly turn into nanny social obligations. Our former nanny once told me that she refused to stay home to accept a furniture delivery because she needed to be at someone's house (who I did not know) for a party.

When my DD was sick and I stayed home, she would take her out for 3 hour walks anyways, because she wanted to be with her friends. That's when it really crosses the line.

Think about what you want, and what is best for your child. You are the mom, and the employer. Then have a discussion with your nanny and explain your wishes to her. HOwever, your nanny should also have some control over the minute-to-minute schedule and you should be able to trust her to make some decisions. She also deserves time to socialize with other adults, however that should never take precedence over your wishes for your child.

[Anonymous]

She probably thinks she's doing you a favor by taking the baby out of the house if you work from home. Our nanny previously worked for a woman who worked at home and said she would rack her brain to figure out fun outings so that the Mom could work in quiet. Have you talked about this with her? That seems like the simple answer here. If you don't feel comfortable with it, tell her you don't want her to do it. She's your employee, and this is your child.

[Anonymous]

she may be one of the nannies I see at the park all the time: sitting on a bench chatting along with other nannies and pretty much having the baby sit in the stroller next to her (does your baby look dirty at all when she comes back)?

Or she may not.

It bothers me to see some of the regulars do this. They are on the phone and they talk to the other nanies and rarely interact with the children and if they do, they are bothered by the interruption.

Not my style. But to each their own. And NO not ALL nannies do this and YES some moms do it as well! But an 8 month old still benefit from floor time in a safe environment, from one-on-one interaction, from music, and some developmental toys, so I would ask the nannies to try to get a healthy mix of both the indoor and outdoor play.

[Anonymous]

You could have been me. I did deal with this by asking nanny to keep walks to a max of 1 1/2 hour a day. She was fine with this after I explained that she did so many wonderful things at home, I wanted to see this area progress ex. reading books and doing flash cards etc.

[Anonymous]

I had the opposite problem. My former nanny would NEVER take my son out -- it was once excuse after another. It was a major reason why we switched nannies.

I would find out if she is socializing. If she is not, and is focused on your child, consider yourself lucky!

[Anonymous]

Why don't you make an unannounced visit to the park. You don't even have to say hello, just observe what she is doing or not doing. Personally, I see nannies in our neighborhood taking the kids out on multiple walks/day and I hear them, talking in their own language on their phones...all the time. Many of these kids are late talkers too...wonder if there is a correlation.

[Anonymous]

personally, I wouldn't like this and as the parent and employer, you should feel free to set the tone/schedule for the day for the most part while allowing your nanny some flexibility

I wouldn't like this because an 8 month old is just at the early stages of being able to enjoy the park/playground, which means it is probably worthwhile as a short outing once a day or a few times a week, and it's always great to spend an hour or 90 minutes going for a walk and enjoying fresh air or sitting on a blanket at the park with toys and so on, but there is just not that much for a child that age to do at the park, so my guess is your nanny is socializing or just doesn't have ideas on what to do at home

Also, a non-walking 8 month old must be confined to the stroller or a pretty small play area on a blanket at the park. Is your child crawling/cruising? I'd want the child to spend more time at home and/or in environments where those skills can be developed and where the child gets the opportunity for movement and exercise.

[Anonymous]

I have been debating hiring a nanny for awhile and have been keeping my eyes on all nanny related posts. I have a real problem with caretakers that call themselves a nanny, when in fact they are just babysitters. To me, a nanny is a professional that has the interests of the child top of mind. She is willing and able to engage the child, on top of feeding and changing diapers. She makes sure the child is practicing skills necessary for development, exposed to the world, and taught age appropriate tasks. She doesn't need to be told to do these things as they are part of her job.

A nanny should command a fair hourly rate, but based on some of the experiences posted on DCUM, it looks like some parents are paying these women a lot of money just to watch their child. With that said, I don't see a problem if the nanny meets up with a friend for about an hour a few times a week. It is a great opportunity for the child to listen to conversations. But, when a "nanny" is on the phone several times a day or out with her friends while the child sits in the stroller, that is wrong. You are basically paying someone to have a social life at the expense of your child's welfare.

I am an admin assistant. If I had to be trained to handle the basic job tasks that come with being an admin (file, answer the phone, type etc.) I wouldn't be an admin, I'd be an entry level clerk and would be paid less. I would also probably be fired for not being able to do my job. If I was on the phone all the time, I'd be fired.

I don't know how you would go about weeding the good and the bad (and I know there are good ones, but no one really talks about them). What I would do? Follow them or have someone else do it. If they are strolling thoruhg the neighborhood and the nanny is singing or talking to the child-that is fabulous! But if she makes a beeline to the park and proceeds to have a never ending conversation (esp. in a foreign language that isn't being taught to your child) then that is not so good.

[Anonymous]

Here is what my day looks like:

Arrive @ 7:45
Read books play with toys all home based things
Put S down for nap @ 9:00
Prepare lunch
Wake S before 11:00
Depending on the plan for the day and the weather I either pack the lunch or we eat lunch at home
Out of the house no later than 12:15 book store Inner Harbor Aquarium Science Center Port Discovery Zoo etc our usual hangouts I purchased all the memberships because I can use them when I babysit for other families.
Home by 2:30
Nap 2:45
Wake S before 4:30
Read for about 20 mins
5:00 short walk around the neighborhood
5:45 Mom is home

One Tuesdays we modify a bit because story time is @ 10:30
Dad works from home but doesnt come down during the day so I call mom at work to let her know our comings and goings.

S is going to be 1 on Saturday. She uses 7 signs and understands about 15. Knows all body parts i.e eyes ears nose tummy teeth toes fingers head. She walked at 9 mo
She says mama dada kittie Obama (Go Obama ) boot (book) etc. My point is I think S really benefits from our little adventures. Mom was reluctant to allow us to leave the house for the first 3 months. She came up with a couple good excuses and I quickly tackled them first I needed a very expensive carseat they wanted to me to wait until Christmas so they could purchase one as a holiday bonus. I went out and bought the carseat myself. I needed it checked by the police department I had to drive 45 mins to another city because all the stations in our area didnt provide the service and the other was I needed proof of insurance totally reasonable I printed it out online. I don't have any nanny friends because the ones in my area don't speak English all the outings we go on are just S and I. She never sleeps in a stroller actually we never use one I lug her around in a sling because I think she observes things better that way and Ive never given her fast food or anything unhealthy because we ate lunch outside of the home. I pack it beforehand and we eat either outside or in a cafe. Honestly those should be your two biggest concerns. If you feel like your nanny is outside of the home to much just mention it to her. Lisa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is what my day looks like:

Arrive @ 7:45
Read books play with toys all home based things
Put S down for nap @ 9:00
Prepare lunch
Wake S before 11:00
Depending on the plan for the day and the weather I either pack the lunch or we eat lunch at home
Out of the house no later than 12:15 book store Inner Harbor Aquarium Science Center Port Discovery Zoo etc our usual hangouts I purchased all the memberships because I can use them when I babysit for other families.
Home by 2:30
Nap 2:45
Wake S before 4:30
Read for about 20 mins
5:00 short walk around the neighborhood
5:45 Mom is home


One Tuesdays we modify a bit because story time is @ 10:30
Dad works from home but doesnt come down during the day so I call mom at work to let her know our comings and goings.

S is going to be 1 on Saturday. She uses 7 signs and understands about 15. Knows all body parts i.e eyes ears nose tummy teeth toes fingers head. She walked at 9 mo
She says mama dada kittie Obama (Go Obama ) boot (book) etc. My point is I think S really benefits from our little adventures. Mom was reluctant to allow us to leave the house for the first 3 months. She came up with a couple good excuses and I quickly tackled them first I needed a very expensive carseat they wanted to me to wait until Christmas so they could purchase one as a holiday bonus. I went out and bought the carseat myself. I needed it checked by the police department I had to drive 45 mins to another city because all the stations in our area didnt provide the service and the other was I needed proof of insurance totally reasonable I printed it out online. I don't have any nanny friends because the ones in my area don't speak English all the outings we go on are just S and I. She never sleeps in a stroller actually we never use one I lug her around in a sling because I think she observes things better that way and Ive never given her fast food or anything unhealthy because we ate lunch outside of the home. I pack it beforehand and we eat either outside or in a cafe. Honestly those should be your two biggest concerns. If you feel like your nanny is outside of the home to much just mention it to her. Lisa

You sound AMAZING!! S is a very lucky kid to have you as a nanny. However, I can't believe that you purchased the car seat to do all this-- The parents should have paid for that, no question. If you ever want to move to Arlington let me know as I (plus a million other families here) would snatch you up in a hearbeat!!

My college sitter takes my kids out in the afternoons after their naps all the time... We only have 1 car, but live close enough to stroll to Clarendon and a number of parks. If I did have her driving, I would have provided the car seats.

[Anonymous]

No kidding PP. You sound like a fantastic and loving nanny. I can't blame you for wanting to get out and do things with your charge. But, let me get this straight, they bought a carseat as a "holiday bonus," meaning for you?

[Anonymous]

PP Nanny - you truly sound like a gem! I wish there were more caregivers who are as loving and thoughtful as you are!

[Anonymous]

From another nanny: I purchased my own boosters and Maxi Cosi seats, because it is just easier to keep them and take them from one job to another. I also never have to worry about returning them when they might need them. I also have my own slings, baby back packs, double and single strollers, etc. It may or not be standard practice, but it makes it easier to use a car seat that I am used to, is one of the safest around and has the features that I like. I have been asked too many times before to use carseats that I just don't think are safe.

[Anonymous]

The carseat that they did the research on was a Britax Marathon. They are around 280.00. Shelling out 280.00 for three carseats one for each of our cars is close to 800.00 and I just don't think it was feasible for the family at the time. They are not uber DC rich Just average people who want the best care for their little one. I did got a very generous holiday bonus though. I think they planned on giving me the carseat and giftcards instead I just got one big giftcard to a online scrapbooking store which was a perfect gift for me! If I were to be gifted with a carseat I would have been just as pleased. Getting out of the house just breaks up the day. My S loves seeing new things and although she is just starting to "get" the Aquarium she really enjoys watching the people. She stands in front of the fish tanks and waves at the crowd gathering around. I think she believes she is the main attraction and the people are there to see her and not the fish. She is the most adorable thing ever! Again I think the two biggest concerns moms should have about on the go nannies are children napping in strollers and eating unhealthy foods because its convenient. If nanny can keep good schedule that involves at home naps and healthy eating I think kids really benefit from observing the outside world. Once S gets older I think it will be easier to stay inside because crafts and cooking projects come into play but now its just Brown Bear Brown Bear over and over again! Nanny Elisa