Preschoolers are all about rules. Sooo...

The Rule is that you all have breakfast together and sing the "Good Morning" song (or whatever), and then mom and dad go to work.

Kids can't go to work with mom and dad, because that's The Rule.

The Rule about working at home is that kids get 3 "visit tickets" a day. They can use those to knock on the door for a 5-minute visit if the sign is green, but then it's time to get back to their own fun. Mom and dad aren't allowed to join the kids' fun, because that's The Rule.

Get a sleep clock, and set it for your regular work hours. The Rule is that mom and dad stay in their office when the clock is red. When it turns green, mom and dad are allowed to stop work and come back for dinner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this “pack a lunch” thing. Don’t they have to come out to go to the bathroom??

We have an en suite, maybe they do too.

Oh, yeah, everybody has an en-suite bathroom in their HOME OFFICE.

If this is still happening then you need to figure out the source of the problem:

1) There’s a problem between 3yo and nanny. What is their relationship like? Was 3yo previously in preschool? How do they spend their time during the day?

2) You, DH and/or nanny are reinforcing this behavior. Is there a lock on your door? Is there a schedule for the day? How do you say goodbye when you start work? Are there any patterns as to when/why DD starts to seek you out during the day? What do you do when she bangs on your door? DH? Nanny?

3) Your DD has a bigger emotional need that’s not being met. Is she getting time and attention from you and DH? What are each of the adults doing to keep her life as normal as it can be right now?

How about that sign on your door I’ve seen posted. Green means kid can come in and hang for a few mins, yellow means can come in for a quick hello. Red means stay out. Obviously you can’t keep it red all day long but most 3yos would get this concept. Lots of praise for following it.

I use to say goodbye, get in my car, drive around the block, come back and sneak into the basement.

I’m sorry, OP. My daughter would definitely do the same thing. We are at my parents’ and she does the same with my mom. I don’t have a solution for you. But I can say it’s not strange.
All of my friends’ 3 year olds are doing the same.

Anonymous wrote:All this “pack a lunch” thing. Don’t they have to come out to go to the bathroom??

We have an en suite, maybe they do too.

OMG the poor nanny. I bet she's really losing it by now.

All this “pack a lunch” thing. Don’t they have to come out to go to the bathroom??

Pack a lunch. My dh is wfh and the nanny is coming. The 4 year old adores the baby and she's far more fun than dh right now. The baby doesn't care. Dh did go for walks with them a couple times and then went back to work downstairs.
Dd being older helps and if I was home it wouldn't work for more than 2 hrs. She's be all over me.

Pack a lunch.

That’s bad. Is she a bad nanny? Why isn’t she having fun with them to the point that they forget about you completely?

3.5 is old enough to know not to bother you

At 3.5 yo, you need to discuss expectations. I'd be more worry if you tell me the 1.5yo was having a meltdown.

Our nanny graciously offered to live in temporarily a few weeks ago to help out since DH and I are working from home. While it's helpful to have her there in many ways, my kids (1.5 and 3.5) have wised up to the fact that DH and I are home all day (albeit working) and only want to be with us during the day vs. her. They are extremely clingy and my older one has been throwing major tantrums about us going in our office to work because she wants to be with us. We try to stay hidden most of the day but both are constantly crying for mommy and daddy and banging on the door, and when we come out for lunch it starts all over again.

is anyone else who still has childcare having this issue? Any advice or tips?