Do I have a right to be peeved at this??

[Anonymous]

I'm confused what did going on outings, only within walking distance have to do with the rest of your post?

In 15 years of being a nanny I've never needed the tv do I could get stuff done. Clean him, and his high chair then put him back in with crayons or toys to distract him clean up. If you clean as you go you will have time to rest during his naps and also great time to teach him indepent play

[Anonymous]

/just do it and don't tell them. They will never know he watched one or two shows during the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:/just do it and don't tell them. They will never know he watched one or two shows during the day.

lol brilliant. And yes, they will know. And then you will be immediately fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:/just do it and don't tell them. They will never know he watched one or two shows during the day.

This is a great way to get fired. We had a nanny who did this and I knew right away. How? Because my DC (around 20 months at the time) talked about the shows. As soon as he started mentioning the characters, I knew exactly what was going on. Parents listen to their kids .... Also statements like this are one of the reasons parents get nanny cams.

To the OP - it is literally your job to find ways to multitask with your charge. Kids go through phases where it's hard to get stuff done with them but most can play alone for a few minutes in your sight if you come up with a fun activity. Even better, you could engage him by having him help you clean up. My DC likes nothing better than to "wipe" his high chair or "sweep" or "vacuum" and doing these activities together let's me get them done.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above poster: give him a paper towel to "dust" or the broom to sweep. Or, promise him if he lets you load the dishwasher he can push the buttons.

This can be a win win for you: it will take a lot longer to get the work done, but it becomes an activity for him as well. And if he doesn't want to do his part in cleaning, then give him a toy.

Also, so what if he splashes in the kitchen? It's just water -- it'll dry.

[Anonymous]

Agree on the giving him "jobs". 17 month old charge "cleans" his face, hands, and tray while I rinse and wash dishes (no dishwasher). Then he "sweeps" underneath his high chair/the kitchen floor while I clean off his high chair and tray.

It seriously should not be this hard to figure out how to keep a toddler occupied while you clean up without plopping him in front of the tv

[Anonymous]

Hey, was that pool nanny poster a troll? If so, I'm wondering if this is also a troll. Kind of has the same unbelievable "I can't figure out/I dont want to do a basic part of what being a nanny entails". That thread was deleted before I knew why, but maybe if it was a troll, this one is too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok unlike the others I understand why you are peeved. My charge is one and I work 10 hour days as well. I know some kids do entertain themselves with toys but the boy I watch does not! I put him down in his play area and get him started playing before I leave to wash dishes and within a minute he is climbing my leg tripping over me in the kitchen, so I feel your pain. I think it is hypocritical that they use the tv to entertain him so they can prepare dinner and clean up without the hassle, yet you are expected to do without even tho you are only one person. So yeah sorry to hear that OP, can you put him in a pack n play while you clean up? That's what I started doing. Sometimes my charge will play happily in it and sometimes he cries but I get stuff some so much faster!

To the poster who stated that the OP gets "two hours a day during naps" to do what she wants, she said she gets an hour at most. Are some of you even reading these posts thoroughly????? Geez.

I have to say I agree with the PP here.
I do not see any harm in a child watching T.V. at this age.
Both of my children, now adults watched T.V. at this age and they are both well-adjusted adults. The T.V. watching never affected them in any negative way growing up, they never suffered any emotional effects from it and it provided me with a daily break and made my life easier at times so I could get things done around the house or take a quick shower, etc.

I used to nanny for a few years back, now I run a home daycare.
I put the T.V. on for a half hour each day at 11:30AM while I prepare the toddler's lunches. I have a large indoor playroom where they play with the toys and the T.V. occupies them while I prepare lunch for 5-7 children around the age of 2. Sure, it would be doable without the T.V. on, I suppose, but it is SO much more easier for me with an educational and entertaining show they can watch while I can cook their lunch. I don't see any harm in their growth and self-development in doing this.

For this family to forbid you to watch any T.V., then to use it during their time at home is just selfish in my opinion.

I would personally re-think working for such a family who would actually treat their nanny in such a manner.
If it were me, I would walk.

I can't believe the father told you he wasn't paying you to put his child in front of the T.V. all day when you only asked for a half hour block. What a jerk.

[Anonymous]

I would find it annoying if the dad made the pay/tv statement. That is so rude.

[Anonymous]

I would be annoyed too!

[Anonymous]

You need to work on teaching him to play independently while you get tasks done. I have a super clingy charge so I know it's a lot of work, but it's also part of your job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, was that pool nanny poster a troll? If so, I'm wondering if this is also a troll. Kind of has the same unbelievable "I can't figure out/I dont want to do a basic part of what being a nanny entails". That thread was deleted before I knew why, but maybe if it was a troll, this one is too

The pool post and this one do seem similar to me as we'll. As a nanny in the summer I go to the pool almost daily and getting things tidy with a toddler is second nature.

[Anonymous]

<quote>To the poster who stated that the OP gets "two hours a day during naps" to do what she wants, she said she gets an hour at most. Are some of you even reading these posts thoroughly????? Geez. <quote/>

Maybe you should read more thoroughly. Op said the baby takes naps plural that are 45 mins to an hour. Assuming the plural was two naps, that's 1.5-2 hours total free time each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny for a 19 month old cutie pie. He is adorable as heck and we have a ton of fun together.

I watch him about 30 hours a week, 3 days per week.

His mother is not comfortable letting me drive him places, but there IS a park and library within walking distance and I do have permission to take him anytime to either place or just for fun walks around the neighborhood.

The days I have him are long and I am not complaining by any means.
He takes very short naps each day, the longest between 45 minutes to 1 hour. Never longer. Enough time for me to straighten up, clean up breakfast dishes/mess, prepare his lunch and eat my own lunch.

I really would like a 1/2 hour each day aside from this to let him watch television.
You see after he eats lunch, he usually makes another mess (!) and I need to wipe up the high chair, sweep the floor, do the dishes and I like to make sure the toys are straightened up somewhat before his dad comes home. If allowed to watch a 1/2 hour of television after his lunch, it would great because he could be occupied/entertained and I could get all this done so when the parents get home, things would be more in order.

When I asked the father about it today, he told me that he didn't feel like it was a good idea.
He said they liked to keep screen time at a very small minimum and that they only let him watch 2 shows each day...In the evening when they got home from work. One before dinner, one after. He kindly said they didn't believe in paying their nannies an hourly rate just to plop their child in front of the "boob tube" all day. I told him I wouldn't abuse the privilege, that it would only be for 1/2 hour just so I could get some things done, otherwise he would be at my leg...For instance when I am trying to wash his lunch dishes, he pulls up a stool and tries to "help" me. Trouble is, I have to supervise him because I don't want him to fall down + hit his head on the hard tile kitchen floor. He likes to splash water all over the sink and play with the soap and bubbles, etc.

It's so annoying when I leave and Dad comes in and immediately turns on the T.V. as I walk out the door.

Am I wrong for being annoyed? Is this fair?

1. Yes, this is what children do. For someone who is a good nanny/parent, this is one of the enjoyable aspects of children. 2. Have you ever actually put a 19 month old in front of the TV? If you had tried, you would know you still only get about 3 minutes of uninterrupted time. You don't seem to have any clue what you are doing...you are in the wrong field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I really would like a 1/2 hour each day aside from this to let him watch television.
You see after he eats lunch, he usually makes another mess (!) and I need to wipe up the high chair, sweep the floor, do the dishes and I like to make sure the toys are straightened up somewhat before his dad comes home. If allowed to watch a 1/2 hour of television after his lunch, it would great because he could be occupied/entertained and I could get all this done so when the parents get home, things would be more in order.

When I asked the father about it today, he told me that he didn't feel like it was a good idea.
He said they liked to keep screen time at a very small minimum and that they only let him watch 2 shows each day...In the evening when they got home from work. One before dinner, one after. He kindly said they didn't believe in paying their nannies an hourly rate just to plop their child in front of the "boob tube" all day. I told him I wouldn't abuse the privilege, that it would only be for 1/2 hour just so I could get some things done, otherwise he would be at my leg...For instance when I am trying to wash his lunch dishes, he pulls up a stool and tries to "help" me. Trouble is, I have to supervise him because I don't want him to fall down + hit his head on the hard tile kitchen floor. He likes to splash water all over the sink and play with the soap and bubbles, etc.

I understand your frustration, but you have to go with your employer's wishes.

#1--Maybe the parents don't care about things being in order as much as you do. Perhaps they'd rather come home to a slightly messy house knowing that you were fully engaged with their child all day than come home to a clean house but worry their child was neglected. Discuss it with them. (It seems like some parents on this forum expect their nanny to also be a maid/housekeeper/personal chef/plumber/electrician, it sounds like your bosses just want a nanny, which would make you quite lucky!)

Or just take a few minutes when the parents come home to finish cleaning up? I do this with my MB all the time--she's so excited to see her LO that she doesn't mind "watching" him while I get my stuff together, wash out his bottle and tidy his things. At the same time, I update her on what he ate, when he napped, whether we're running low on anything, etc. What would take me 15-45 minutes while he follows me around undoing everything only takes 5-10 this way.

#2--Hide the stool! Those fuckers are dangerous!!! My charge loves to climb on stuff but he has hurt or startled himself far too often. I hid his stool for a couple months and just the other day tried bringing it out again...he was looking out the window watching cars and got so excited that he started dancing and bouncing. The stool flipped over even though I was standing right behind him and holding him under the arms--I lifted him into the air but I think the edge of the stool might have hit him in the shin. Next time I will keep one foot on that damn thing to stabilize it!

Put a little dishpan on the floor (no water) and give him some plastic dishes to "wash". Or give him some wet dishes and ask him to dry them for you. Or bring a playpen into the kitchen while you clean up.