Can I ask my nanny to handle housekeeping?

[Anonymous]

very very reasonable in my opinion. I could do this in less than an our while baby sleeps.

[Anonymous]

You can ask her to paint your house and re-roof. Doesn'tesn that she will agree to do so.

[Anonymous]

I would not accept any position that involved general housekeeping or cooking for anyone but my charge. I do unload the entire dishwasher and not just my charge's items because so am not a dick but generally the lines are clear.

You want your nanny to narrate for your baby, read to him/her for at least one hour over the course of the day, do finger rhymes, sing and take the baby outside for good walks. Soon you will want her to take the baby to classes and library storytimes. There simply isn't time to accomplish your tasks when the baby is asleep. A nanny should do all the child's laundry, clean play area and sterilize toys, make fresh baby food and all clean up, keep the baby's closet neat and up to date - all outgrown clothes packed away. And every five hours, a nanny is entitled to a twenty minute break.

[Anonymous]

It would all depend.

It is unreasonable to add in other responsibilities to her job if she has already been hired status quo.

And if you do add add’l duties to her workday, make sure to adjust her hourly rate to reflect new duties.

I am a terrible cook so having to cook for anyone besides my charge would make me stressed out!
I do not mind unloading the dishwasher, but personally do not feel it is the Nanny’s duty to do so unless most of the dishes were dirtied during her shift.

Baby laundry is entirely optional.
Some Nannies are okay being a child laundress, I would not.

I once had a Mother blame me initially when her dryer wouldn’t heat up properly.
When I told her, she immediately blamed me for breaking it since she had used it the day before & it had worked perfectly for her.

Turns out it needed a part.
She gave me too much dang credit.
No way do I have the smarts to turn off the heat on a clothes dryer!

[Anonymous]

You can build and advertise the job exactly as you wish it to be OP. The response and applicants you get will tell you whether or not you can find what you're looking for. (I expect you can find someone for this job quite easily by the way.)

The most important thing is to be totally upfront about the job you're offering, not to hire for one thing and then start adding things on - especially for a nanny position of which you start wanting housekeeping tasks.

We advertised for a nanny/housekeeper, with very clear parameters around the core job responsibilities and we had great applicants. (That said, we also kept the position much more strictly nanny in nature when the kids were babies. We broadened the scope when we hired someone for 4+ year olds.)

Good luck and congrats on your baby!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not accept any position that involved general housekeeping or cooking for anyone but my charge. I do unload the entire dishwasher and not just my charge's items because so am not a dick but generally the lines are clear.

You want your nanny to narrate for your baby, read to him/her for at least one hour over the course of the day, do finger rhymes, sing and take the baby outside for good walks. Soon you will want her to take the baby to classes and library storytimes. There simply isn't time to accomplish your tasks when the baby is asleep. A nanny should do all the child's laundry, clean play area and sterilize toys, make fresh baby food and all clean up, keep the baby's closet neat and up to date - all outgrown clothes packed away. And every five hours, a nanny is entitled to a twenty minute break.

This is a great nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would all depend.

It is unreasonable to add in other responsibilities to her job if she has already been hired status quo.

And if you do add add’l duties to her workday, make sure to adjust her hourly rate to reflect new duties.

I am a terrible cook so having to cook for anyone besides my charge would make me stressed out!
I do not mind unloading the dishwasher, but personally do not feel it is the Nanny’s duty to do so unless most of the dishes were dirtied during her shift.

Baby laundry is entirely optional.
Some Nannies are okay being a child laundress, I would not.

I once had a Mother blame me initially when her dryer wouldn’t heat up properly.
When I told her, she immediately blamed me for breaking it since she had used it the day before & it had worked perfectly for her.

Turns out it needed a part.
She gave me too much dang credit.
No way do I have the smarts to turn off the heat on a clothes dryer!

Baby laundry is optional? You’re a nanny. Baby laundry is a requirement in almost every job because it pertains to the baby. You sound like a Diva nanny. I wouldn’t hire someone that doesn’t know how to operate a washing machine and dryer.

[Anonymous]

Op here. We haven’t hired our nanny yet. We are starting to look. We are thinking of either $23 net or $25 gross depending on the nanny’s tax situation. We will cut out crock pot meals but need a nanny to receive packages on occasion. We also have groceries only delivered once a week in our area, and we can’t. choose the day, which falls on the nanny’s workday. We can scrap dishwasher if needed.

All we require out of the packages is her to clean up after baby and herself, stock new supplies, and wash/sterilize baby bottles. Our housekeeper will
do laundry and all other cleaning. I know it will change but he sleeps a large amount during the day. He is on a schedule sleeping 8-10, 11:30 -12, 1:30 - 3:30/4, and 5/5:30 - 6. We want our nanny to take breaks and she will have a good amount of time to do that. We will require a nanny 3 days from 7:30-6:30, and he will sleep 5-6 hours out of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We haven’t hired our nanny yet. We are starting to look. We are thinking of either $23 net or $25 gross depending on the nanny’s tax situation. We will cut out crock pot meals but need a nanny to receive packages on occasion. We also have groceries only delivered once a week in our area, and we can’t. choose the day, which falls on the nanny’s workday. We can scrap dishwasher if needed.

All we require out of the packages is her to clean up after baby and herself, stock new supplies, and wash/sterilize baby bottles. Our housekeeper will
do laundry and all other cleaning. I know it will change but he sleeps a large amount during the day. He is on a schedule sleeping 8-10, 11:30 -12, 1:30 - 3:30/4, and 5/5:30 - 6. We want our nanny to take breaks and she will have a good amount of time to do that. We will require a nanny 3 days from 7:30-6:30, and he will sleep 5-6 hours out of the day.

You really cannot predict your kids sleep patterns, of course we know what is ideal based on age but that can and most likely will change.
Otherwise I think your requests are reasonable and once you are clear on expectations from the onset and the selected candidate agrees, then you are ok.
I am a nanny and this is a job I would accept once other important areas are agreed on and we are a good match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We haven’t hired our nanny yet. We are starting to look. We are thinking of either $23 net or $25 gross depending on the nanny’s tax situation. We will cut out crock pot meals but need a nanny to receive packages on occasion. We also have groceries only delivered once a week in our area, and we can’t. choose the day, which falls on the nanny’s workday. We can scrap dishwasher if needed.

All we require out of the packages is her to clean up after baby and herself, stock new supplies, and wash/sterilize baby bottles. Our housekeeper will
do laundry and all other cleaning. I know it will change but he sleeps a large amount during the day. He is on a schedule sleeping 8-10, 11:30 -12, 1:30 - 3:30/4, and 5/5:30 - 6. We want our nanny to take breaks and she will have a good amount of time to do that. We will require a nanny 3 days from 7:30-6:30, and he will sleep 5-6 hours out of the day.

Sounds reasonable - however your hours and part-time requirements might be a bigger problem, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We haven’t hired our nanny yet. We are starting to look. We are thinking of either $23 net or $25 gross depending on the nanny’s tax situation. We will cut out crock pot meals but need a nanny to receive packages on occasion. We also have groceries only delivered once a week in our area, and we can’t. choose the day, which falls on the nanny’s workday. We can scrap dishwasher if needed.

All we require out of the packages is her to clean up after baby and herself, stock new supplies, and wash/sterilize baby bottles. Our housekeeper will
do laundry and all other cleaning. I know it will change but he sleeps a large amount during the day. He is on a schedule sleeping 8-10, 11:30 -12, 1:30 - 3:30/4, and 5/5:30 - 6. We want our nanny to take breaks and she will have a good amount of time to do that. We will require a nanny 3 days from 7:30-6:30, and he will sleep 5-6 hours out of the day.

You understand this changes rapidly - he will sleep less and less during the day as he gets older. DD was down to about two - maybe three hours but 10 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We haven’t hired our nanny yet. We are starting to look. We are thinking of either $23 net or $25 gross depending on the nanny’s tax situation. We will cut out crock pot meals but need a nanny to receive packages on occasion. We also have groceries only delivered once a week in our area, and we can’t. choose the day, which falls on the nanny’s workday. We can scrap dishwasher if needed.

All we require out of the packages is her to clean up after baby and herself, stock new supplies, and wash/sterilize baby bottles. Our housekeeper will
do laundry and all other cleaning. I know it will change but he sleeps a large amount during the day. He is on a schedule sleeping 8-10, 11:30 -12, 1:30 - 3:30/4, and 5/5:30 - 6. We want our nanny to take breaks and she will have a good amount of time to do that. We will require a nanny 3 days from 7:30-6:30, and he will sleep 5-6 hours out of the day.

Sounds reasonable - however your hours and part-time requirements might be a bigger problem, OP.

Op here. That’s why we are paying a high wage and offering more paid vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We haven’t hired our nanny yet. We are starting to look. We are thinking of either $23 net or $25 gross depending on the nanny’s tax situation. We will cut out crock pot meals but need a nanny to receive packages on occasion. We also have groceries only delivered once a week in our area, and we can’t. choose the day, which falls on the nanny’s workday. We can scrap dishwasher if needed.

All we require out of the packages is her to clean up after baby and herself, stock new supplies, and wash/sterilize baby bottles. Our housekeeper will
do laundry and all other cleaning. I know it will change but he sleeps a large amount during the day. He is on a schedule sleeping 8-10, 11:30 -12, 1:30 - 3:30/4, and 5/5:30 - 6. We want our nanny to take breaks and she will have a good amount of time to do that. We will require a nanny 3 days from 7:30-6:30, and he will sleep 5-6 hours out of the day.

You understand this changes rapidly - he will sleep less and less during the day as he gets older. DD was down to about two - maybe three hours but 10 months.

Op here. Yes I know it will change.

[Anonymous]

Nanny here and I make all of the kids food from scratch including meals for the parents as well once or twice a week. I also take out the trash as needed on my shift, unload the dishwasher daily, do grocery shopping for kids and parents and feed the cat if he needs it.

I also managed to provide excellent and attentive care to my charges (now 2 1/2-year-old twins, but I have been here since they were six months old). Even at this age, they nap for at least an hour and a half a day. I eat my lunch for half an hour, then do whatever cooking needs to be done for the day. I do grocery shopping with the kids in tow and they love and learn a lot through that process. We also cook together. When they were too young for any of that to be a factor, they were also sleeping all day and there was plenty of time to do other things during naptime. By the time they’re old enough that they are sleeping at all during the day, they will be starting half-day preschool a few mornings a week and I will be able to get these things done then. I find that the amount of time you have during the day is fairly consistent, you just have to break the tasks done differently depending on what kind of breaks you have. All this is to say that it is absolutely reasonable to look for a nanny who provides this as well as excellent care. The biggest thing that I look for in a family with regards to additional tasks is that they are clear on the fact that if for some reason I am not able to do anything but childcare on a specific day that I am going to prioritize the kid and things might not get done. 90 percent of the time I check off everything on my list, but sometimes things happen and I need to focus on the kids. If you can let go on the days when it’s not possible to get it all done, then it’s totally reasonable to ask nanny to use down time productively.

[Anonymous]

NP here: my nanny does some non-baby related tasks like unloading dishwasher, receiving packages (including Blue Apron deliveries which is kind of like your groceries example), letting in service people, and taking out kitchen trash. We don't ask for more time-intensive stuff like general cooking because we want her to focus on the baby, but 5 minutes of unloading a dishwasher doesn't really hinder that. She still spends all our baby's waking time singing, narrating, playing, going to the park/library/gymboree/music class, etc.

What you listed here sounds very reasonable and some of the pushback seems to be from nannies who are opposed to general house chores on a matter of principle or something... maybe unloading the dishwasher is something they wouldn't do even with $100/hour and 10 weeks of paid vacation a year. That's okay--to each their own. Your pay and benefits are quite good, so you should be able to find plenty of other applicants who will be happy to take on these tasks.