Is it wrong to fire a nanny with no newborn experience

[Anonymous]

MB would you fire your nanny, if she did not have newborn experience and you were expecting? Let's say she's good with toddlers but has admitted to not knowing much about newborns. She took it upon herself to go to an infant seminar, taking a parenting class. So she is willing to do her homework. She is comfortable holding newborns, but she when to comes to working to sleep train and stuff she is unfamiliar but is willing to learn?

[Anonymous]

You have to start somewhere...someone's baby has to be first. If she's willing to learn that's a good sign.

[Anonymous]

She should immediately get an additional job as a mother's helper, with a newborn. She can apprentice. If you can find that for her, that will be your best bet.

[Anonymous]

How much maternity leave will you take?

[Anonymous]

I certainly wouldn't fire her for this, especially if she's taking the initiative to learn. Also, it isn't your first child so you know what you're doing (right?). Presumably, if she takes direction well, you can just teach her.

It really isn't hard. If she's a good nanny w/ your toddler she'll probably be every bit as good w/ your infant. If you want a nanny from whom you can learn, that's different. But with a second child you probably know what you want and have in your nanny a willing pupil whom you know and trust.

Sounds ideal to me. (MB who appreciated my nanny's prior knowledge/experience when mine were newborns, but would have WAY more confidence going into it the next time.)

[Anonymous]

The biggest thing is finding a caretaker you trust who is gentle and careful.

The details- about how the parents want to handle sleep training, feeding, etc. vary from family to family and the recommendations for these things change very few years anyhow. I'd just carefully instruct the nanny on how you want things done. Honestly, I'd be more concerned about a nanny who had worked with newborns 8 years ago in her previous family and tended to do things the way that that family wanted them done according to best practices 8 years ago, instead of asking questions and figuring out what the new family wants.

[Anonymous]

For me, it would depend on how "able to learn" the nanny is in other areas. Does she catch on quickly to doing things in general?

[Anonymous]

Millions of women have no newborn experience with their first child bit we learn on the job!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to start somewhere...someone's baby has to be first. If she's willing to learn that's a good sign.

+1 especially if she's been great so far with the other DCs. Hoping people understand this is only a saying but, better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Millions of women have no newborn experience with their first child bit we learn on the job!

+1

[Anonymous]

Have her take a newborn care specialist class. Lots of newborn info.

Gentleventures.com
Multipleblessings.com

[Anonymous]

No its not wrong to let someone go because the job requirements changed. I would be OK with a nanny with no experience for a second child but not for a first child. As a FTM, you will naturally be nervous, and overly worried about everything. You'll find it stressful leaving your infant with someone who you don't know if you can't 100% trust her based on her lack of experience. If she's nervous too then you'll both be wreck.

If you were planning on taking a 6 month maternity or working at home, it might be different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No its not wrong to let someone go because the job requirements changed. I would be OK with a nanny with no experience for a second child but not for a first child. As a FTM, you will naturally be nervous, and overly worried about everything. You'll find it stressful leaving your infant with someone who you don't know if you can't 100% trust her based on her lack of experience. If she's nervous too then you'll both be wreck.

If you were planning on taking a 6 month maternity or working at home, it might be different.

It seems like this would NOT be a FTM though, that it would be with a second child. So you are basically saying that it would be fine then, right? You seem mixed up, as you start your post by saying that it would be ok to let the person be let go due to job requirements changing.

I think as long as the nanny took the initiative to learn, and get more experience with other families before her newborn child would be left with her on a regular basis, it would be fine. If the MB did test runs with her before going back to work, they could both see how well the nanny did with the newborn and if it looked like it wouldn't work, then a new nanny could be hired.

[Anonymous]

It would be beyond inconsiderate if you fired her just because you are currently expecting. Who does that??!

She is making a sincere effort to learn the ropes here and needs your support...not you thinking of dropping her like a hot potato.

When I was a new mother, I had zero experience w/infants. Zero. The closest experience I had was a baby doll in my toddler yrs. My dolly used to drink from a bottle then soil her diaper.

Caring for a newborn is really pretty easy to learn. Feed them every few hrs, burp them, change them and rock them. She is educating herself on all of this which shows she really is preparing herself for your new arrival. Give her a chance. Like someone stated, everyone has to start somewhere.

[Anonymous]

No I wouldn't fire her. In fact, I HIRED a nanny for my newborn with no newborn experience. It worked out swimmingly.