Nanny "down time"
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Anonymous
| How do employers handle their nannies down time? So, in my nanny share, for example, if the nanny has several hours a day when both boys (6 months each) are sleeping, is it appropriate for me to ask her to do things related to the boys? Like work on new toys, i.e. activity boards etc? She is taking classes at night and currently does homework. |
Anonymous
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In a share I think that what you can demand may be more limited.
I have twins and a nanny. Among her responsibilities are their laundry, keeping their play/sleeping areas tidy, meals, etc... So she can juggle those responsibilites however she sees fit - whether she does them when the kids are napping, or whether she naps when they're napping. (Something I'm always trying to encourage her to do!) I would suggest a light hand with this subject. Full time nannying is a hard job, and it will get more demanding as the 6 month olds start turning into toddlers, dropping a nap, being more mobile, etc... I would be inclined to let her relax during nap time (assuming all basic work like bottles, feeding, bathing, etc... are handled) and not focus on being sure she's actively working every single moment. We all need time to rest when caring for little kids. So some leniency and understanding might really pay off for you in the long run. Just my two cents... |
Anonymous
| Yes, that is not an unreasonable request, so long as the tasks are kid related. That being said, if I was your nanny, and you suddenly threw off my homework schedule or took away the only time I had to complete it, I would be on to the next job. I am a great nanny, and I work really hard, but with my classes and working full time, one of the benefits of my job is the down time that allows me to do school work, and honestly that is my priority. Just something to consider before proposing this change. You may just lose her over it. |
Anonymous
| Thanks. She does not currently do any laundry. And is becoming a little more neat because it's important to me, but still doesn't hang up clothes for example when changing the baby. It's a little thing but bugging me. Also, we have pets. I keep things clean, but is it unreasonable to ask her to do light and quick vacuuming in the baby play areas? |
Anonymous
Agree with PP, that in a share you can only expect so much. Just because your kid sleeps for a certain amount of time, doesn't mean that's how much down time your nanny gets. My charges take a 2 hour afternoon nap. They are staggered by about 15 minutes, so I get about 90 minutes with them both asleep. I then spend about 30 minutes cleaning up from lunch, washing dishes, cleaning the playroom, and any other tasks I have to do like folding their laundry. That leaves 60 minutes. So if everything goes according to schedule what appears to be a 2 hour nap, is only a one hour lunch break. On days where they don't sleep as long, or take longer to get to sleep, I don't even get that. |
Anonymous
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MB, REALLY? How about I contact your job and let them know you order things online all the time. Or tell them that you are making and taking personal calls. Or how about that "suppose" to be hour long meeting on Friday afternoon that only last about 20 minutes and you left early.
All of these things are done on work time. Not every second of your day is consumed by work. No ones job is. Why don't you also ask her to not use the bathroom as that is taking away from the time you pay her. Also, your in a share, you might want to have this discussion with the other family first as they may feel the nanny needs this time to unwind, handle her personal business in order to provide the best possible care for their child. Stop thinking about the money part. Also, about whether she hangs up the clothes or not. That is tedious and very nit picking. I can tell you that I do not like you passive aggressive attitude, or the fact that you may still be in your pajamas in the morning while she is there, or you haven't changed the baby's diaper after waking up. If you want to be cheap stay at home and watch your own child and let me know what your doing while your child naps. |
Anonymous
nasty nasty nasty. sounds like someone feels guilty about how much slacking off they do on the job and is projecting. big time. Where in the world can this question lead you to equaling a online shopping habit pajama wearing slacker MB? back in your box! It is pefectly normal to wonder about this as the kids grow and the needs change. Different families and nanny relationships have vastly different expectations on this front. My first long term nanny hated sitting still and did not like to lie down or rest while on the job. She constantly found organizational tasks to help with around the house while the baby was sleeping. My baby slept really well... This changed over time with the needs of our growing family. I think it will all depend on what is right for you, the nanny and the nanny share situation. |
Anonymous
| Our nanny has a list of things to do when the baby is sleeping and uses that nap time to pursue those. Cleaning up/organizing toys, baby laundry, prepping the next meal, researching places to take baby later in the week, setting up playdates, putting together a list of toys/clothes she thinks the baby could use, etc. |
Anonymous
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As long as it's kid related to a point.
Because you're in a share and I'm assuming at your house, doing just your child's laundry may not be right. But cleaning up play area, vacuuming play area (especially because they should be on the floor a lot at 6 months). Prepping food for both babies (if you and other family do homemade purees) & bottle washing for both babies. But not a sink full of dishes you left and hey nanny is going to be here why can't she do it. And she shouldn't take care of your pets. This is a nanny share not a personal nanny for your child. |
Anonymous
OP, it is completely reasonable for a nanny to have child-related duties that she attends to throughout the day - it's a little different in a share (e.g. she shouldn't be doing laundry for one family when she can't complete it for the other) but things like cleaning toys, preparing food, researching activities, and so on are perfectly reasonable. However. 1) You should have negotiated the things you wanted done when you hired her. Adding more responsibilities to her job description now means sitting down and proposing the new tasks, not simply assigning them to her. She may ask for a raise or additional benefits and this is completely reasonable because you are changing the terms of the job (particularly if she asked when you hired her about doing homework during nap time and you agreed she'd be able to do that). 2) You should remember that some days she will have a lot of down time, some days she will have none, and this will fluctuate even more as the kids get older. If you're looking at it as trying to make sure she's working every minute of the day you're going to have a bitter nanny - and you'll be a frustrated employer. Instead, figure out what you and your share partners need and want to have done, approximate how much time you think those requests will take (make sure it's within her average weekly down time), and make sure you tell her that your priority is childcare and if the babies don't nap or other tasks require her more immediate attention (i.e. emergency baths/laundry after a blow-out diaper) that you understand. If she's a professional she will still manage to get things done 99% of the time. 3) There are NOT enough child-related tasks to fill her down time right now. Accept that she will simply get some time off during the day, remind yourself that a refreshed adult gives better care than an exhausted one, and remember that in a year she might not even get a quiet 20 minute lunch break to herself, never mind several hours a day. Like most jobs, nanny positions have an ebb and flow of being more/less work and offering more/less down time as the children grow and if she's experienced she'll be cognizant of that; a nanny who works with toddlers-preschoolers can work 10-12 hours straight without a single minute "off." |
Anonymous
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There are some ridiculous responses on this thread, OP. If there are several hours of downtime in the day, you should absolutely have the nanny do other things, as long as they are child related, and you do allow for a free hour for lunch and relaxation.
You should not be paying a nanny to do her homework. That's crazy. |
Anonymous
That is your opinion, and you're perfectly welcome to hire someone who agrees with you. I nanny while in school, specifically so that I CAN do homework during my down time. My employers know and respect this, and they know I do a great job when the kids are awake. I'm also not one of the nannies demanding $20/hour. I charge a reasonable rate, I do a great job with the kids, and I *gasp* do homework during nap, and no one has died! |
Anonymous
I'm with you PP. I have always nannied while in school BECAUSE it affords me time to get my work done during my "off times" (which, let's be honest, are never set in stone and happen just as often as they don't). Presumably, OP's nanny was in school when they hired her and it was clear from the get go that she would use some nap time to do school work. Why begrudge her that now? If all of her other jobs are getting done, why the heck do ANY MB's care what their nanny is doing for 30/45 minutes while the kid naps. Your nanny knows when you are milking every penny out of her and aside from being petty, it's insulting. And seriously, OP, activity boards? |
Anonymous
| Maybe a few of us lucky enough to have the best employers. I just changed jobs. My previous full time job was kind of like almost no downtime. 45 hours/week on the go with 3 kids. When the youngest one was in preschool for 2.5 hours a day I always had something to do. I never complained. It was kind of normal. And anyway I always love to work and being busy. I only got annoyed when I hardly had time to go to the bathroom in the summer because somebody was always yelling after me. But that was also ok with me. UNTIL I got a new job.. I still have hard time to believe in my luck. Also 3 kids but all school aged. It is also full time. 40 hours and 2$ higher hourly rate then the previous one. Since I started to work I never worked 40 hours/week. But It is always paid. My previous employer didn't let me off the hook even 5 minutes earlier. I was ok with that. But now I see how big the difference between employer and employer. With family 2 I also do some housework and also cook dinner. every night they invite me to sit down to eat with them. I politely refuse it BUT it feels good. The other family never ever invited me to sit down with them. Family 2 told me when I finish with everything I can freely use my laptop because they know I'm studying toward my master's degree. I never do it BUT that feels good too. AND because I feel like they appreciate in every way how I make their life easier I also started to do things that wasn't in the contract. Just showing them how much I also appreciate them. |
Anonymous
This is the most stupid response I have read on here. I won't even dignify it with a response of my own. Sheesh. OP, caring for two babies full-time along with going to school is not an easy road. Be supportive in your nanny's educational goals and allow her her study time during the baby's nap times. Because the older they get, she will not have the luxury of being able to study on the job as much. Plus, it would be so unfair to let her study, then suddenly take away her study time just because you changed your mind and want her to suddenly vacuum during nap times. 
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