Is this too much to ask?

[Anonymous]

Live in downtown DC, kids are 3 and 1. Nanny (who is wonderful and has been with us since DC1 was 6 months) does not drive but takes the kids everywhere via public transport (initially by bus and subway, subway only since DC2’s arrival).

DC1 is starting preschool a mile from home. It’s accessible via a 15/20-minute bus ride, with a 2-block walk at either end. Nanny would have the Ergo or lightweight umbrella stroller for DC2, and we would obviously cover bus fare.

Reasonable to ask nanny to handle afternoon school pickup? We’d have a backup plan for bad weather days.

[Anonymous]

Of course it is fine to expect the nanny to do school pickup.

[Anonymous]

Depends. Ask her, not an anonymous chat room.

[Anonymous]

Totally.

[Anonymous]

It's only a mile? If there are sidewalks, skip the bus entirely and walk on nice days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends. Ask her, not an anonymous chat room.

Of course I plan to ask her, but I know her well enough to know that she’d agree to do this without complaint even if it was a 10-mile trip via multiple buses. Hence, soliciting opinions on an anonymous board to make sure I’m treating her fairly.

[Anonymous]

Totally. Only question is how will it impact the younger's naps, and are you OK with that?

[Anonymous]

I think it's certainly fair to ask, but you also have to ask yourself do you want your youngest riding the bus for 40 minutes round trip every afternoon for pick-up. How long would the drive be from your house to the school? And what if your child gets ill while at school and needs to be picked up early? Who wants to take a vomiting 4 year old on public transportation. It's certainly not unreasonable to expect your nanny to handle pick-up, but I think these are all important things to consider.

[Anonymous]

If the school is only 1 mile away why would the bus ride be 15-20 minutes?

Would it be possible to carpool with another family? If you are doing morning drop off, the other family can do afternoon pick up.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible the bus drive is much shorter than 20 minutes if it's only a mile long?

I think it's fair to ask and to expect them to do it - if anything, it's good for the 3yo to learn to walk to places and look at the world around him instead of the inside of a car.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for the input. Yes, I’m likely overestimating the length of the trip and no, I would not have the nanny handle pickup with a sick kid (either kid). Our alternative is for DC1 to do aftercare and have me/DH pickup later, which just feels like an awfully long day for a 3yo, though I hear that kids generally love it….

[Anonymous]

I think its fine. If i was the nanny I would walk on nice days.

[Anonymous]

"Our alternative is for DC1 to do aftercare and have me/DH pickup later, which just feels like an awfully long day for a 3yo,"

It is. I would avoid it if you can. The bus sounds reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Aftercare for a 3yo is too much. Middle of the day pick up is a nice break in the day, and it seems like it's a reasonable distance to walk.

[Anonymous]

Wait, it's only a mile? That's not far. She should skip the bus and just walk. Even if it's raining, that isn't far and won't hurt the kid (or the nanny). If they're lazy or precious, they can cab a mile. It would likely be slightly more expensive than the metro, but not egregious if they walk most days.

Occasional rainy days or a nanny afraid of walking or weather is not a good reason to put a kid in aftercare.

Pickup is an absolutely reasonable expectation of a professional nanny. Hopefully, your nanny recognizes that. If she doesn't, you need a new nanny.