nanny keeps forgetting the epipens

[Anonymous]

OP. Was she trained in CPR and First side. Also, what did she say she. You terminated her?!

[Anonymous]

Did you fire her already, OP? How'd she take it??

[Anonymous]

I am a nanny, and I would let her go.

She doesn't seem responsible enough to handle caring for a child with severe allergies.

[Anonymous]

OP, sadly, firing her is necessary in this case. I don't think you should even consider severance, though. You are firing for cause. Don't reward her for that.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a great memory about things myself. So when I know something is as important as this, I do what I need to do to remember. If I had to write it on my hand, put the epi pens next to my keys, set an alarm on my phone, bring the same diaper bag with pens for EVERY trip, no matter how small etc. She has no one to blame but herself. I hope she learns her lesson now.

Good luck with everything, OP. Let us know how this goes.

[Anonymous]

I let her go - it was really hard but I feel awful and relieved at the same time. I willl miss the nanny but this was a huge safety issue. Thank you for your support. I think allergies are hard and people dont always get it.

[Anonymous]

OP, you did the right thing. Your nanny showed herself to be careless with your child's safety, and that has be a total disqualification.

[Anonymous]

Good for you. She didn't really leave you a choice when she refused to take your child's safety seriously.

I hope it wasn't too bad.

Good luck finding a replacement.

[Anonymous]

It would depend on how many times she actually has forgotten the E-pens. After forgetting them more than twice, I would let her go. She is putting your children in severe harm's way. When if they had an allergic reaction and she was ill equipped, etc.???

Stress to her HOW important it is to always have the E-pens handy. Perhaps she doesn't understand the significance of such pens.

[nannydebsays]

If you truly feel like giving her another chance, sit her down and have a "come to Jesus" discussion. Tell her that she will be fired on the spot if she ever forgets the epipen again, and that you will be doing surprise "inspections" for the next month to see if she has one in her purse/car/whatever.

In your place, if the allergy is life threatening, I would fire your nanny now. She is not doing the very basic chore of keeping your child safe.

[Anonymous]

Don't leave epi-pens in the car. They cannot tolerate low or high temperatures. Recommended storage temperature is 77 deg F and no temp lower than 59 or higher than 86. The nanny and I each carry a twin pack in our purses.

[Anonymous]

Get rid of her. Absolute a deal breaker -- she is putting your child's life in danger.

[Anonymous]

How did the nanny take getting fired, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nanny - whom I adore - keeps forgetting my toddlers epipens at home when she is out and about, my daughter has needed an epi rescue once already. I've explained my daughters allergies are serious, and 911 wont get there in time. How do I get this point acrosss? My husbane wants to let her go but she is great in other respects and the epipen is new - about 6 weeks.

If she forgot once, I could understand (I forget my own Epipen all the time - at home, in the car, at work - it's awful) but if this is a habitual thing, it's not worth the risk. Is it possible to get an extra and keep it in the nanny's purse or in the diaper bag at all times?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Uggh... I think I am going to have to let her go. Dh is dead set on it as well - we fought about it last night. Thanks for the honest feedback. I've been coming up early unexpectedly to take advantage of the weather with the kids and the nanny has been gone with the kids - and the epipens are in the diaperbag on the kitchen table.

I feel terrible about letting her go - but dh and I are going to give severance pay, let her go today, each take a weeks vacation, and find someone else.

Sorry, responded to the original post before reading this one.

I think you did the right thing. It's unfortunate, and I would still give her a good reference letter (but be honest about why you're letting her go, if asked) and look to hire someone who has experience with such allergies, maybe even a nanny who has a peanut allergy too, if you can find one. Good luck!