How often does your nanny call out sick? What's your back-up plan?

[Anonymous]

Four under six $40 to 50/hr. That's a tremendous amount of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are going through Care for candidates, then that's your first problem. You also need to pay a proper rate for 4 kids. If 2 kids were mostly not needing care and it was just an infant and another then you should easily find candidates if offering a better price as you'll get the attention of someone who can handle those kids and not feel underpaid. Being underpaid and knowing it affects your mental health and can create more burnout when already working a stressful job.

I know people hear always knock care.com but the Nannie’s the agency sent over we’re all glorified housekeepers. On care.com, I went through the profiles and found our amazing nanny.

[Anonymous]

In 6 months, our nanny has used 5 days of sick leave. Our contract gives her 5 days of sick leave, which she accrues over time. I've advanced her the sick leave so far but I need to tell her that I can't do it anymore. I'm concerned that if she's already used 5 days from late spring to early fall, winter is going to be a problem. We are very careful about germs (my toddler has never even had a cold), so I wonder if our nanny is erring on the side of caution. It doesn't sound like anything more than run of the mill colds or stomach bugs. I dislike the idea of her caring for our child while sick, but I also feel bad about telling her she needs to take unpaid leave if she's feeling well enough to work despite sniffles (plus it is stressful for me to take the day off work at the last minute). Would you all let a sick nanny (testing negative for covid) care for your child if the nanny wears an N95 mask?

[Anonymous]

I would not have someone who was ill care for my child. Our nanny thought she had food poisoning and was over the initial sick phase, but I did not want her to come over because what if she needed to be sick - who was going to watch the toddler while she was in the bathroom? Also, no one is on their A game when they are sick and have half ass care sucks. If you had a must have meeting for a few hours at work, maybe. But, asking someone to be sole care for 8 hours when they are sick, I would not want that in my house.

Now, if they had allergies or get sinus infections, or something like that, sure.

I also think there are years where I have not missed a single day of work and other years where things have come up. Sick parent, sick children, car accident, dental work... and I missed more work than normal.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny has not worked about a quarter of the Mondays-Fridays since she started. Some of it has been illness, some vacation, some holidays. We've been fairly generous with the latter two, but missing more than 60 days a year isn't going to cut it because we don't get 12 weeks of holidays and vacation. It is particularly inconvenient when it is unscheduled because we struggle to cover while working full-time and juggling and infant and school age kids. She is also not very engaging with the kids, mainly does a perfunctory job of feeding/changing the baby and walking the others to school. WWYD? I'm guessing we will need to replace her soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in your shoes OP and it ended up being nanny burnout as opposed to sickness/emergencies. At the time we only had 2 kids but at 3.5 and 1.5 were a lot of work. I’m now a SAHM to 4 kids and it’s definitely exhausting even when the older ones are in school. I’d recommend finding a mothers helper to assist your nanny a few hours a week. Also, I agree with the others that $27/hr is pretty low — my friends with 4 kids pay their nannies ~$35/hr.

Thanks for the mother's helper suggestion. If you employ one, what are the hours/responsibilities/rate of pay and how did did you locate her/him?

A mother's helper is a preteen or teen who isn't ready to babysit, and they're just playing with a baby or toddler... Not helpful to a nanny in the slightest!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We haven't had the best luck in the nanny department. The current one seems to miss work about 2-3 days a month, not counting planned days like vacation and holidays. We've paid her regardless, but it's been disruptive to our own jobs. DH's parents are retired and local and have helped some, but I think that option is wearing thin. There are four children, ranging from 4 months to 6 years, so they are a handful especially this summer when school is not in session. I do handle the baby's feedings since I WFH. I guess we either need to replace the nanny or arrange for paid back-up care (which I understand would be pricey). TIA for any suggestions.

Four kids! No wonder she calls in sick. You need two nannies.

No. They need one competent nanny who *likes* big families. I nannied for 7 quite happily and definitely did not need or want another nanny there and throwing off the routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In 6 months, our nanny has used 5 days of sick leave. Our contract gives her 5 days of sick leave, which she accrues over time. I've advanced her the sick leave so far but I need to tell her that I can't do it anymore. I'm concerned that if she's already used 5 days from late spring to early fall, winter is going to be a problem. We are very careful about germs (my toddler has never even had a cold), so I wonder if our nanny is erring on the side of caution. It doesn't sound like anything more than run of the mill colds or stomach bugs. I dislike the idea of her caring for our child while sick, but I also feel bad about telling her she needs to take unpaid leave if she's feeling well enough to work despite sniffles (plus it is stressful for me to take the day off work at the last minute). Would you all let a sick nanny (testing negative for covid) care for your child if the nanny wears an N95 mask?

If your child has never had a cold, you a doing them and yourselves a huge disservice. And no, I'm not masking while working. You can choose to have me work as is or I can take a (paid) sick day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in your shoes OP and it ended up being nanny burnout as opposed to sickness/emergencies. At the time we only had 2 kids but at 3.5 and 1.5 were a lot of work. I’m now a SAHM to 4 kids and it’s definitely exhausting even when the older ones are in school. I’d recommend finding a mothers helper to assist your nanny a few hours a week. Also, I agree with the others that $27/hr is pretty low — my friends with 4 kids pay their nannies ~$35/hr.

Thanks for the mother's helper suggestion. If you employ one, what are the hours/responsibilities/rate of pay and how did did you locate her/him?

A mother's helper is a preteen or teen who isn't ready to babysit, and they're just playing with a baby or toddler... Not helpful to a nanny in the slightest!

OP here, and a teen who could mind a couple of the kids (even the older ones who are less needy) seems like it would help. It would also give me a hand when our nanny is absent and I'm trying to juggle my job and my 4 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We haven't had the best luck in the nanny department. The current one seems to miss work about 2-3 days a month, not counting planned days like vacation and holidays. We've paid her regardless, but it's been disruptive to our own jobs. DH's parents are retired and local and have helped some, but I think that option is wearing thin. There are four children, ranging from 4 months to 6 years, so they are a handful especially this summer when school is not in session. I do handle the baby's feedings since I WFH. I guess we either need to replace the nanny or arrange for paid back-up care (which I understand would be pricey). TIA for any suggestions.

Four kids! No wonder she calls in sick. You need two nannies.

No. They need one competent nanny who *likes* big families. I nannied for 7 quite happily and definitely did not need or want another nanny there and throwing off the routine.

Wow, I'm in awe, PP! What were the ages of the 7 you nannied for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We haven't had the best luck in the nanny department. The current one seems to miss work about 2-3 days a month, not counting planned days like vacation and holidays. We've paid her regardless, but it's been disruptive to our own jobs. DH's parents are retired and local and have helped some, but I think that option is wearing thin. There are four children, ranging from 4 months to 6 years, so they are a handful especially this summer when school is not in session. I do handle the baby's feedings since I WFH. I guess we either need to replace the nanny or arrange for paid back-up care (which I understand would be pricey). TIA for any suggestions.

Four kids! No wonder she calls in sick. You need two nannies.

No. They need one competent nanny who *likes* big families. I nannied for 7 quite happily and definitely did not need or want another nanny there and throwing off the routine.

Wow, I'm in awe, PP! What were the ages of the 7 you nannied for?

2-14 for one family, 6 months to 9 for the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in your shoes OP and it ended up being nanny burnout as opposed to sickness/emergencies. At the time we only had 2 kids but at 3.5 and 1.5 were a lot of work. I’m now a SAHM to 4 kids and it’s definitely exhausting even when the older ones are in school. I’d recommend finding a mothers helper to assist your nanny a few hours a week. Also, I agree with the others that $27/hr is pretty low — my friends with 4 kids pay their nannies ~$35/hr.

Thanks for the mother's helper suggestion. If you employ one, what are the hours/responsibilities/rate of pay and how did did you locate her/him?

A mother's helper is a preteen or teen who isn't ready to babysit, and they're just playing with a baby or toddler... Not helpful to a nanny in the slightest!

OP here, and a teen who could mind a couple of the kids (even the older ones who are less needy) seems like it would help. It would also give me a hand when our nanny is absent and I'm trying to juggle my job and my 4 kids.

A teen who is a mother's helper is going to be about 13, maybe an immature 14. They'll take the kids into the backyard, but they're not likely to know how to handle sibling fights, skinned knees or splinters, etc. If you want to feel like you're managing 5 instead of 4, go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in your shoes OP and it ended up being nanny burnout as opposed to sickness/emergencies. At the time we only had 2 kids but at 3.5 and 1.5 were a lot of work. I’m now a SAHM to 4 kids and it’s definitely exhausting even when the older ones are in school. I’d recommend finding a mothers helper to assist your nanny a few hours a week. Also, I agree with the others that $27/hr is pretty low — my friends with 4 kids pay their nannies ~$35/hr.

Thanks for the mother's helper suggestion. If you employ one, what are the hours/responsibilities/rate of pay and how did did you locate her/him?

A mother's helper is a preteen or teen who isn't ready to babysit, and they're just playing with a baby or toddler... Not helpful to a nanny in the slightest!

OP here, and a teen who could mind a couple of the kids (even the older ones who are less needy) seems like it would help. It would also give me a hand when our nanny is absent and I'm trying to juggle my job and my 4 kids.

A teen who is a mother's helper is going to be about 13, maybe an immature 14. They'll take the kids into the backyard, but they're not likely to know how to handle sibling fights, skinned knees or splinters, etc. If you want to feel like you're managing 5 instead of 4, go for it.

Fortunately, those things don't happen every day, and I will be on the premises when they do. We can't afford two nannies, and the one we have is pretty substandard. She misses way too many days, and when she is present, I don't think she could handle a sibling dispute or minor injury either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in your shoes OP and it ended up being nanny burnout as opposed to sickness/emergencies. At the time we only had 2 kids but at 3.5 and 1.5 were a lot of work. I’m now a SAHM to 4 kids and it’s definitely exhausting even when the older ones are in school. I’d recommend finding a mothers helper to assist your nanny a few hours a week. Also, I agree with the others that $27/hr is pretty low — my friends with 4 kids pay their nannies ~$35/hr.

Thanks for the mother's helper suggestion. If you employ one, what are the hours/responsibilities/rate of pay and how did did you locate her/him?

A mother's helper is a preteen or teen who isn't ready to babysit, and they're just playing with a baby or toddler... Not helpful to a nanny in the slightest!

OP here, and a teen who could mind a couple of the kids (even the older ones who are less needy) seems like it would help. It would also give me a hand when our nanny is absent and I'm trying to juggle my job and my 4 kids.

A teen who is a mother's helper is going to be about 13, maybe an immature 14. They'll take the kids into the backyard, but they're not likely to know how to handle sibling fights, skinned knees or splinters, etc. If you want to feel like you're managing 5 instead of 4, go for it.

Fortunately, those things don't happen every day, and I will be on the premises when they do. We can't afford two nannies, and the one we have is pretty substandard. She misses way too many days, and when she is present, I don't think she could handle a sibling dispute or minor injury either.

You’re spot on hiring a teen. They’ll be the cool older friend to your kids, be grateful for the experience and cash, and are altogether pleasant and lovely to have around.

[Anonymous]

OP is there a way to contact you? I’m interested in your position.