Just for fun: what's the worst nanny job you've ever had?

[Anonymous]

I was just thinking back on the experience that I had this summer, and at this point I'm kind of laughing over the whole situation. I've never worked for a family like this before, and I will definitely take my time in choosing a family to work with for next summer after everything that happened.

-The lady I worked for hired me basically so she could get some school work done (she went to school online) and also get house work done as well since she never had time. My hours were 11-3 Tuesday and Thursday, and she would sleep until 2 everyday, so obviously school and house work wasn't really getting done. I honestly don't care what she did while I was there, but I think her husband would have been pissed to be paying me and not see stuff getting done, so she kept asking me to clean everything since she wasn't doing it.

-That brings me to the cleaning. She would leave piles of dirty dishes on the counter without even rinsing them. Since I was only there Tuesday and Thursday she would just leave dishes that had syrup and other things on them without rinsing from Thursday until the next Tuesday.

-She would ask me to do weeks worth of laundry at a time. I swear her and the kids had to be wearing 2-3 outfits per day because the amount of laundry that would pile up between Thursday and Tuesday was just insane.

-She basically wanted me to plop the kids in front of the TV (a big no-no for me personally) so that I could do her housework. Some days I would take the kids to the pool for the entire four hours just so she wasn't able to tell me to do any of her cleaning.

Looking back, I wish I would have stood up to her more in the moment, but I knew I was only going to be working for them for about six weeks, so I just let it all slide. She actually asked me a few weeks ago if I could watch her kids in the morning before school for 1.5 hours everyday. I told her I already have another job that is full day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so that wouldn't be possible. She actually asked me if I would quit my job where I work 15 hours per week over three days to take her job that is 7.5 hours per week spread over five, but she also wanted to pay me the same as I make at my other job. No thanks! After I told her I wouldn't be able to do it she contacted me again and asked if she could put me down as an emergency contact for her kids' schools. I told her I'm at work MWF and in class Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon, so there's no way I'd ever be able to pick them up anyway.

So what are your bad nannying experiences? The kids were so sweet, and we had a lot of fun (when we could actually play together), so I feel bad for leaving them with this crazy lady, but I don't think I could put up with that for more than the summer.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'd say my current job. The family is great, but the 3 month old just cries all the time!! She cries before every nap and she's napping 3-4 times a day but for only 30 minutes and she cries for 20 minutes before falling asleep. My ears are constantly ringing !! honestly, I'm hoping to find another family soon, but no more children under 1 for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'd say my current job. The family is great, but the 3 month old just cries all the time!! She cries before every nap and she's napping 3-4 times a day but for only 30 minutes and she cries for 20 minutes before falling asleep. My ears are constantly ringing !! honestly, I'm hoping to find another family soon, but no more children under 1 for me!

Aww, that's pretty sad that a crying infant constitutes your worst job ever! The poor baby, and the poor parents also - though it does seem that this isn't a good match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'd say my current job. The family is great, but the 3 month old just cries all the time!! She cries before every nap and she's napping 3-4 times a day but for only 30 minutes and she cries for 20 minutes before falling asleep. My ears are constantly ringing !! honestly, I'm hoping to find another family soon, but no more children under 1 for me!

I remember when the LO I watch now was that young. If you like the family is it possible to wait it out a few months until the baby is a bit older? There are still times when my charge is fussy for a day, and of course I just wish he would be quiet. His mom works from home, and when he is fussy you can tell even she is frustrated listening to it, so don't feel bad that you can't stand to hear a baby crying all day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'd say my current job. The family is great, but the 3 month old just cries all the time!! She cries before every nap and she's napping 3-4 times a day but for only 30 minutes and she cries for 20 minutes before falling asleep. My ears are constantly ringing !! honestly, I'm hoping to find another family soon, but no more children under 1 for me!

I remember when the LO I watch now was that young. If you like the family is it possible to wait it out a few months until the baby is a bit older? There are still times when my charge is fussy for a day, and of course I just wish he would be quiet. His mom works from home, and when he is fussy you can tell even she is frustrated listening to it, so don't feel bad that you can't stand to hear a baby crying all day!

Yes, I am trying to most certainly wait it out. The mom is a SAHM and she says even when she has the kids alone, the baby cries and she doesn't know what to do. I sooth the baby as much as I can, but it takes a lot away from my other charge (2). I am giving it roughly 2 more months. Somedays are awesome, but the bad days are really bad, lol the family is great and they like me a lot as they have constantly been adding on weekend hours after my "probation period" and even she says don't feel bad, but I just feel bad not knowing how to quiet the baby sometime! But yeah, guess in just ranting lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'd say my current job. The family is great, but the 3 month old just cries all the time!! She cries before every nap and she's napping 3-4 times a day but for only 30 minutes and she cries for 20 minutes before falling asleep. My ears are constantly ringing !! honestly, I'm hoping to find another family soon, but no more children under 1 for me!

I remember when the LO I watch now was that young. If you like the family is it possible to wait it out a few months until the baby is a bit older? There are still times when my charge is fussy for a day, and of course I just wish he would be quiet. His mom works from home, and when he is fussy you can tell even she is frustrated listening to it, so don't feel bad that you can't stand to hear a baby crying all day!

Yes, I am trying to most certainly wait it out. The mom is a SAHM and she says even when she has the kids alone, the baby cries and she doesn't know what to do. I sooth the baby as much as I can, but it takes a lot away from my other charge (2). I am giving it roughly 2 more months. Somedays are awesome, but the bad days are really bad, lol the family is great and they like me a lot as they have constantly been adding on weekend hours after my "probation period" and even she says don't feel bad, but I just feel bad not knowing how to quiet the baby sometime! But yeah, guess in just ranting lol

Maybe don't take the weekend hours. It sounds like you need a break as much as they do. Do you know someone you could recommend for extra babysitting time on the weekends?

[Anonymous]

I know a few nannies, but they don't work with infants. I've confirmed hours with them for October, I just won't take anymore.

[Anonymous]

All these nannies who don't like infants. I guess I am strange, give me a 6 week old over a toddler any day of the week. To the OP who posted about he constantly crying charge - have they checked the baby for reflux? Maybe she is in pain.

My current job is my worst (and that is saying a lot, considering I was a nanny for an autistic three year old and a newborn - my favorite nanny family). Right now my job involves very long hours and a two year old who is frustrated because he is speech delayed. He has also taken to hitting, biting, and pinching if you try to put him in time out. Fun times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these nannies who don't like infants. I guess I am strange, give me a 6 week old over a toddler any day of the week. To the OP who posted about he constantly crying charge - have they checked the baby for reflux? Maybe she is in pain.

My current job is my worst (and that is saying a lot, considering I was a nanny for an autistic three year old and a newborn - my favorite nanny family). Right now my job involves very long hours and a two year old who is frustrated because he is speech delayed. He has also taken to hitting, biting, and pinching if you try to put him in time out. Fun times.

I'm taking this thread a little off the rails here, sorry OP. But I'm a mom w/ a toddler boy w/ these behaviors for whom time outs did not work at all. I started depriving him of the things he wanted and that worked infinitely better. "If you hurt me I can't play with you" and I'd walk away. If you throw that toy at me the toy goes in time out until you are calmer. Etc...

Just thought I'd offer that. The aggressive behavior can be so tough that I was always looking for things to try so I thought I'd offer that in case it helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these nannies who don't like infants. I guess I am strange, give me a 6 week old over a toddler any day of the week. To the OP who posted about he constantly crying charge - have they checked the baby for reflux? Maybe she is in pain.

My current job is my worst (and that is saying a lot, considering I was a nanny for an autistic three year old and a newborn - my favorite nanny family). Right now my job involves very long hours and a two year old who is frustrated because he is speech delayed. He has also taken to hitting, biting, and pinching if you try to put him in time out. Fun times.

I'm a nanny who does not like infants. I would rather work for free watching a toddler then make thousands watching an infant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these nannies who don't like infants. I guess I am strange, give me a 6 week old over a toddler any day of the week. To the OP who posted about he constantly crying charge - have they checked the baby for reflux? Maybe she is in pain.

My current job is my worst (and that is saying a lot, considering I was a nanny for an autistic three year old and a newborn - my favorite nanny family). Right now my job involves very long hours and a two year old who is frustrated because he is speech delayed. He has also taken to hitting, biting, and pinching if you try to put him in time out. Fun times.

I'm a nanny who does not like infants. I would rather work for free watching a toddler then make thousands watching an infant.

LOL it can be like that especially since they can't talk!!

[Anonymous]

Working with Indian families are my worst experience.

[Anonymous]

Crazy family...

[Anonymous]

A two week temporary job. A three and four year old, very spoiled and were only ever watched by grandma. The youngest didn't speak English, although she learned enough to be able to communicate with me by the end.

Oldest was ok, but she didn't listen at all. Youngest was a nightmare, probably scary for her to have some random white lady come take care of her. She was violent, and bit, scratched and pinched if I didn't do what she wanted.

[Anonymous]

Working for a stay at home mom who employed me for 40 hours a week and full time housekeeper 5 days a week. Lots of happy hour/tennis/unch dates for her, which is fine but hard for me to understand why she needed me in the first place other than not wanting to watch her kids. She would have her friends over for wine (at 3pm) and leave me to deal with all the kids. Also the dad was very entitled and thought he should be treated like a king. He wouldn't change diapers or stay at home alone with the kids. Hard to respect a family that had zero interest in their children but more so in their social life Or work. I know a lot of families are like this but it just was not a good fit for me. On top of 40 hours a week they would ask me to stay late with little or short notice at least 2x per week, usually unpaid. This was my first nanny job so have learned SO much!!