sickness
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Anonymous
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We're first time parents with twin (nearly) one year olds. We've had our nanny about 5 months now and she is terrific. I trust her with our babies and they seem to be very bonded with her. She takes my kids out to play with other kids almost every day (she knows lots of other nannies), which I love for the socialization aspect, but I'm beginning to hate for the sickness aspect. It seems like my kids have been sick with one thing or another almost since our nanny started. I know that kids get sick, but that was part of the appeal to having a nanny...not spending the first year or two constantly sick (although I knew it would happen eventually). Now a stomach bug is raging in our house and it looks like we'll have to miss our family Christmas to avoid infecting the other babies in our family. This is their first Christmas and I'm so sad they won't be able to spend with their grandparents and cousins.
I guess I'm torn...should I just accept that this is how it goes with little ones, or should I ask the nanny to cut back the social outings? I trust she'll do as I ask, but I'm concerned that she'll be pretty miserable without a social outlet and I do think it is nice for my kids to get to play with other kids. At the same time, I'm so tired of the snot and coughing and diarrhea. I have friends with less social nannies whose kids aren't sick nearly as often as mine...but they also don't have as many adventures. Thoughts? |
Anonymous
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Ask her to cut back the social outings.
As simple as that. |
Anonymous
| Look at it this way...it's going to happen eventually. Whether it's now or when they start preschool or kindergarten. Ask your nanny to make sure she washes their hands when returning from an outing and before eating. Maybe buy some hand sanitizer for her. |
Anonymous
This. Winter can be a very isolating season for nannies/stay at home parents and kiddos. Buy the hand sanitizer, stress the importance of hand washing, and just ask her to not make playdates with other known sick kiddos including yours to minimize the spread. It's that time of season when everyone gets sick.... |
Anonymous
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HUGE difference between snot and coughing vs bad stomach bugs. She needs to be more mindful of that.
Not unreasonable at all to ask her to cut back on outings or be more mindful. She needs to check ahead of time if their playmates have been sick recently, or be more diligent about washing hands (her AND theirs). |
Anonymous
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17:02 again.
She needs to bring wipes with her at least. Whether they're driving or walking, wipe off kids hands on the way home. So easy to do. |
Anonymous
| I wouldn't ask her to cut back, as someone said it's going to happen sooner or later. Between 9 months and 2 years DS got sick **so much** (we had to reschedule both his first and 2nd birthday party due to illness), yet when he started preschool this fall (at 2) he didn't miss a single day of school. It's like he got it out of his system. |
Anonymous
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Yes your twins are heading towards toddlerhood and their need for socializing will only increase.
Trust me you should be glad you have an active non couch potato nanny. Just make sure she is washing their hands and no play dates with known sick kids. Even with that sickness can happen. It's par for the course with kids. |
Anonymous
Incase you have never noticed, the people that obsessively wash their hands and use hand sanitizer are constantly sick. I never wash my hands, not after playing in the dirt or using the bathroom, and I am never sick and neither are my charges. Kids need a chance to build up their immune system and 15 gallons of hand sanitizer a day doesn't help. |
Anonymous
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Make sure the nanny washes the baby's hands with soap under running water every time she comes in from outside and lathers them for the entire time it takes to sing the "ABC" song. It is amazing how few people wash a baby's hands properly.
I take care of a 14 month old and he has gained so much from being around other children in play groups, park, community center and because I wash his hands the same way that I wash my own - he is rarely sick 00 in fact I think he has only been sick three times in his life (colds and one ear infection but that was from their vacation to the mountains). |
Anonymous
You do not wash your hands after going to the bathroom? |
Anonymous
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Different kids have different immune systems, yours might be a bit more susceptible. Especially with it being cold and flue season as well. If your nanny goes out every day, you could ask her to cut back a little bit. Handwashing is a great idea, but if they spend their whole childhood getting wiped with antibacterial wipes their bodies will never learn to deal with germs, which will be so much worse in the long run. So moderation is key, I think: wash hands after being outside, before meals, after playing with messy things. But, like, wiping everything off with hand sanitiser before the babies touch it is a bit overkill.
It might not bring anything, but you could certainly ask your nanny to go out three times rather than five every week, even if just for your peace of mind. |
Anonymous
Yes, but she can't prove that the kids got the stomach bug while out with nanny. They could have easily picked it up from the shopping cart at a grocery store or a restaurant high chair. To the PP who said they don't wash their hands after using the bathroom, that is disgusting and if you were my nanny I'd fire you. |
Anonymous
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Our child got bad croup by 5pm one day. Our nanny confessed to having a play date over where the other nanny and child were both sick!
We had to give her a warning and add another basic house rule in writing: no sick children on play dates (ours or theirs). Her excuse was "they hadn't seen each other in awhile". As if. Absolutely nothing wrong with limiting outings before major holidays or when there is a flu raging at schools/ offices, etc. A nanny should adult understand and honor that. Sorry you will miss your family travel. |
Anonymous
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