Sick as a Dog :(

[Anonymous]

My Nanny charge who is turning four at the end of this month was very ill on Friday.

Apparently caught a stomach bug at preschool & had the whole works.

I.e., vomiting, diarrhea, mild fever + loss of appetite.

The Mother apologized the day of arrival for her child’s illness, told me it just happened Thursday evening.

Anyway I had a Holiday Open House/Party on Sunday that I had been extremely excited to attend w/some former high school classmates that were in town that I rarely, if ever see.

I told MB all about my weekend plans & she responded back that the main reason she hired a Nanny vs. putting her child in a daycare was primarily so she wouldn’t have to take time off from work each time her child fell ill.

I have read on here that some Nannies actually feel it is part of the job to care for their charge, ill or well.
Because for parents, having the luxury of an in-Home childcare provider makes sick days run much more smoother.

Not surprisingly I got the stomach bug early Sunday morning and was stuck in bed all day w/a fever, nausea, body aches, chills + lethargic all day.
This morning I feel a tad better, but DEFINITELY not myself.

I am still reeling about missing out on the party & getting to spend some time catching up w/my old pals!
I feel kind of resentful and really do not want to feel this way when I return to work on Tuesday morning.
(I get Mondays off.)

Any words of wisdom?

[Anonymous]

Go back and give her the bug. Her kid is sick and she goes into work to give it to everybody else. She does, however, make a good point of hiring a nanny so she doesn't have to take off when child is sick.
In Future, tell in advance that you do not take care of sick children but then you won't get hired.

[Anonymous]

That is life as a nanny. I had the same experience as a preschool teacher. You got sick from work - it happens.

[Anonymous]

The mother was right. She hired you partly because she doesn't have to take off when her child is sick.

Shit happens.

Nanny.

[Anonymous]

That's how it goes. She's right - it IS one of the reasons to hire a nanny vs using daycare.

Sucks that you missed seeing your friends, but if all you'd planned was to lay around napping and watching Netflix all day you'd be less upset you got sick.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, unfortunately it is part of our jobs. Hope you feel better soon!

[Anonymous]

Just remind yourself that is part of a nanny’s job.

Also, you may have been exposed before Friday. I find that it is possible to avoid stomach bugs if I know about them before exposure since it is only transferred via touch (not airborne). I wash my hands like a surgeon very frequently and Lysol the shit out of everything.

[Anonymous]

Occupational Hazard of being a Nanny.

Personally, I find it quite inconsiderate to leave my child in the care of anyone if child actually has a stomach bug-Norvirus.

Vomiting, diarrhea, fever and the whole shebang means the parent should be caring for the child.
Not a Nanny.

Sick children need their parents attention.

Plus by exposing your Nanny to an obviously very ill child should be an option not an obligation by any means.

And if the Nanny agrees to care for said child, she should be compensated double for the health risk she is taking on.

[Anonymous]

I think it's a matter of degree, but run-of-the-mill illness, it's the nanny's job so the Mom can go to work and pay nanny's salary. If the child is seriously ill, of course the parents need to be there. Nanny should have some sick days to help if she does fall ill. Nannying isn't a job for the germ-phobic

[Anonymous]

Fever and diarrhea falls into the category where a parent needs to be home all day, caring for their own child.

No way should they leave the Nanny fully exposed to that type of illness.
Plus little ones need an actual parent with them in case an emergency arises.

To expose a Nanny to a feverish child with vomiting and diarrhea is simply irresponsible parenting.
No one knows if these types of illnesses are fatal.

When if it turns out a child had meningitis and the parents knowingly exposed their Nanny to it?
Or the whooping cough?

Teachers + Daycare workers on here brag about how they care for sick kids ALL THE TIME, that it is the nature of their job to do so, etc.

But in reality, when kids have a fever/vomiting/diarrhea then those kids likely will not be allowed to attend classes.

It is so much more different in a Nanny’s case.
Let us not compare oranges to apples here.

[Anonymous]

Call out tomorrow sick with the bug.

[Anonymous]

While nannies do care for sick kids I think this is one of the times your boss could have chosen to be kind to you.

You've been caring for her kid for 4 years now. In that time I doubt she's taken a single sick day or missed work because of her sick kid. Knowing you had a special event coming up she could have told you to stay home.

That's what I would have done.

[Anonymous]

Disagree with some of the PPs. Vomit means one of the parents need to stay home.

[Anonymous]

I never catch anything from my kids, or from other kids, and I am immunocompromised. I just keep going. How do so many of you not build up an immunity to these things by the time you're an adult? I haven't had a stomach virus since I was a kid. My son, who is a Type 1 diabetic and is also immunocompromised never catches anything that his coworkers bring to work. He never misses work because he's sick. My two other adult sons are also never sick and never miss work. It surprises me that so many adults who are constantly around children get sick so easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never catch anything from my kids, or from other kids, and I am immunocompromised. I just keep going. How do so many of you not build up an immunity to these things by the time you're an adult? I haven't had a stomach virus since I was a kid. My son, who is a Type 1 diabetic and is also immunocompromised never catches anything that his coworkers bring to work. He never misses work because he's sick. My two other adult sons are also never sick and never miss work. It surprises me that so many adults who are constantly around children get sick so easily.

Is this even a “real” question??!