nanny and driving, moved to car-only area

[Anonymous]

hi all, we previously had a nanny in DC and she could take my son with a bus or metro or go for walks to library and to the zoo. we recently moved to an area that requires driving to get anywhere from the house. I would like to have a nanny again but my husband states he does not feel comfortable with the nanny driving him. any advice, any tips if your nanny drives, how did you handle? the more he mentions it the more uneasy i get too with all the horror scenarios.

[Anonymous]

Hire a nanny with a perfect driving record.

For me, I know for a fact that our nanny is a slower and safer driver than either DH or me! She has a safe, reliable car and refuses to take the kids on the freeway.

I would guess that most nannies drive their charges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hi all, we previously had a nanny in DC and she could take my son with a bus or metro or go for walks to library and to the zoo. we recently moved to an area that requires driving to get anywhere from the house. I would like to have a nanny again but my husband states he does not feel comfortable with the nanny driving him. any advice, any tips if your nanny drives, how did you handle? the more he mentions it the more uneasy i get too with all the horror scenarios.

Have two more kids and try to negotiate pick ups and drop offs without the nanny’s help. This cured me!

Seriously, a nanny driving the child is generally part of the job. Background check your next nanny to make sure she has a clean driving record.

[Anonymous]

So you’re going to go through life without ever letting a friend’s parent drive him - but you trusted bus drivers?!

Makes no sense, OP. You can check a nanny’s driving record but have no clue if the parent or bus driver has a history of drunk driving. Most nannies are better drivers than the parents as most have been driving with screaming kids in the car and because they must have a clean driving record.

[Anonymous]

I was a bit apprehensive at first about this, but some things that made me more comfortable were checking nanny’s driving record (which you can do as part of a background check), and we asked nanny to use our car which we chose with baby safety as a top priority (this does require you to leave a car at home and add her to your insurance, so a bit more expensive). If you have a trial period or something you can also tag along on a first drive to observe her driving, maybe with the pretext of showing her the pediatrician’s office, a local playground, or whatever.
We also asked her to take local roads (no highways) for the first month or two, but this could be viewed as a bit overbearing depending on situation. I felt this was more reasonable in our situation because she was not familiar with our car brand or neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a bit apprehensive at first about this, but some things that made me more comfortable were checking nanny’s driving record (which you can do as part of a background check), and we asked nanny to use our car which we chose with baby safety as a top priority (this does require you to leave a car at home and add her to your insurance, so a bit more expensive). If you have a trial period or something you can also tag along on a first drive to observe her driving, maybe with the pretext of showing her the pediatrician’s office, a local playground, or whatever.
We also asked her to take local roads (no highways) for the first month or two, but this could be viewed as a bit overbearing depending on situation. I felt this was more reasonable in our situation because she was not familiar with our car brand or neighborhood.

+1 If it’s your car, you don’t have to worry about whether she took out the car seat and reinstalled it incorrectly. You also don’t have to worry about whether her car is kept in great shape.

[Anonymous]

If you can trust a nanny to drive your child then how can you trust her to even care for your child,,? Your DH is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

^ Most accidents actually happen inside the house.

I think if your Nanny can give you a clean DMV printout, then she is likely a good candidate to drive.

Why would your husband want your child + the new Nanny to stay inside the house all day, especially in the Summer months.....??!