Dear Nannie’s,
I got an odd questions. My boss wants the 3 year old to stop napping because the baby won’t fall asleep at night but expects me to play with the baby instead during nap time. The baby is too much sometimes and highly energetic. Since this is my only break, I feel a little anxious about not being able to take a rest. Mind I work 10 hrs each day. How would you handle this ? |
Easy look for another job and tell them the hours/days no longer work |
Look for another job. Not fair at all |
Do 2 hrs of quiet time in the crib, Otherwise, parents have to provide a paid break. |
He's not a baby. He's a preschooler and parents are right. |
He still needs at least a hr quite time |
-1 Bad advice right here OP. ^^ Most young children require a nap at least until the age of four yrs old. Though some may not. It all depends on the individual child really. Regardless it is extremely unfair for your family to expect you to care + entertain a child for ten hours straight!! If either work from home (telecommute) they should give you a one hr break during your shift so that you can have your lunch & relax. If neither parent works inside the home then they should let the child continue on w/his regular naps as before. Or you can designate a daily quiet time each day, say from 1-1.5 hrs where the child goes into his bedroom, turn off the lights/close the blinds and either lie in bed and rest or do a calm activity. If none of these options will work for you then as a last resort I advise you to seek another family to work for. Wishing you the very best! |
2 hours quiet time is crazy. OP you could do 20-30 mins of quiet time to get yourself and the child a break. I would set music to a timer so the child knows when it’s ok to come out. Make sure the child has puzzles, books or quiet toys to play with while they are alone. |
20-30 min is not a break, and the child is still requires attention |
My kiddo quit napping at 3 and the parents’ explanation is reasonable. So I certainly wouldn’t quit just because the child drops his nap! Could you ask your employers if the toddler could do 1 hr quiet time so you could take a break? Or have them take a break from their jobs for an hour in the afternoon? |
No, most kids drop the nap between 2 and 3. Very few nap till 4. It is abusive to have a child in their room or 60-90 minutes alone awake. |
It is not abusive lol you sound like a mom who probably abusing their nanny by never getting a minute to rest. |
It’s not abuse but it’s certainly not kind. As a former Nanny I would never expect a 3yo to be alone playing independently for over an hour every day. It’s not age appropriate. It’s ok to want a break but have realistic expectations |
What do you think monitors are for ?! |
Quiet time is reasonable but like someone else said - 20-30 min max. Their little brains can’t really do more than that. You deserve a break though so i’d be honest and say that you need a break for rest/lunch and they gotta figure something out. Otherwise, breaks really are non existent with kids. |