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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This thread has gotten hilarious!  Are you seriously suggesting that doing any non-child related household tasks shortchanges the child?  Do you really think it makes a difference to a baby whether you are washing his bottle or his mother's coffee mug?  This has to be a troll post, right?  A random developmental psych class in college is not a substitute for actual experience with children ...

What household tasks a nanny provides are really between her and her employers.  This isn't a one size fits all and there is no "industry standard" here. Most kids nap for 1.5-3 hours a day (in multiple naps or one long one) and when they no longer do that, they are typically in preschool so most nannies have some down time in their day to help out.  And IRL every nanny we interviewed volunteered the various household tasks she had previously performed so obviously not all nannies share the views of the nannies on this thread.

Better than using downtime though, our nanny does a number of non-child related things for us including loading and unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, and buying groceries, but I have noticed that she tends to do almost all her household tasks (child related or not) with DC in tow, making them into a fun and engaging game for him.  When he was a baby, she'd sit him somewhere safe and talk to him the entire time, narrating what she was doing and holding things up for him to see.  When he got old enough to "help" he'd do that too (even though helping sometimes meant sitting in the laundry basket handing armfuls of clothes to her) and now at 2.5, he always wants to rinse off plates after meals or help me unload the dishwasher or "fold" the laundry.  We've never asked her to make our bed but I can only imagine that she's find some way of making that into a fun game for DC as well.  I think it does make things go slower but it is teaching DC important skills for life as well as keeping him engaged, entertained, and out of trouble.  I think the only thing our nanny does while he's napping is vacuum and it takes about ten minutes so she still has plenty of time for a nice long break.  Everyone wins and we will do whatever we can to keep her for years!

FWIW - our nanny has repeatedly told us that she considers household tasks like vacuuming and grocery shopping to be "child related" because they benefit the entire family, including the kids, and because they enable us - after a long day of work - to give DC the thing kids really need the most to thrive developmentally - time with his parents.[/quote]

Yes, I am absolutely asserting that a nanny forced to do housekeeping tasks shortchanges the child.  Was that not clear the first three times I wrote it?  However, I'm sure you know what is best for your children - hey, not every child grows up to be "college-material".  I hear with global warming that the need for air conditioner repair people will be great.  Why not look back on your child's most formative years and be proud of the fact that you never had to make your own bed or wash your own stained underpants?! [/quote]

Did you go to college?  Because clearly you have no idea what it takes to be "college-material."  You've also clearly never read any child development books because then you would know the benefits to doing household chores while talking to your infant about what you are doing (just like PP said her nanny does).  What about children with a SAHP who spends the day doing household chores with their children?  Do you think none of those children go to college and go on to be successful?

If a parent posted that they hired someone (not a nanny) to do all those chores including the children's laundry, make beds, clear their rooms etc you'd be the first person to post that parents should be teaching their children those things, not outsourcing them, because the children will grow up entitled never knowing how to do anything for themselves.  So it's ok for the parents to show children how to do laundry but not the nanny (who by the way WANTS to do those things). It's fine if, as a nanny, you don't want to do those things but don't pretend it's bad for the children if you do.  You just don't want to.[/quote]

Yes, Dear, I have a masters in Early Childhood Education.  What about you?  And as smart as my infant charges are, they don't learn anything from watching me do the lazy parent's laundry.  Every single nanny posting and I have clearly written that they feel that the charge's laundry, cooking, cleaning and upkeep is the nanny's responsibility.

You really need to stop trying to justify having your nanny made your bed and do your laundry - I'm embarrassed for you.  [/quote]

Out of genuine curiosity, how is it meaningfully different to a child whose laundry you are doing?  Doing laundry is doing laundry ...[/quote]

TIME.  A nanny has limited TIME.  How much do you think your child can learn from load after load after load of laundry day after day after day?  Seriously, how is this so difficult for your lazy moms to understand?!  Your justifications for not doing your own laundry are hysterical![/quote]

What exactly are you teaching?  By learning, then I'd qualify that to mean you are doing workbooks, flashcards and other academics.  If not, you've got time on your hands.  A nanny is there to make the parent's life easier.  If you make it harder and day care becomes easier, you are out of a job![/quote]

A nanny is there to make your life easier by WATCHING YOUR KID and allowing you to work. Just like any other service you pay for. It has a definition and is not all encompassing. You MBs rant and rave about lazy and entitled nannies constantly, but you are the biggest group of lazy entitled bitches ever! Get off your ass and take care of your house yourself. I promise you, you won't break. [/quote]

Why do you assume we do not?  My home is almost always spotless.  Glad my nanny is not like you?[/quote]

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