Anonymous wrote:*snort* you lazy nannies enjoy trying to find jobs that suit your standards. and then you'll be on here, complaining about your rates.

Care to explain what you're talking about today?

*snort* you lazy nannies enjoy trying to find jobs that suit your standards. and then you'll be on here, complaining about your rates.

Amen Sista!!!

Agree'd.

I cannot stand families who think that just because the nanny works in the home, that she must do anything and everything domestic-related.

A nanny cares for the children. Period.

Why is that so hard for most people to understand?????

A laundress washes and irons the clothes.
A household manager organizes the house.

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of a nanny who refused to do light housekeeping. I would think that would limit their job options. Odd advice, OP.

"Light housekeeping" is all over the map, just like the term "nanny". Most nannies consider it to be part of their nanny job to perform many of the tasks that most parents would call "light housekeeping". I tend to think it's a bit silly when parents ask if the nanny will do the baby's laundry. Well of course, that's what a nanny does. Toilets, no.

Anonymous wrote:Do not allow parents to bully you into doing everything. Some of them love to say that the nanny needs to do everything. Tell them nannies do children. Housekeepers clean your bathroom. Personal chefs do your cooking. If you want to do all 3 jobs, that adds up to a VERY fat paycheck.

Good luck with that. Let us know how your next interview goes.

I've never heard of a nanny who refused to do light housekeeping. I would think that would limit their job options. Odd advice, OP.

We've had several nannies due to the fact that we are a military family and have had to move several times. We've been very fortunate to have had wonderful nannies who we are still in touch with and even come to
visit. Every single one of them has done light housekeeping, including kids laundry, emptying the dishwasher and tidying up. Although I never asked them to they ALL would occasionally bring out the vacuum and vacuum the child areas or even mop the kitchen floor. We never discussed it but I always added some extra into their paycheck when they did that as well.

I was always very clear when I hired them that child care was their primary responsibility and the other things were only to be done if time permitted. I could count on one hand the number of times it didn't get done AND the nannies always managed to have at least an hour break during naptime too.

I should also add that when I was interviewing them most of them assumed the job included those things. I also found that the nannies who volunteeted to do those things had the most energy with the children and spent the most quality time with them as well.

We are currently interviewing for nannies now and have several wonderful candidates to choose from who all are fantastic with my children. Literally every single one asked me if I'd like them to do other tasks like laundry, etc. They all said they would much prefer to be busy when the children were napping rather than sitting around. Maybe it's the salary we are offering that is attracting these great candidates but if I had one who refused to do any light housework I wouldn't hire her when I have so many great ones to choose from who would.

I'm sure there are MBs out there who don't want a nanny to do some housekeeping as well but that doesn't work for my family. We aren't talking about cleaning toilets here but doing some everyday simple things make my life much easier so when I am not at work I can spend more time with my kids.

Anonymous wrote:Look, good nannies do what's best for the children.
If you think you need to dictate in a contract, what that is, good luck to you. There will always be something you didn't think of, but if you had an intelligent nanny, it would make no difference. She would do the right thing.

A nanny who always does the right thing? Imagine that. She must be Mary Poppins.

Any light housekeeping that relates directly to my charge is automatically included in my price. Of course that means his laundry, keeping his bedroom and toy room clean, cleaning our dishes during the day and keeping the kitchen clean, emptying his diaper pal,disinfecting the high chair, and disinfecting toys (I spend about 3 hours per week doing this).

That still leaves me with downtime. I use that downtime to eat, read, or surf the internet. Luckily my MB doesn't expect me to do any other housecleaning whatsoever, but if she did my rate would increase. In my region housekeepers commonly make more than nannies and I'm not doing a housekeeping job at a nanny rate. Even if housekeepers didn't make more, I was hired as a nanny to take care of my charge. I was not hired to clean their house or cook their food.

Look, good nannies do what's best for the children.
If you think you need to dictate in a contract, what that is, good luck to you. There will always be something you didn't think of, but if you had an intelligent nanny, it would make no difference. She would do the right thing.

If nanny wants to do extra jobs, that fine as long as the kids are still being somehow cared for (nap whatever). But if the extra workload is in the contract, the jobs get done, and the kids get neglected. Not such a bargain.

Bullshit. Really. This is one of those passive threats that bad nannies use to get out of work. I have never seen a MB on this board not say that the nanny shouldn't get an hour break. The kids are not being neglected if the nanny is doing light housework during the other 2 hours of their naps. They aren't even been neglected if the nanny unloads the dishwasher while they are playing with playdough or drawing with crayons at the breakfast table. Kids SHOULD be included in doing some chores. Toddlers love to help. You may have folded the entire load of laundry while they work on one towel but its fun for them. My 2 year old used to love to sort the colors from the whites. They love putting sheets on bed and taking them off. No problem if there is a little fort play in the middle. For the grocery store, if they didn't go with the nanny during the week they would be going with me on the weekend. I don't know anyone who hires a sitter so there child never experience the "neglect" of going to the grocery store. The grocery errand make more sense during the week because the nanny can add in what she wants to eat without me guessing and she gets to run by the bank on the way back.

Frankly, the I never touch light housekeeping nannies, are not engaging the kids every darn second of the day. If you believe this then I have a bridge to sell you over in Brooklyn. They are napping, surfing the web, posting on facebook or blogs, talking on the phone with their friends, watching TV or just sitting staring out the window and many other goof off things.

11:06 will not do, as a respectable mb. So sorry.

We hired a nanny/housekeeper and had ample wonderful candidates. My kids are in preschool and elementary school age level. Everyone either uses or beforecare/aftercare, an au pair or has a nanny who provides childcare, housekeeping and some level of meal preparation. A nanny who will only do one thing but expects to be paid for many hours with little or no work just doesn't fit with families who have kids in scholl 15-30 hours a week. heck the au pairs even do errands and share in family light housekeeping. For infants and young toddlers its more a mix but all the nannies do kid related chores and the majority do other light housekeeping. When our kids were little, it was a huge value having a nanny that did all laundry, grocery trip once a week and some light housekeeping during nap time.

If you don't want to do anything, you have limited options which I understand pisses you off. However, MBs are not going to hire someone who doesn't fit the job just because you feel entitled to a different type of job. I'm sure that there are families out there with a full house staff including a fulltime butler, housekeeper, chef, chauffer, and nanny. These jobs are fewer and you are welcome to search for them. You probably will not get the other perks of feel free to run your errands on the clock with our kids in tow on the way back from activities, sure you can bring your young niece over on a snow day and we'll pick you up and drive you home since we have a SUV, add your own food to the grocery list for your lunch, grandma's in town in next week she drives me nuts so you don't have to come in and you still get paid etc etc.

Its a choice you make but there are trade offs and you limit your opportunities but being unflexible in what you will or will not do. Simple.

If nanny wants to do extra jobs, that fine as long as the kids are still being somehow cared for (nap whatever). But if the extra workload is in the contract, the jobs get done, and the kids get neglected. Not such a bargain.

Do not allow parents to bully you into doing everything. Some of them love to say that the nanny needs to do everything. Tell them nannies do children. Housekeepers clean your bathroom. Personal chefs do your cooking. If you want to do all 3 jobs, that adds up to a VERY fat paycheck.