Anonymous
Post 05/10/2013 10:59     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does she do this on a regular basis or is it the norm now? I ask because these are duties that I do as well, but some days I just don't finish in time. I'll start a load when the kids go down for a nap and it doesn't finish cycling through/we are busy and I can't get to the folding before the end of the day. It's the same with the dishwasher, I won't run a load until it is full and some days, that point is later than others. Consequently, when MB gets home, the dishes are still drying. I am always sure to let her know the circumstances, and am sure to let her know that she is welcome to leave it for the morning. Just talk to her OP, it might be as simple as a time issue, or she is just busy with other stuff.


I agree with you, but my nanny works M-Th, and she always waits to START the laundry until Thursday. There isn't a ton of laundry, it's really about 1 load/week so I have a hard time grasping the "ran out of time" excuse. My oldest is in school and my youngest naps, so there is plenty of free time. Same with the dishes.. if the dishwasher is full, I don't understand why she waits until mid or late day to actually run it..

You sound like a responsible nanny and there are always certain circumstances that will interfere. But to answer your question, this is the norm..


I have had this happen with a couple of nannies in the past. They always started out doing really well with the laundry and dishwasher and then gradually started doing less. We use an agency for our nanny so when I have a problem I just talk to the agency and they have said this does tend to be an issue sometimes when they get to comfortable. You definitely need to say something. You are paying her to do these things and she agreed to them initially so I would be honest but polite to her.

When our current nanny started I set out a schedule for what days she should do laundry. Occasionally she will have a busy day and not have time to put it away before I get home but she always tells me that and says she will do it the next morning. I would have your nanny start doing laundry on Tuesdays or Wednesdays so that she has enough time to put it away. I also ask the nanny to run the dishwasher in the morning after breakfast. That way she has plenty of time to empty it before the end of the day.

How many nannies has your kid had so far?


Why does that matter. Not that's it's any of your business but the only nannies we've had left of their own accord to do other things with their lives (ie not nannying) and they still stay in touch and visit us often.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2013 10:06     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does she do this on a regular basis or is it the norm now? I ask because these are duties that I do as well, but some days I just don't finish in time. I'll start a load when the kids go down for a nap and it doesn't finish cycling through/we are busy and I can't get to the folding before the end of the day. It's the same with the dishwasher, I won't run a load until it is full and some days, that point is later than others. Consequently, when MB gets home, the dishes are still drying. I am always sure to let her know the circumstances, and am sure to let her know that she is welcome to leave it for the morning. Just talk to her OP, it might be as simple as a time issue, or she is just busy with other stuff.


I agree with you, but my nanny works M-Th, and she always waits to START the laundry until Thursday. There isn't a ton of laundry, it's really about 1 load/week so I have a hard time grasping the "ran out of time" excuse. My oldest is in school and my youngest naps, so there is plenty of free time. Same with the dishes.. if the dishwasher is full, I don't understand why she waits until mid or late day to actually run it..

You sound like a responsible nanny and there are always certain circumstances that will interfere. But to answer your question, this is the norm..


I have had this happen with a couple of nannies in the past. They always started out doing really well with the laundry and dishwasher and then gradually started doing less. We use an agency for our nanny so when I have a problem I just talk to the agency and they have said this does tend to be an issue sometimes when they get to comfortable. You definitely need to say something. You are paying her to do these things and she agreed to them initially so I would be honest but polite to her.

When our current nanny started I set out a schedule for what days she should do laundry. Occasionally she will have a busy day and not have time to put it away before I get home but she always tells me that and says she will do it the next morning. I would have your nanny start doing laundry on Tuesdays or Wednesdays so that she has enough time to put it away. I also ask the nanny to run the dishwasher in the morning after breakfast. That way she has plenty of time to empty it before the end of the day.

How many nannies has your kid had so far?
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2013 09:53     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does she do this on a regular basis or is it the norm now? I ask because these are duties that I do as well, but some days I just don't finish in time. I'll start a load when the kids go down for a nap and it doesn't finish cycling through/we are busy and I can't get to the folding before the end of the day. It's the same with the dishwasher, I won't run a load until it is full and some days, that point is later than others. Consequently, when MB gets home, the dishes are still drying. I am always sure to let her know the circumstances, and am sure to let her know that she is welcome to leave it for the morning. Just talk to her OP, it might be as simple as a time issue, or she is just busy with other stuff.


I agree with you, but my nanny works M-Th, and she always waits to START the laundry until Thursday. There isn't a ton of laundry, it's really about 1 load/week so I have a hard time grasping the "ran out of time" excuse. My oldest is in school and my youngest naps, so there is plenty of free time. Same with the dishes.. if the dishwasher is full, I don't understand why she waits until mid or late day to actually run it..

You sound like a responsible nanny and there are always certain circumstances that will interfere. But to answer your question, this is the norm..


I have had this happen with a couple of nannies in the past. They always started out doing really well with the laundry and dishwasher and then gradually started doing less. We use an agency for our nanny so when I have a problem I just talk to the agency and they have said this does tend to be an issue sometimes when they get to comfortable. You definitely need to say something. You are paying her to do these things and she agreed to them initially so I would be honest but polite to her.

When our current nanny started I set out a schedule for what days she should do laundry. Occasionally she will have a busy day and not have time to put it away before I get home but she always tells me that and says she will do it the next morning. I would have your nanny start doing laundry on Tuesdays or Wednesdays so that she has enough time to put it away. I also ask the nanny to run the dishwasher in the morning after breakfast. That way she has plenty of time to empty it before the end of the day.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2013 07:05     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

I sometimes forget to start the dishwasher early enough to put it away or forget to switch the laundry in time, but that shouldn't be the norm for your nanny. You need to discuss it with her.

I can see how having to tell her and direct her on these small details would be annoying. She should know better.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 19:26     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd suggest a bit of a different approach based on the circumstances. Have a frank discussion with her, and ask what's her perception of the situation. Maybe she'd rather be paid less than do the work. But I fully agree that this is not over the top by any means.


Thank you.. it's funny because she used doing the laundry and emptying the dishwasher as a means to negotiate a higher rate..It's just frustrating.


You're welcome, OP.
Please let us know how it turns out. These little things are sometimes the hardest to navigate.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 19:18     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Kids' laundry is basic. She should be doing it. Mention it to her straight up.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 18:32     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Is your nanny part time? I have had jobs in the past where I was responsible for kids laundry. Every time I went do do laundry either there was nine in the basket or the parents stuff was mixed together. I didn't want to sort thru the adults dirty laundry. Maybe try having the kids laundry in the wash or right by the wash when she comes in the morning. As for the dishwasher... Maybe remind her? How long has she been with you?
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 17:25     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Anonymous wrote:Does she do this on a regular basis or is it the norm now? I ask because these are duties that I do as well, but some days I just don't finish in time. I'll start a load when the kids go down for a nap and it doesn't finish cycling through/we are busy and I can't get to the folding before the end of the day. It's the same with the dishwasher, I won't run a load until it is full and some days, that point is later than others. Consequently, when MB gets home, the dishes are still drying. I am always sure to let her know the circumstances, and am sure to let her know that she is welcome to leave it for the morning. Just talk to her OP, it might be as simple as a time issue, or she is just busy with other stuff.


I agree with you, but my nanny works M-Th, and she always waits to START the laundry until Thursday. There isn't a ton of laundry, it's really about 1 load/week so I have a hard time grasping the "ran out of time" excuse. My oldest is in school and my youngest naps, so there is plenty of free time. Same with the dishes.. if the dishwasher is full, I don't understand why she waits until mid or late day to actually run it..

You sound like a responsible nanny and there are always certain circumstances that will interfere. But to answer your question, this is the norm..
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 17:22     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Anonymous wrote:I'd suggest a bit of a different approach based on the circumstances. Have a frank discussion with her, and ask what's her perception of the situation. Maybe she'd rather be paid less than do the work. But I fully agree that this is not over the top by any means.


Thank you.. it's funny because she used doing the laundry and emptying the dishwasher as a means to negotiate a higher rate..It's just frustrating.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 16:56     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Laundry for kids is part of almost any nanny job and yes that means the whole process. It is of course the last two autos that take most of the hands on time so there is no huge benefit in her only doing the first two.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 16:21     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

OP, if your nanny agreed to these duties as part of the position when she accepted the offer then you need to require her to perform them. Just approach it directly and fairly and ask if there is a reason she hasn't been doing these things? Restate that they are part of the job and see if she has concerns or questions.

It's your job as the boss to be clear and direct about expectations, and to deal with things as they occur - not let anything build up into some festering larger issue over time.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 16:18     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Does she do this on a regular basis or is it the norm now? I ask because these are duties that I do as well, but some days I just don't finish in time. I'll start a load when the kids go down for a nap and it doesn't finish cycling through/we are busy and I can't get to the folding before the end of the day. It's the same with the dishwasher, I won't run a load until it is full and some days, that point is later than others. Consequently, when MB gets home, the dishes are still drying. I am always sure to let her know the circumstances, and am sure to let her know that she is welcome to leave it for the morning. Just talk to her OP, it might be as simple as a time issue, or she is just busy with other stuff.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 16:18     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

I'd suggest a bit of a different approach based on the circumstances. Have a frank discussion with her, and ask what's her perception of the situation. Maybe she'd rather be paid less than do the work. But I fully agree that this is not over the top by any means.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 16:10     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

Just remind her that these are duties she agreed to, that this is how you'd like it done. Maybe show her where all the dishes go, and where the folded laundry goes. She probably knows these things by now, but it gives you a non-threatening way of discussing the duties again, and rids her of the not-knowing-where-things-go excuse.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2013 16:05     Subject: Nanny is supposed to do kid's laundry!!!

I have a wonderful nanny that my family has been happy with. When we negotiated our agreement, she agreed to do the children's laundry (roughly one load/week) and empty the dishwasher. In the past several months, she has put soap into the dishwasher and run it, but never emptied it. She puts the laundry into the washing machine, transfers to the dryer and leaves it. This is just such a pet peeve of mine, as the laundry sits there without me even knowing it. I thought emptying the dishwasher meant putting dishes away, and doing the kids laundry meant wash, dry, fold, put-away.

I'm hesitant to speak up because we like her and in the past when I've asked additional duties of a nanny, she soured towards me. I pay my nanny very well so I'm just not sure what to do.. How have others handled this type of situation? I dont' want to constantly say can you actually put the dishes away and complete the laundry!!