Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THen you need to manage this OP. Don't be a victim - be a professional.

"MB, I am unable to work until midnight and then be on duty at 6 am. I need at least 8 hours of sleep, and I also need a break. If you need me to start at 6 am I cannot work past 9 pm. If you need awake and on duty until midnight then I cannot start work the next morning until 10 am."

Excellent advice. Follow up the conversation with an email, so nothing is misunderstood. Very important.

I also agree with this.

It sounds very reasonable and I cannot imagine any parent taking offense to this.

Good luck.

I would propose what you think the best solution is. Do you think it would be more do-able if you were allowed to sleep over and go to sleep (with the baby monitor on) once the kids are all down for the night? You can phrase it as you want to be fully alert so you can safely tend to the children the following day.

If I were asking a nanny to work such crazy hours, I would certainly be worried about her sleep and this would be the bare minimum of what I'd offer to make this a workable situation for her.

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thank you all so much for the advice! I will definitely act on this issue right away with an email to follow up the discussion. This would be a lot less complicated if this was not a high profile family we are talking about. =\ The dynamic is just very very different, and I feel that they often try to get away with taking advantage.

Typical parental behavior. High profile are often so much more entitled because they think you'll put up with anything. GL to you. Hope they at least pay you well.

OP again. Thank you all so much for the advice! I will definitely act on this issue right away with an email to follow up the discussion. This would be a lot less complicated if this was not a high profile family we are talking about. =\ The dynamic is just very very different, and I feel that they often try to get away with taking advantage.

Anonymous wrote:THen you need to manage this OP. Don't be a victim - be a professional.

"MB, I am unable to work until midnight and then be on duty at 6 am. I need at least 8 hours of sleep, and I also need a break. If you need me to start at 6 am I cannot work past 9 pm. If you need awake and on duty until midnight then I cannot start work the next morning until 10 am."

Excellent advice. Follow up the conversation with an email, so nothing is misunderstood. Very important.

THen you need to manage this OP. Don't be a victim - be a professional.

"MB, I am unable to work until midnight and then be on duty at 6 am. I need at least 8 hours of sleep, and I also need a break. If you need me to start at 6 am I cannot work past 9 pm. If you need awake and on duty until midnight then I cannot start work the next morning until 10 am."

OP here. Mom just had a baby six weeks ago who is still sleeping in a bassinet next to whomever is caring for him. I am not allowed to sleep at 10pm if I'm not off work until midnight. I have been doing a lot of overnights for the family since the little one isn't sleeping through the night yet. Last night though, was very typical of a Monday where I am not off until midnight and have to start again super early in the AM. I of course spend the night when I have limited time off in between shifts, but I am really the type of person who NEEDS at least eight hours of sleep to be able to function fully the following day. =\

Talk to your MB. I work hours like that at times, but that doesn't mean my nanny has to. I have another babysitter that comes one morning a week following my long nights, so my nanny can get some rest.
It is hard to take care of little kids on not much sleep. I don't mean this to be disrespectful to you or to my children, but playing legos and tea party can be boring at times, and if you are tired, it is easy to kind of drift off. Plus a lot of what keeps you going is your own momentum.

What are these parents doing at night?

I'm an MB and the set-up you describe seems ridiculous to me.

If it's real, and something you actually want to continue to do (?!) then you need to be sleeping several hours in the evening, and simply spending the night during periods when they need this level of coverage.

Seems totally nuts and unsustainable (and unfair!) to me.

Anonymous wrote:I assets the kids are not up until midnight. Can you put a baby monitor in your bedroom and go to sleep over at their house at 10pm?

She may as well be a live-in if she does this. Ridiculous.

I assets the kids are not up until midnight. Can you put a baby monitor in your bedroom and go to sleep over at their house at 10pm?

Anonymous wrote:Don't be silly. You don't need a law. Just tell them what your needs are. You're an adult, yes?

+1 Just talk to your employers!

Don't be silly. You don't need a law. Just tell them what your needs are. You're an adult, yes?

Hi nannies and parents!!

I have a bit of a dilema that I could really use some help with. I have been with my nanny family for going on three years now. I love the children, and plan to stay with them for many years to come for that reason alone. There has been a few hiccups/problems through out the past couple of years but one is really sticking out lately and has been causing some issues.

I am often scheduled until late in the ending. For example, tonight I am scheduled until midnight. That normally would not be a problem, but they also have me scheduled to start work again at 6am. Which essentially means that I am only going to get 5.5 hours of sleep AT BEST. (That's figuring that it will take me about 30 minutes to fall asleep) This type of scheduling happens at least twice a month, but sometimes more. It leaves me in a state of being extremely exhausted the next day, and not able to give my all when I am working. (Giving my all every single day is something that I really pride myself in)

Someone PLEASE tell me that there is some sort of a law that states a minimum number of hours OFF in between shifts??! There has to be some sort of regulation when it comes to this.

Help?!

-an exhausted nanny