It's great that your nanny asked this, I wish mine would! Planning and prepping art and sensory activities is a great thing to get done at nap time

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When DD was an infant, he would do her laundry, clean up toys, have a list of next toys for her next stage of development, have a list of next clothes for the next size she'd grow into, research fun places to take her. If all that was done, he'd play with the dog, work out or lay on the couch watching tv.

Now that infant is 3, and doesn't nap. Now he does stuff with her that wouldn't be convenient with the new toddler who does nap.

How old is "he"?

That doesn't really matter in any way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When DD was an infant, he would do her laundry, clean up toys, have a list of next toys for her next stage of development, have a list of next clothes for the next size she'd grow into, research fun places to take her. If all that was done, he'd play with the dog, work out or lay on the couch watching tv.

Now that infant is 3, and doesn't nap. Now he does stuff with her that wouldn't be convenient with the new toddler who does nap.

How old is "he"?

He is too young for PP and it kills her. She posts about him all the time. At least she stopped degrading him by calling him "my Manny".

Wash the cars
Mow the grass
Mop the floors
Clean the chimney
Stain the deck
Etc.

Anonymous wrote:When DD was an infant, he would do her laundry, clean up toys, have a list of next toys for her next stage of development, have a list of next clothes for the next size she'd grow into, research fun places to take her. If all that was done, he'd play with the dog, work out or lay on the couch watching tv.

Now that infant is 3, and doesn't nap. Now he does stuff with her that wouldn't be convenient with the new toddler who does nap.

How old is "he"?

When DD was an infant, he would do her laundry, clean up toys, have a list of next toys for her next stage of development, have a list of next clothes for the next size she'd grow into, research fun places to take her. If all that was done, he'd play with the dog, work out or lay on the couch watching tv.

Now that infant is 3, and doesn't nap. Now he does stuff with her that wouldn't be convenient with the new toddler who does nap.

Anonymous wrote:If your child/children are toddlers encourage her to rest. You want her sharp and energetic when they get up from their naps.

This is actually a brilliant recommendation.

If your child/children are toddlers encourage her to rest. You want her sharp and energetic when they get up from their naps.

Anonymous wrote:My new nanny asked for things to do while the babies sleep, which I really like. But the only things I can think of are:

Babies' laundry
Cleaning up from their meals
Prepping food/milk
Cleaning up play areas

What else can I tell her to do? I told her she doesn't need to do anything not children-related (ie our own laundry). I don't mind if she texts or watches TV if there's absolutely nothing else to do, but I do want to give her a pretty exhaustive list of possibilities.

Thanks!

All these things are regular nanny duties, not something she does on top of them.

When your child gets a little older, you may want to ask her to research various kid-friendly activities around town.

Our nanny does DS's laundry, washes toys, prepares various foods for him and then definitely rests. I think by law they get 20 minutes after the first five hours and another 20 minutes after then next three hours - so she is entitled to 40 minutes for her eight to ten hour day.

And with a very active toddler, she deserves it.

Do you have twins? (You said babies.) How old?

If twins - tell her to rest. Seriously.

Depending on age she could prepare bottles in the fridge, or puree foods for you, or make a shopping list of things you need, etc...

She could periodically go through clothes to weed out what's outgrown, make a list of what they need, clean/wash/store seasonal items and/or bag for donation or give away.

Extended periods of sleep will vanish over time so this is a short term concern.

I always encourage our nanny to rest whenever able, take some time for herself, watch some tv, etc...

If these are the things you need done, why search for extra things simply to fill time? Give her the opportunity to recharge so she can be on for your child in the afternoon. This is going to be more valuable than some extra tasks you're able to come up with just for the sake of it. The fact that she asked you tells you she going to work hard. Let her know that you're okay with her taking a break!

Anonymous wrote:shouldn't she know what to do? it's not exactly rocket science...

I think she just wants to be sure she's not missing anything...

shouldn't she know what to do? it's not exactly rocket science...

My new nanny asked for things to do while the babies sleep, which I really like. But the only things I can think of are:

Babies' laundry
Cleaning up from their meals
Prepping food/milk
Cleaning up play areas

What else can I tell her to do? I told her she doesn't need to do anything not children-related (ie our own laundry). I don't mind if she texts or watches TV if there's absolutely nothing else to do, but I do want to give her a pretty exhaustive list of possibilities.

Thanks!