Anonymous wrote:wow! you guys are out 90% of the day? My MB only allowed me to take the kid out for one hour!

08.32 here. Sometimes we don't leave the house (rare), most of the time we're out 1-4 hours total during the day, sometimes we're gone all day long. I won't work for a family that requires me to stay home every day with an infant or that only allows 30-60 minutes out for a child over 1.

wow! you guys are out 90% of the day? My MB only allowed me to take the kid out for one hour!

Well feeding a child of that age is pretty easy.

You can throw something in the microwave to eat and also cut up some fresh fruit and veggies as well.

I cannot boil water if my life depended on it, yet surprisingly my toddler charges eat my food. Lol.

I make sure that my charges have a certain amount of supervised free play, and I use that time and naptime to prep and cook. Once children are 2, they are helping me decide what to make, they bring me anything they can carry, and they remain in the kitchen for longer periods of time. I prefer to make everything from scratch for my charges. Usually a triple batch of steamed vegetables can be split between the freezer and refrigerator, as can root vegetable mash, cooked grains, meat, beans, etc. I prep whole pieces of fruit and refrigerate the remainder, using it within 2 days. Overall, with child younger than 2, I want to spend 10 minutes or less warming my charge's food, 15-20 minutes for a child who is 2-3, and up to 45 minutes with a child who is 4+.

I cook all 3 meals.
Breakfast right when I get there after the kiddos get up, lunch is quick and easy because we are always busy. We rush home to make a lunch then nap. Or I'll pack a picnic, if weather is nice. I can do that while kids eat breakfast. Then during nap I prep up dinner. Mostly using a slow cooker. If it's not a slow cooker meal, then I cook it and it will need to be warmed before eating, which I can do while the kids wash hands or set the table.

Breakfast we do:
Eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, toast, sausage, bacon, applesauce, fruits, smoothies

Lunch:
Sandwiches, veggies, crackers, dip

Dinners:
Chicken, Turkey loaf, meatballs, pasta, rice, soup, veggies, quiche, potatoes, homemade pizzas, etc

You just need to plan and get organized. We are out about 90% of the day. But I plan it out and it works out well

Nannies with 1+ year charge, do you cook for them. Since I never cook for charge, I just want to know how it works and how you nannies do it since we spend so much time outside and get tired by the time we reach home. I will really appreciate for genuine advice.