Anonymous wrote:Nanny usually gets a break when the child/ren is napping. If they’re older then nanny will arrange quiet time 45min-1hr and that way she can get a break in. Everybody deserves a break.

+1

You don't want to experience burn out. Everyone deserves a break.

I’ve always gotten a break when my charges are napping regardless of the parents being home or not. I need a few minutes a day to get my “life” done during business hours. And a little breather.

Anonymous wrote:I was curious if more nannies are getting short breaks in the day now that more parents are working from home.

None of the nannies that I know get official breaks during normal times, but will take 30 minutes or so to sit and eat and read or whatever while the kids are napping or are engaged in safe independent play nearby (if too old to nap). The reason behind this though was always that no other adult was in the house. Has this setup changed at all in covid times?

5.47 again.

I’m homeschooling three. Not supervising dl, homeschooling. When I’m on, the parents are working. My charges aren’t napping, and they are energetic enough that breaks from school involve the pool, trampoline or gymnastics in the house. No, I don’t get a break, I follow the kids to supervise, spot and/or swim with them. When I’m working 1-1, the other two will either do more contained, active play where we are, or they’ll build with lego, keva or modeling clay/kinetic sand.

Occasionally they’ll play quietly while I’m cooking, but only if I make sure they 30 minutes of sustained active play immediately prior. Otherwise, the kitchen is busy with children, and I have a long list of tasks for each before I kick them out to go do hand stands and cartwheels (upper ele) or donkey kicks and around the world (kinder).

Nanny usually gets a break when the child/ren is napping. If they’re older then nanny will arrange quiet time 45min-1hr and that way she can get a break in. Everybody deserves a break.

I’ve always had total downtime when my charges were napping.

I’ve always had breaks during the day. I specifically only will nanny for young infants and I don’t agree to do any housekeeping chores unless the family is paying extra. All in all I only “work” maybe 3 hours out of 8 a day.

Breaks are not required in DC.
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/meal-rest-breaks-the-district-columbia.html

I (MB) don’t provide a formal paid or unpaid break. I try to go downstairs and supervise my kids while nanny is eating lunch. But I pay for all hours worked.

I don’t pretend she had a half hour or hour break or whatever while the kids were sleeping and then say I don’t have to pay for that time. (Specifically, schedule for 8.5 hours, but claim 0.5 hours was an unpaid break, and only pay her for 8 hours.)

I was curious if more nannies are getting short breaks in the day now that more parents are working from home.

None of the nannies that I know get official breaks during normal times, but will take 30 minutes or so to sit and eat and read or whatever while the kids are napping or are engaged in safe independent play nearby (if too old to nap). The reason behind this though was always that no other adult was in the house. Has this setup changed at all in covid times?

I’ve never had a “break” in all the years I’ve been a nanny. Unlike infant nannies, my charges don’t nap. If I’m on, I’m working. I homeschool for some families, but even if I don’t, there’s plenty for me to do. I also eat meals with the kids, to model manners and appropriate conversation.

Frankly, I don’t understand the need for a break, but again, I don’t work with infants or singles. Even when I’m with working with toddlers and preschoolers, I can direct them to a short activity that allows me to sit for a little while, so I’m engaged. A break is just not possible with multi-kid families in which at least two children don’t nap.

Yes. By law it’s 20 minutes after five hours. For a nanny that usually means when the child is sleeping or having quiet time.

Usually they eat lunch with the kids. But yes, an adult should get some downtime at some point during the day.
Once my charges stopped napping I didnt really get a set break, but they started preschool shortly after so I got a break in the mornings for a couple of hours. My MB was also ok with me running the odd errand with the kids, or making a phone call while I was with the kids so it wasnt like I was desperate for a break to do something for myself. You can go without a break if you have easy going kids and parents.

Should nannies have breaks? Like for lunch & etc for at-least for 15min?
If working 8 hours a day?