I understand that, and it's a chance I am willing to take. However, it was still agreed upon that I would not care for actively sick children.

Right. If you had any actual concern for your immune compromised relative, you would not be working with kids. Teachers and daycare workers (where kids go home once they show significant symptoms) get more sick than nannies! Childhood illnesses are contagious before you see you symptoms. The viral load has already peaked weakening once you are seeing the worst of the illness. A 4 yr old going to preschool is being exposed to a whole new population and host of viruses. He will also be bringing things home and contagious to adults without getting sick at all himself!

It sounds like you are just a lazy PITA making up an excuse. You like the easy money and low work this job involves -your first post- and want to make sure that you don't have do any real work. A sick kid requires more attention. In your next interview, I think you need to specific that you just plan on not giving the kids any attention. If the child requires a caregiver at any time, the parent must come home. You are only there to watch the child and do your own thing.

If that was the agreement, then she should honour it. Comments from the peanut gallery are basically null.

Stomach viruses (such as norwalk) are not contagious until the child begins to show symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea. Less virulent viruses such as colds are contagious before the child shows symptoms. There is a difference in the route of transmission, norwalk is fecal-oral so if OP was in the direct care of an actively vomiting child she is almost guaranteed to contract it since as little as 18 particles can infect you (and billions of particles are released as a patient vomits). Norwalk can be dangerous in immunocompromised individuals and you should definitely take precautions in the future. That beings said, if you need to worry about these kinds of things then childcare is not the best option for employment.

If you work for her p/t and have school, then you should definitely leave. It absolutely makes a difference that she is a SAHM. She had the child, she can be inconvenienced with caring for it while he is sick.

Op the only way you know the child had been sick "all day" was from the 4 yr old sibling? That's a horrible source of information. All day to a four year old could be for 5 whole minutes this morning..

Anonymous wrote:This is not about a lower level of service, this is about a already agreed upon arrangement that does notinclude sick care. It's not about whether nannies in general provide sick care, it's about this specific nanny and her agreement with her employers.

Yes, it was horrible for the MB to do that to her. But in all honesty, like others have already mentioned, the child was probably already contagious. Also, other than not mentioning when it started to happen, there wasn't anything different than if OP had gotten to work and had the child get sick 30 minutes later, for the very first time that day.

If OP REALLY can't be around ANY kind of sickness like this for even 5 minutes, without compromising her relative at home, then she really does need to find another type of job. Work with older kids that have built up their immune systems better, work in a hospital where everything is more sterile, who knows. Working with a child under age 10 means that she might be around something that could be contagious for days before knowing so.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

+1

+2

I agree with this also.

And me.

Me too.

This is not about a lower level of service, this is about a already agreed upon arrangement that does notinclude sick care. It's not about whether nannies in general provide sick care, it's about this specific nanny and her agreement with her employers.

Anonymous wrote:
So what do you expect when a child gets unexpectedly ill? The parent has to drop their stuff to come home right away?! Like you said at that point you're already exposed, so what do you do?

Anonymous wrote:
Yes! If the kid were in daycare or school (which they will be someday) that is exactly what would need to take place. What ever happened to holding parents accountable for their own children?

In school/daycare, children are getting cared for as a group, so the sick child has to go home, as a courtesy to the other children. This MB is paying for individualized care, so the standards are different. Adults can wash their hands and take other hygiene precautions in a way that little kids can't. Also, when a child goes home sick from school, a backup babysitter may sometime take care of them. But in a home care situation, the caregiver is already there.

It is not fair to just say that MB can do it herself, just because she is home. She decided to seek paid help, for whatever reason, and does not deserve a lower level of service simply because of her work situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

I understand that, and it's a chance I am willing to take. However, it was still agreed upon that I would not care for actively sick children.

So what do you expect when a child gets unexpectedly ill? The parent has to drop their stuff to come home right away?! Like you said at that point you're already exposed, so what do you do?

Yes! If the kid were in daycare or school (which they will be someday) that is exactly what would need to take place. What ever happened to holding parents accountable for their own children?

But the mb isn't paying daycare rates, she's paying nanny rates. If you don't want to deal with sick kids then go work at a daycare, I'd bet you'll pick up way more in that environment than this one. It just goes to show you you pick up way more before and after active symptoms appear anyway.

OP, I'm sorry you're in this situation, but it seems that your request was really unrealistic. MB agreed and shouldn't have. Childhood illnesses are too unpredictable to believe you can escape exposure. You should look at changing professions while you're in the care of an immunocompromised person. Also, hand washing is the gold standard to prevent disease transmission. Make sure you do that very often. Wear masks and gloves when you need to too.

OP, you do know that with many childhood bugs, you are contagious before you show symptoms, right? Because this is why your request was kind of ridiculous. It's also why you really shouldn't work with children, especially small children, with your particular circumstances. It doesn't sound like you were lied to by your MB. It sounds like she didn't know it was a flu until it spread to the older kid.

OP, I'm sorry you're in this situation, but it seems that your request was really unrealistic. MB agreed and shouldn't have. Childhood illnesses are too unpredictable to believe you can escape exposure. You should look at changing professions while you're in the care of an immunocompromised person. Also, hand washing is the gold standard to prevent disease transmission. Make sure you do that very often. Wear masks and gloves when you need to too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

I understand that, and it's a chance I am willing to take. However, it was still agreed upon that I would not care for actively sick children.

So what do you expect when a child gets unexpectedly ill? The parent has to drop their stuff to come home right away?! Like you said at that point you're already exposed, so what do you do?

Yes! If the kid were in daycare or school (which they will be someday) that is exactly what would need to take place. What ever happened to holding parents accountable for their own children?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

I understand that, and it's a chance I am willing to take. However, it was still agreed upon that I would not care for actively sick children.

So what do you expect when a child gets unexpectedly ill? The parent has to drop their stuff to come home right away?! Like you said at that point you're already exposed, so what do you do?

MB is a SAHM, I mostly just come in the evenings and get the children ready for bed, and am a night nanny. If a child were to get sick, I would deal. However, I asked to be told if a child was actively sick before I came in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

I understand that, and it's a chance I am willing to take. However, it was still agreed upon that I would not care for actively sick children.

So what do you expect when a child gets unexpectedly ill? The parent has to drop their stuff to come home right away?! Like you said at that point you're already exposed, so what do you do?

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

I understand that, and it's a chance I am willing to take. However, it was still agreed upon that I would not care for actively sick children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it just is not realistic to think you can work in childcare without being exposed to a zillion bugs. Stomach flu can come on with no warning. And PP is correct that with many ailments, the infectious period precedes the onset of symptoms.

Sounds like you got a bad break this time, but it is entirely possible that the mother thought it was a food reaction until it spread to the 4 year old.

+1

+2

I agree with this also.

And me.

Me too!