Anonymous wrote:People hire nannies so they don't have to worry about missing work, otherwise most would do daycare. Like a pp said by the time the kids are sick you've already been exposed

This. I'm an MB. Part of our nanny's job includes sick care -- we went over that explicitly when we hired the nanny, although I would have expected it even if we hadn't. I think you need to talk to your families to let them know that you aren't comfortable working when the kids are contagious, but please don't be surprised if they can't or don't want to work with you any longer.

I work through an agency that has a sick care policy basically stating that nannies provided through their agency will watch children with a variety of illnesses (stomach bugs, colds, if the child is on antibiotics). I typically get a text from my families as a courtesy if someone in their house is sick.
The agency policy also states nannies do not work if the child has head lice, a fever above 103, a highly contagious virus (think H1N1), or other contagious infection where the child has not been on antibiotics for at least 48 hours.

I understand other professions (like those in the medical field) deal with contagious stuff all the time but I didn't go to nursing school or to med school so please don't expect me to watch your seriously ill child.

I was going to post a similar question...

I don't think I'd ever refuse to work if my charge was sick, but I wish my bosses would tell me ahead of time!

What happens is that I come in on Monday, mom hands me the baby and says "He's been sick all weekend" or "He's been throwing up since yesterday".

Or, even worse, "We (baby, mom, dad) have all been so sick all weekend."

In the first situation--I expect to take care of a sick baby. Mom & dad each own a business, work very hard, and rarely take days off. But I would like to be prepared--bring extra clothes, have a plan to keep baby entertained if he's extra fussy or we can't go on our usual outings.

In the second situation, I feel like she's saying "I don't give a shit if you get sick"!

Again, I can't imagine turning down a day of work but last year after they got sick (dad was even supposed to have the baby on a Saturday but asked me to come in because he didn't feel he could handle the crying), I got sick for a week and then my son got sick for 2 weeks.

I would just like a little consideration...is that too much to ask? lol

Anonymous wrote:

Op here: after arriving on Monday and being told they were sick the night before and not seeing them since the previous Wednesday, I have now caught their cold/strep. Meaning the last time i had seent them i wasnt already exposed. Which was plenty of time to warn me and get your child on antibiotics which they didnt start until this tuesday. I had to cancel two other jobs and a dinner with a family member who was in town but didn't want to risk getting sick on their travels. So this answered my own question, tell your god damn sitter if your child is sick enough to be contagious. I am now out my co pay, two going on three full days of work, plans I was looking forward to, and possibly my weekend bartending job if I am not better by Saturday.

You don't really understand what contagious means, OP. you didn't catch the Monday strep. It's simply not possible. Since you work several other jobs with other children and everyone they have been exposed to...and you bartend and are exposed to all the bugs of everyone you work with and everyone you serve, it is laughable that you think you know exactly how you got sick. Add that to your obvious lack of knowledge on what it means to be contagious and your complaints about missed work and awesome plans are unbelievable.

I get it. You want someone to blame and you want someone to pay. Unfortunately for you, the target for your blame game is wrong. If you're really very concerned about catching something from another person and get as bent out of shape as you have here, here's a clue stick. Stop working with kids and in bars with the germ factory humans.

Ha that's what I was thinking. I got sick more when I was working as a bartender in college than I have as a nanny!

Op here: after arriving on Monday and being told they were sick the night before and not seeing them since the previous Wednesday, I have now caught their cold/strep. Meaning the last time i had seent them i wasnt already exposed. Which was plenty of time to warn me and get your child on antibiotics which they didnt start until this tuesday. I had to cancel two other jobs and a dinner with a family member who was in town but didn't want to risk getting sick on their travels. So this answered my own question, tell your god damn sitter if your child is sick enough to be contagious. I am now out my co pay, two going on three full days of work, plans I was looking forward to, and possibly my weekend bartending job if I am not better by Saturday.

You don't really understand what contagious means, OP. you didn't catch the Monday strep. It's simply not possible. Since you work several other jobs with other children and everyone they have been exposed to...and you bartend and are exposed to all the bugs of everyone you work with and everyone you serve, it is laughable that you think you know exactly how you got sick. Add that to your obvious lack of knowledge on what it means to be contagious and your complaints about missed work and awesome plans are unbelievable.

I get it. You want someone to blame and you want someone to pay. Unfortunately for you, the target for your blame game is wrong. If you're really very concerned about catching something from another person and get as bent out of shape as you have here, here's a clue stick. Stop working with kids and in bars with the germ factory humans.

I work full-time for 1 family. I don't mind caring for my sick charge. My NF also pay me very well and I don't have to work with other families.
If a family employs a nanny part-time, they absolutely owe her advance warning when a child is ill so she can decide whether to come in. They have jeopardised OP's health and her ability to perform at her other jobs.
There is a big difference between having a part-time nanny and a full-time nanny.
As a full-time nanny, I am paid a full salary to provide a service to my employers. They pay me enough (and provide me with sick days) so that I can dedicate all of my time and energy (health) to their child. This includes caring for their sick child while they work. They are basically buying this guarantee from me.
A part-time employee is paid a part-time salary. She is paid to provide care for children part of the time, which is reflected in her pay and lack of sick days. Due to an employer only needing childcare for "part of the time", most nannies must work with other families to make ends meet.
When a nanny becomes sick due to an illness aqquired from a child at her part-time job, she is unable to carry out her other job responsibilities....causing her to miss out on pay from other sources.
A part-time nanny doesn't owe you anything.

Anonymous wrote:Oh..I see what the problem is! The MBs are idiots! Sick enough to be contagious means your child has an illness that can spread to other people....

MB who is not an idiot but also not a doctor. OP's statement implies that the child was so sick it must be contagious when simple cold with some coughing and sneezing is contagious. It doesn't have to be a serious illness to be a contagious illness. If OP's complaint is about getting a cold from her charges because colds typically are contagious, then I'm back to wondering whether nannies really expect to be told in advance about the first sign of a cold coming on.

Oh..I see what the problem is! The MBs are idiots! Sick enough to be contagious means your child has an illness that can spread to other people....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here: after arriving on Monday and being told they were sick the night before and not seeing them since the previous Wednesday, I have now caught their cold/strep. Meaning the last time i had seent them i wasnt already exposed. Which was plenty of time to warn me and get your child on antibiotics which they didnt start until this tuesday. I had to cancel two other jobs and a dinner with a family member who was in town but didn't want to risk getting sick on their travels. So this answered my own question, tell your god damn sitter if your child is sick enough to be contagious. I am now out my co pay, two going on three full days of work, plans I was looking forward to, and possibly my weekend bartending job if I am not better by Saturday.

What does "sick enough to be contagious" mena? Also, are all the MB's on this board saying that they let their nannies know the moment their child gets a runny nose or cough so the nanny can decide whether they want to come in a work? I'm an MB and while I do let me my nanny know of fevers or vomit, I do not call or text her in advance to let her know my DS developed a runny nose over night. At that point I have no idea if my child has some contagious cold. My nanny has never complained to me when she shows up and my DS is coughing or sneezing and I didn't tell her in advance. One of the reasons I hired a nanny rather than send my child to day care was so that I could still work when my DS was too sick by day care standards.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that you call for every cough sneeze and runny nose, but you do have a responsibility to let her know if your DC has been vomiting all night with a stomach bug, or is on antibiotics for strep throat, or has the measles, or lice. These are things your nanny should know about before coming in because she may not want to spend her weekend recovering from your kids stomach flu, or her money on the doctor visit to get antibiotics for the strep throat she got from them. We are not talking about runny noses, so please stop with that non argument.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here: after arriving on Monday and being told they were sick the night before and not seeing them since the previous Wednesday, I have now caught their cold/strep. Meaning the last time i had seent them i wasnt already exposed. Which was plenty of time to warn me and get your child on antibiotics which they didnt start until this tuesday. I had to cancel two other jobs and a dinner with a family member who was in town but didn't want to risk getting sick on their travels. So this answered my own question, tell your god damn sitter if your child is sick enough to be contagious. I am now out my co pay, two going on three full days of work, plans I was looking forward to, and possibly my weekend bartending job if I am not better by Saturday.

What does "sick enough to be contagious" mena? Also, are all the MB's on this board saying that they let their nannies know the moment their child gets a runny nose or cough so the nanny can decide whether they want to come in a work? I'm an MB and while I do let me my nanny know of fevers or vomit, I do not call or text her in advance to let her know my DS developed a runny nose over night. At that point I have no idea if my child has some contagious cold. My nanny has never complained to me when she shows up and my DS is coughing or sneezing and I didn't tell her in advance. One of the reasons I hired a nanny rather than send my child to day care was so that I could still work when my DS was too sick by day care standards.

I do let DC's nanny know when they have a runny nose, cough, etc. Not because I'm giving her the option of coming in or not (she works through colds and minor illnesses by choice) but so that she can prepare. For awhile her roommate had an unknown illness (finally diagnosed as Lupus) so she was always taking extra precautions around the kiddos if they had a runny nose or whatever.

Anonymous wrote:Op here: after arriving on Monday and being told they were sick the night before and not seeing them since the previous Wednesday, I have now caught their cold/strep. Meaning the last time i had seent them i wasnt already exposed. Which was plenty of time to warn me and get your child on antibiotics which they didnt start until this tuesday. I had to cancel two other jobs and a dinner with a family member who was in town but didn't want to risk getting sick on their travels. So this answered my own question, tell your god damn sitter if your child is sick enough to be contagious. I am now out my co pay, two going on three full days of work, plans I was looking forward to, and possibly my weekend bartending job if I am not better by Saturday.

What does "sick enough to be contagious" mena? Also, are all the MB's on this board saying that they let their nannies know the moment their child gets a runny nose or cough so the nanny can decide whether they want to come in a work? I'm an MB and while I do let me my nanny know of fevers or vomit, I do not call or text her in advance to let her know my DS developed a runny nose over night. At that point I have no idea if my child has some contagious cold. My nanny has never complained to me when she shows up and my DS is coughing or sneezing and I didn't tell her in advance. One of the reasons I hired a nanny rather than send my child to day care was so that I could still work when my DS was too sick by day care standards.

Anonymous wrote:Parents absolutely need to tell the person who will care for their child if the child is ill or not (doesn't matter if it's contagious).

It's careless to leave an ill child with someone without letting them know the issues.

This. Even if you expect nannies to care for sick children, you should alert them that one of their charges is sick.

Anonymous wrote:The parents on this site are so effing selfish. Of course you tell her! Wtf is wrong with all? Your nanny has a right to decide whether she wants to be exposed to such an illness, like it or not. If my bosses pulled some shit like that, I would have no problem telling them on arrival that I won't be able to work that day and they'll need to care for their sick kid. And yes I know most of you will say you'd fire me, but it would be no great loss not having to work for selfish assholes who put their own welfare and desires before others.

Not one person said they wouldn't tell the nanny. All anyone (including nannies) said was that they still expect the nanny to work even when the kids are sick. If you don't like it then childcare is not the right field for you. My SIL is a pre-school teacher and she and my brother get sick all the time. She's never once complained about the parents because she knows that's the hazard of working with children. If you don't like it find another job not in childcare.

Question for other nannies...what sicknesses will you work through and which ones wont you?

Seems a bit ridiculous for a nanny not to want to work when a kid has a cold. But I am also a freak like the other nanny and work through most sicknesses.

The parents on this site are so effing selfish. Of course you tell her! Wtf is wrong with all? Your nanny has a right to decide whether she wants to be exposed to such an illness, like it or not. If my bosses pulled some shit like that, I would have no problem telling them on arrival that I won't be able to work that day and they'll need to care for their sick kid. And yes I know most of you will say you'd fire me, but it would be no great loss not having to work for selfish assholes who put their own welfare and desires before others.