I was a preschool teacher and I treat my charges the same way as I treated my former students -- selected times of independent play while still being closely monitored. So yes - I do play/read/narrate for the babies/sing/do projects with my charges most of the time when I am working.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much - yes, I do play with him all day (and read to him). He's 2.5 now and still wants me to play with him in the park or playroom. He gets independent play when I am making lunch or cleaning up but otherwise he wants to play.

So, he's not learning to self-entertain at all, but he is learning that he gets what he wants. Great job!

How is he NOT learning to self-entertain when the nanny clearly stated that he gets independent play when she is making lunch or cleaning up. Plus, you have no clue how often his parents leave him to play alone.
You're just one of the many lazy-assed nannies we all see all the time.

Anonymous wrote:Nanny for 6-7 kids here. I'm always focused on my charges, but that doesn't mean that I'm controlling every aspect of their days. I have research to do for tutoring curricula and after school activities, cooking and writing the shopping list, laundry, etc. Part of my job is to make sure that the kids are competent with everything they may need to know as adults, so we do chores, and all the kids learn how to do things correctly and efficiently. For all practical purposes, I have the same duties that a SAHM does, with the added duties of tutoring several of the children (SAHM may or may not be capable of tutoring, so may need to outsource). Yes, I love to play with the kids, but I join whatever they are doing and/or retrieve the supplies from higher shelves so that I can supervise (I store glue, markers and scissors up high so that kids can't make a mess without warning me first). My job has never been to be their entertainment or keeping them perfectly happy all day. I'm here to help them learn to deal with the real world and to grow into mature adults who add to the community.

By the time I was four years old I could climb onto counters to reach anything on a high shelf, or drag a chair over to stand on that for high shelf-items. What SAHM isn't capable of "tutoring" a four year old or younger?

PP, use your phone's timer and tell them that they've got to entertain themselves for 10 minutes and are not to disturb you until the alarm rings. Do it twice a day for a week, keep telling them to wait for the timer, and they'll get it fairly soon.

^^you tell them to go find something to do, play with each other etc because nanny is on break now. Nothing wrong with that especially at those ages.

I've wondered about this too; what do the parents expect, what is an appropriate amount of independent play, etc. When my nanny kids were younger, 6mo and 3yrs, I felt like I needed to be a playmate for them because they were too young to be able to entertain themselves. But now that they are 4 and 7 I feel like I have made a mistake by not encouraging more independent play and having them be so reliant on my inclusion in their play time.

I love to do crafts, read books, play games, outdoor activities, and go for walks, so it's not that I don't want to interact with them. But I am starting to feel like I should not be expected to crawl around on the floor and play barbies, play pretend paw patrol or jake and the neverland pirates, or anything like that. At this age they should be able to play together or play independently without me being involved in every part of the game.

Now that the kids don't nap I work 8 to 10 hrs a day without a break. And they are so demanding that the only break I get from them is when I'm cleaning, cooking, doing dishes, or laundry. They will even pester me while i eat my lunch, begging me to finish quicker and play with them. And if they are playing pretend tv show games or with dolls and toys they demand that I play with them. If I say that I just like watching them play and I don't need to be a part of the game they will whine and cry and insist that I play, sometimes refusing to play without me. The older kid has even "told on me" to his mother, saying that I won't play with them, like if I refused to be Bowser in their pretend Mario game. The only time they will do something without my assistance is watch tv or play on their iPads, which I try not to rely on too much but do use when I just need a break.

a mix but I always have an eye on them: 1 and 3 yo.

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much - yes, I do play with him all day (and read to him). He's 2.5 now and still wants me to play with him in the park or playroom. He gets independent play when I am making lunch or cleaning up but otherwise he wants to play.

So, he's not learning to self-entertain at all, but he is learning that he gets what he wants. Great job!

Pretty much - yes, I do play with him all day (and read to him). He's 2.5 now and still wants me to play with him in the park or playroom. He gets independent play when I am making lunch or cleaning up but otherwise he wants to play.

Nanny for 6-7 kids here. I'm always focused on my charges, but that doesn't mean that I'm controlling every aspect of their days. I have research to do for tutoring curricula and after school activities, cooking and writing the shopping list, laundry, etc. Part of my job is to make sure that the kids are competent with everything they may need to know as adults, so we do chores, and all the kids learn how to do things correctly and efficiently. For all practical purposes, I have the same duties that a SAHM does, with the added duties of tutoring several of the children (SAHM may or may not be capable of tutoring, so may need to outsource). Yes, I love to play with the kids, but I join whatever they are doing and/or retrieve the supplies from higher shelves so that I can supervise (I store glue, markers and scissors up high so that kids can't make a mess without warning me first). My job has never been to be their entertainment or keeping them perfectly happy all day. I'm here to help them learn to deal with the real world and to grow into mature adults who add to the community.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think ita good and healthy for kids to entertain themselves.

I would expect a nanny to let my little girl play on her own much of the time, especially in an interesting place like near a stream, playground or woods. I let her wander away and do her own thing while I keep an eye on her from a safe distance.

This must be a fake post because this person is actually saying they would let a child wander off into the woods or a stream!!

Anyway, I don't think a parent should ever read a book at a playground. Unless the kids are older.

Why not? Depending on the age, wandering through the woods or along a stream is fine especially since she included that she would be within eyesight. On the city street, no, but in a safe area where you're nearby, absolutely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think ita good and healthy for kids to entertain themselves.

I would expect a nanny to let my little girl play on her own much of the time, especially in an interesting place like near a stream, playground or woods. I let her wander away and do her own thing while I keep an eye on her from a safe distance.

This must be a fake post because this person is actually saying they would let a child wander off into the woods or a stream!!

Anyway, I don't think a parent should ever read a book at a playground. Unless the kids are older.

I agree! A book is too much! How can one realistically read a book?
Read a book and looking up, say every 10 minutes? Or reading and checking after every minute? Every 10 min is asking for trouble. A lot can happen fast. I see people on their phones but usually it's read an email, look up. Not long blocks of time.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but just in case you aren't - are you not familiar with books?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think ita good and healthy for kids to entertain themselves.

I would expect a nanny to let my little girl play on her own much of the time, especially in an interesting place like near a stream, playground or woods. I let her wander away and do her own thing while I keep an eye on her from a safe distance.

This must be a fake post because this person is actually saying they would let a child wander off into the woods or a stream!!

Anyway, I don't think a parent should ever read a book at a playground. Unless the kids are older.

I agree! A book is too much! How can one realistically read a book?
Read a book and looking up, say every 10 minutes? Or reading and checking after every minute? Every 10 min is asking for trouble. A lot can happen fast. I see people on their phones but usually it's read an email, look up. Not long blocks of time.