Bringing toddler out in the rain

I'd suggest soft play for exercise on really cold and wet days, and a seperate special muddy puddle trip down the woods for the nature enrichment when it's not as wet/cold. I'd drive to both, taking towels and spare clothes/shoes (and maybe a flask of something warm for after!) for the latter.

Then I'd drive him to the library and the other baby groups. If they're a 30 minute walk then it's a 5 minute drive, so the fuel costs will be marginal.

I imagine he would actually get a lot more enrichment out of that than being schlepped everywhere in a buggy under a raincover.

@strawberrycrumbles

Oooo look. There's @strawberrycrumbles out for their daily jog 😂

I love this mum. I walked everywhere with DD, I picked her up from nursery by foot even if it was chucking it down. She loved going to the park in that weather as the puddles were huge. Really fond memories of the preschool years, we still walk everywhere now she's 6.

Sounds mainly like miscommunication about the role before you started.

The mother seems to have really clear ideas about how she wants her child to spend their time.

You are a really experienced nanny, who has clear knowledge and ideas about child development and appropriate activities that you would do.

Can you talk to the mother about using your expertise to plan and organise the days.

Otherwise I think that this may well.not be the job for you

@strawberrycrumbles

I am in South London. NEVER has it rained so much here you couldn't go out for a run
Firstly
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣never see. Rain hard enough that you couldn't sensibly go for a run???? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Secondly, it's almost like you think the whole country is south London 🫤.

Cut to the chase - are they paying you enough? Do you have a contract? Paid leave? NI contributions? Are you well paid? Because if it is 'cash-in-hand, no rights', badly paid, re-think your employment. This is the nannies' market, not the parents' market, you can choose any sort of commitment, it is up to you.

Buy a coat!

@strawberrycrumbles

No one with half a brain is going out for a 30 min walk in that.
not everyone is a snowflake. A bit of heavy rain doesn't mean all life has to stopand here you go again with your hyperbole. Your response to my description of forcefull horizontal lashing gusty rain is 'boo hoo. Not everyone is a snowflake'

🤣

Ha, not at all superior. Not sure if times have changed as I've been away from the UK for a while, but I grew up in the 90s and you just had your standard jacket as a kid.
All kids here have multiple pairs of rain trousers / dungarees/ puddle suits. Ones with fleece inside, ones without fleece, a pair of snow trousers. They're worn all the time except when it's really hot.
Adults here can wear rain trousers too, especially cyclists and hikers.

@strawberrycrumbles
You seem to be lacking comprehension.

Abd you are one if those people who love a hyperbole but then get butthurt when you get called out.

Wah

Buy an anorak...

Nasty and uncalled for.

What precisely was the problem at the playground? Was he bored or was it hard to keep him safe on the play equipment?

DC1 was completely mad at playgrounds and regularly bit off more than they could chew, so I did a lot of hovering underneath to catch them and climbing up to help. It's exhausting but it is what it is.

I've not RTFT so sorry if this has been mentioned already, but a 30 minute walk to the library is an hour round trip... And the child is roughly 1.5 years old! He ain't walking that in it's entirety.

And his mum wants him/OP to do this twice a day. Presumably to the other activities that are also 20+ minutes/40+ minutes round trip.

I assume the '20/30 minutes' is also calculated in adult walking time, not tiny little legs walking time with stopping to lick puddles and whatnot factored in! It will be a way longer walk.

So that, twice a day? In the cold and rain? There's no way she's expecting him to physically walk himself that distance every day in all weathers. That's a ridiculous expectation. He would be cold, wet and exhausted for the majority of every day, at 1.5 years old... Not fair at all.

Realistically, her expectation is that OP should walk around 2 hours a day whilst pushing her son up and down hills in their (slightly shit) buggy, probably with the rain cover on so he won't be getting immersed in nature anyway, in the cold and wet weather...

What the mum wants is excessive, OP. She's essentially demanding you do a shit load of exercise! 😂

YANBU.

If you drive children everywhere then they grow up to be the kind of people who expect to drive everywhere. Get your raincoat on and stop being so precious!

My son’s nursery used the phrase there’s no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing. They played outside in all weathers.

What about a compromise? Is there any local busses that break up the journey?

We walk/buggy 40mins each way to the library every week but if it’s tipping it down and freezing I’d maybe get the bus one leg of the journey and walk the other leg.

I’m on your side. That’s a long time to walk in the rain and not very fun for either for you, I would be driving that distance. Seems a bit unreasonable of her.

I think lashing heavy rain ,you shouldnt have to walk in that TBH This family are being unreasonable I think,The car should be avaliable in bad weather.Maybe look for another position?

Get yourself some appropriate gear, it's not good for kids to be cooped up inside!

not suitable. Neither the park nor yourself.

If he can still play then would just take him there. It must be somewhat suitable....as I have 3 dc with parks near by for older and younger kids. The ones for older kids were okay mostly, as long as I was there helping the entire time. But there were def things the little ones could do, as long as I was doing it too. It rains a lot here so you might need to come with ideas that means you get out, but perhaps not having to trudge 30 mins everywhere. I used to take my young ones just for a little walk when weather was bad, but just to get out of the house. So we would do an exploring walk to look at the different bugs or leaves or trees etc.

Did she say what she does with him in the park? He might like to go there because his mum takes specific toys with them - a football to kick around, a bucket to pick up rocks.