Nanny down time

** and want to change her agreed working conditions.

To be honest I think your nanny sounds like she's quite good with kids but not that great as a nanny if she can't or won't do jobs relating to minding them like preparing their food and tidying up after them or keeping their clothes in rotation

Tbf the nanny took the job on on just needing to look after the kids and empty the dishwasher- she's entitled to get a bit pissed off now you're envious of her down time.

I think a 2 hour paid break in the middle of the day is excessive. She can easily have a 45 minute beak and then use the rest of the time (and the TV time) to do other stuff.

My expectation with our nannies (who have all done 2 days a week) is that they do standard nursery duties i.e.:
leaving the house in the same state of cleanliness/tidiness as they found it.
Our contract stated exactly what I meant by this so things like wiping the kitchen surfaces after use, sweeping under the table after dinner if dirty, emptying dishwasher, emptying bin if full, wiping spills in the fridge etc.

children's washing, changing their sheets, keeping their rooms tidy.
Tidying the playroom and vacuuming it once a week.

If you allow for a 45 min break each day, she has around 3 hours a week to get other stuff done, so the above shouldn't be difficult to fit it.

To be honest I think your nanny sounds like she's quite good with kids but not that great as a nanny if she can't or won't do jobs relating to minding them like preparing their food and tidying up after them or keeping their clothes in rotation. My nanny is pretty damn special and I wouldn't expect what she does from a nanny but I would expect a nanny to do nanny juries. I think you need to talk to her about appropriate responsibilities and expectations for her job and if she doesn't improve, decide whether you can accept that the kids are safe and minded as enough.

She could still do quite a bit of "nursery duties" and get a decent break in two hours. For example, she puts the washing in the machine, then sits down, she doesn't have to stand there watching it.

I don't get the "she doesn't like cooking" comment - feeding the children is an integral part of being a nanny, ok she may not be a gourmet chef but she should have a basic repertoire of child friendly, healthy, quick and easy meals. She could do a bolognese, then while it's simmering, take her break.

I agree that you should sit down and have a chat with her and explain that you're sorry you asked her to clean windows. Say you are happy for her to take the first hour of baby's nap as down time and then discuss with her what sort of things she'd be happy doing after that.

You could have a list of jobs on the board that she can choose from? Things like thoroughly clean high chair, rotate toys, tidy kids' bookshelves.

You having to 'try to find things' really does smack of just wanting her to busy for the sake of it. It's not a nice attitude. As for dusting & cleaning windows...it's no wonder she's not impressed.

Re you coming home to the house less tidy/clean, it depends what the hour before you get home involves for her really. Lunch dishes etc - unacceptable, children's toys/homework snack stuff, not really surprising if she's helping with homework, sorting them out, dealing with the baby's witching hour or whatever.

I thought that nannies only did chores directly related to the children. Too many people think nannies are housekeepers.
Why not get a slave in whilst you're at it?

Your expecting her to do dusting/cleaning windows??I think you may need to reevaluate what a nanny's role is, no wonder she's not doing it. Yes she should be doing all nursery duties. And like any other EMPLOYEE she's entitled to a break.

My nanny does everything including mine and DHs laundry, puts our dinner on, any random errands, irons DHs shirts. I've a 3, 2 and 1 yr old so a handful but she basically takes over our home when she's here and runs it as I would. I've found her cleaning windows and sorting the recycling many times. Most importantly she does a brilliant job with the kids.

I asked her to do none of the above, she's just bloody amazing and sees her role as keeping our home running while we're at work. She seems to enjoy looking after us all.

I don't think I could ever go back to a normal nanny. So hopefully hopefully we'll never be faced with needing to replace her.

OP, at the very least I think your nanny could make the kids meals, prep their evening food, do their laundry and keep their mess at bay. Anything child related seems reasonable.

I agree about swings and roundabouts comment x 10!

I think asking her to do housekeeping stuff is unreasonable.

But children's laundry / batch cooking for their meals / making sure all toys are tidied away whether she does it or supervises kids doing it etc are fine.

My kids have their own laundry bags in their rooms and always have so washing doesn't need to be separated.

Also, as Dame says, it's about what was discussed at interview/in the contract. Maybe she doesn't like doing nursery duties and chose this job over another because you didn't want any nursery duties. You can't suddenly spring it on her and then wonder why she's irritated!

It's the jobs that are the problem. It's not within a nanny's role to dust and it's definitely not within a nanny's role to clean the windows !! It's no wonder you've annoyed her. Stick to tasks that come under her job description.

It also helps to calculate down time over a longer period, for example a year. She might have extra time now, but in the school holidays she'll have none, no lunch break at all. The baby could reduce or cut completely the sleep at anytime, at which point she'll have nothing other than the half hour sit down. Sometimes it's swings and roundabouts.

If she's generally lazy around the house i.e. leaving it in a mess then you should bring that up with her. That's not good enough.

The house should definitely be tidy at the end of the day so you don't come in to a mess.

Nursery duties- washing and ironing children's clothes, keeping bedroom tidy,cooking for the children,sewing labels and name tags on uniforms- basically all care of the child.

Cooking food for children for the freezer
Changing kids beds
Tidying kids rooms
Kids ironing/name tapes
Kids laundry -washing, drying, folding, putting away

All of the above are reasonable. Cleaning is not, beyond clearing up kids mess, e.g. Floor after meals. Maybe an outside chance of keeping a kids bathroom in order if there is one that they alone use.

Not surprised she's not keen if you're presenting her with jobs like window cleaning tbh! You can't employ her saying she must do the dishwasher only then up it to cleaning windows!

Have a wash basket in each of the kids' bedrooms then she can see what is nursery washing. Tbh I wouldn't expect her to be happy about it as she took the job on with no reference to other jobs.

I would not clean windows or dust unless it's the children's room. I also wouldn't do my employers ironing.

I agree with DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen we need to know what jobs you have asked her to do.

I work between 10.5 and 12 hour days, 5 days a week. My charge naps (or is bed) for 2 hours after lunch. I always tidy up after lunch while he is napping. Some days I work through the nap (today I batch cooked for the freezer) other days (Friday's mainly) I sit on my bum doing nothing except menu plan and do an Ocado shop for two hours. I do charges washing and ironing (Monday and Thursday) boss doesn't care about ironing so I only iron things that need it, cotton bedding/cotton trousers/tops and shirts/2 pairs of cotton pyjamas.

I occasionally cook/prep food for my employers if they are having the same as my charge. I will sweep/hoover if needed.

I will not do - employers washing/ironing. Cleaning of any kind except clearing up after the children or child related. Any admin type work (trust me, I've been asked at interview if I'll do filing, invoices, chasing people up for payment, one family who ran a pub asked if I'd work behind the bar while babies were napping! (Not admin related, granted, but pretty funny!))

If you are asking her to housework then I can see why she's getting huffy but child related is par for the course. You can get nannies that are great with the children and will fulfill nursery duties. You will end up resenting her.