What does nanny do during baby naps?

How is a nanny doing “nothing” while your baby naps? Surely she or he is still taking responsibility for your child while you aren’t there, which is their job?

Nannies do long hours and deserve breaks. By the time they've tidied up and have done jobs that can't be done while baby is awake, they'll only get 30-40 mins rest out of the full nap time.
If the nanny has breaks and time to catch up on emails etc, they'll have more energy to give your baby.

Let her have a break. Then when your baby wake she'd be refreshed. Babies are exhausting!

If you were at home all day with the baby, what would you do during her naps? My guess is that you would take advantage of the time to have a bit of a rest. Think about it.... on the days you look after the baby without the nanny, are you still looking after her when she is asleep? Your nanny is still doing that even if she's watching TV. I was a nanny and I definitely would not have taken a job with someone who tried to micro manage my time.

Mine is in nursery 3 days per week and with me 4. He has 2 naps for no more than an hour. When he does take a nap I need a break as will your nanny. It is exhausting keeping up with a 10 month old. I find my work days (like today) easier!!

I would maybe ask nicely about doing the dishwasher. Only because I don't think I would mind being asked that. Then baby food/ clothes. A small break to eat without being pulled at. 10 mins to scroll her phone then boom baby is awake again!

I think, as others have said, you can expect food prep (snack baking, prepping for dinner) sorting and folding baby’s laundry and tidying and organising toys, but that’s it. Nanny can also have her lunch and coffee break during those nap times. I think that would fill those hours, tbh.

When I was nannying I would take about 40 minutes lunch break to have something to eat and read for 20 minutes (as I’m sure you do at your job) and then would do some baby based jobs. Cleaning toys, sorting the kitchen after our lunch, baby’s laundry, tidying the play room, planning and booking any trips or groups we were planning to do. I did not and would not cook meals for the parents or do their housework. If a parent told me that meant they weren’t getting their money’s worth I would think they weren’t the right family for me.

Do you know at nursery children nap? Do you think that the nursery staff should run round to your house and do the gardening otherwise you ‘aren’t getting your money’s worth?’ You are paying for someone to care for your child. You’re getting your money’s worth as they are there watching your child.

I wouldn't expect either extreme - e.g. I wouldn't expect her to sit and do nothing for the whole time but equally I wouldn't expect her to be working the whole time, preparing your meals etc.
I'd expect her to take breaks during both naps, have a cup of tea and a lunch/snack. I'd also expect her to do some light tidying of the baby's things, prepare snacks and activities, perhaps do baby's laundry. That kind of thing.
I remember how exhausting it was to look after a baby and I think breaks are more than necessary!

We always got ours to empty the dishwasher. Our first wouldn’t and it was bloody annoying.
I don’t think it’s a big ask.

I hope you thrashed him. That way communism lies. 😏

We've just been burned by a nanny we trialled before who didn't do anything during baby naps

But she's not doing nothing while the baby sleeps. She's being responsible for the baby. She has to be alert for if the child wakes and deal with any situation
that arises. She can't be anywhere else, so she's being paid to be there.

I know what you mean, OP. I caught my gardener taking a sip of water and mopping his brow this week. CF.

So IYO, while your baby is asleep, it needs no supervision, nobody to be 'on hand' in case it wakes up, is unwell, nobody in your house where there is a young child present? Jesus wept.

Would you be happy for her to clock off and leave the house while the baby was asleep?

@Maddy70 exactly why I was thinking.

Brilliant 👏

She should poke the baby awake to continue her duties.

Lunch break

Previous posts like these tend to be written by people who can't really afford a nanny and it usually goes that they either think nanny should not be paid when the child sleeps or they should wring every last bit of work out of the nanny like they of robot who doesn't need a break so the employer feels like they are getting value for money.

Who would be a nanny when you have batshittery like this amongst employers?

You weren't "burned" by your trial nanny. You wanted someone to watch your baby and that's what they did, even while your baby was sleeping.

Love that 😂

@CushionMountain

Exactly!!!

we don't want to pay a nanny to sit around while baby naps (this happened a while ago when we trialled a nanny).

Why not? What's the alternative? Do you want her to forcibly keep the baby awake? Climb into a cupboard and power down when the baby sleeps? Nip out and do an hour on a checkout at Sainsbury's?

Or are you employing her to be responsible for your child all day and give him one to one supervision whether he's awake or asleep?

I'm a nanny.

when I've had little ones I'd use their nap time to potter around doing things like ironing the kids clothes, hoovering, sorting out the other kids rooms/wardrobes, toy boxes, empty bins to outside bins and sometimes I'd just watch TV, read a book in the garden, whatever.

when the babies/toddlers were awake I'd sort out the dishwasher, laundry, prep their next meal, change their & siblings beds etc. All things they could watch me do &/or 'help' with.

I'm very much a nanny who is like a SAHM, I take each day as it comes and do what I'd do if they were my kids, in my house.

Except, I don't cook 'family meals' or for the adults at all (I hate the pressure), I make this clear up front. But I do leave the kitchen immaculate & the dishwasher empty. I batch cook for the kids & I'm happy if they use those meals at the weekend.

I'm more than happy to help out picking stuff up from the post office/dry cleaners or running a grandparent (living locally) to the Drs or friends etc. I've even collected visitors from the airport, that kind of thing and I can be very flexible re hours etc

I'm very up front about the way I work, if they don't like it, they can feel free to employ someone else. No way will I be micro managed.

The key is employing an actual adult and having some respect!