To ask our nanny to also be a housekeeper?

[Soon2BeMumof3]

We have a wonderful part time nanny who we are desperate to keep.

I have gone on maternity leave and will be home until July. We don't need a nanny doing full days at the moment.

We would however like someone to do some basic housekeeping once a week- laundry, change and wash sheets (my most hated task- very unmumsnet of me I know!), organising the children's clothes and linen cupboard etc. Our nanny is a really tidy and organised person (I am not!). I'm sure she would be great, and we already trust her.

She is a trained childcare professional with a lot of experience. Would I be insulting her to ask if she would like to also have a housekeeping role with us?

Would obviously pay her properly and not expect her to mind children while housekeeping and vice versa.

Opps misread it , I would still ask her

Do you want to show your children you get a woman (paid or unpaid) to cover domestic work the man doesn't want to do?

So no one should ever pay a cleaner? Well, that’s a lot of people out of work then!

Also plumbers, mechanics, childminders,nannies,nursery staff,window cleaners, gardeners etc. All paid to do jobs you could do if you had a mind to.

I have no problem showing my children that me earning money enables me to pay other people to do jobs that they choose to do and are better at than I am. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Male or female it’s perfectly acceptable to pay someone to clean the house, or anything else you’d rather not do, as long as you pay them fairly.

Ask her ? Or ask if she knows anyone that would be interested in a few hours of general cleaning / housekeeping and she may volunteer

Why do seemingly intelligent women have children with men who can’t be arsed to do a bit of housework or home admin

And call them wonderful the brain boggles.

I would feel insulted if my employer asked me to change their bed... I hate doing mine at home. So my lovely cleaning lady is doing it for me. I asked if she was happy to do it before she started though
So you'd feel embarrassed if your boss asked you but you asked your employee? Eh?

“ Life’s too short for fighting about stuff that a very small amount of money can resolve“

Not a small amount of money. A nanny for a day costs £100+. Cleaner for three hours: £30-£40.

And life’s also too short to facilitate a sexist man.

Go for it OP.
You won't know if you don't ask.
She wants some extra work so offer it to her.
She can always say no. Just make it clear that you won't be offended at all if she doesn't want to do it!

It's a cleaner once a fortnight, a nanny two days a week (while I am working- it costs less than three sets of nursery fees) and now looking to get a housekeeper because I've given up on the idea of DH doing his bit.

DH problem aside - your cleaner is not coming often enough. You don’t need a ‘housekeeper’ you just need a cleaner to do more hours and to do the laundry.

Our cleaner comes twice a week for a total of 10 hours. That includes laundry and bed changing. You cannot keep on top of keeping a house clean once a fortnight.

It’s ok for DH not to like cleaning if he forks out for someone else to do it.

Sure, ask the nanny. But it doesn’t solve the longer term problem. And some nannies may not want to do someone’s domestic work for them.

It depends OP. Are you still going to have her for the 2 days a week while you're on maternity leave and give her 3 days by doing housekeeping one day a week? Or are you not offering the 2 days a week while you're on maternity leave and offering just the one day a week housekeeping?

I would personally keep her the 2 days a week as a nanny and ask her to do some housekeeping duties if she's happy to do them while you spend time with your children. That way you are guaranteeing her being with you when you return to work

Agree, money’s not an issue if you can even contemplate retaining your nanny during mat leave, so the cleaner should definitely be weekly, you or DH take the sheets off and she puts new ones on.

If you don’t think your current cleaner is any good, find someone else.

Couple’s counselling is almost as expensive as a housekeeper a day a week, but could be a better longer term investment!

YABU to think you won't still need a nanny with three children, one of whom is a newborn!

Those two days will allow you to have precious one-to-one time with each of your children- make the most of it!

Depending what the nanny charges it may well be more expensive to pay a trained nanny to do your cleaning than it would to pay a cleaner.

That might work out for you though if you want to find a way to retain her and she’s prepared to do the work.

I'm baffled by the idea of being insulted by this request.

I am COO of my (small) company, and I put in overtime on the entry level position in our busy season.

I get lieu time, it saves the company money, and an experienced, familiar person does the work rather than taking on a string of part timers who need heavy supervision.

Plus it gives her the option of applying for a full time nanny/housekeeper role in future, if she wants.

I don’t think I would be insulted but I certainly wouldn’t do it.

So you had a nanny with 2 children (and a cleaner) and now still with two Dc's and an extra new born you DON'T need a nanny but someone to change your sheets?

Of course you'll still need your nanny if you need one now!

Are you asking if you can ask your nanny to change your sheets and do the laundry as well as look after Bob and little Sue as she inevitably will if you are on maternity leave looking after your newborn. 'Oh, make them a sandwich nanny' 'oh could you pop to the park, I'm exhausted and baby is sleeping'

I can imagine it now.

None of this seems clear to me. Or fair. It's clear it would be to your advantage though, not the nanny.

YANBU to ask her at least.

Give her first refusal on the extra hours, be clear what is involved and what you'll pay and if she isn't keen, then give the hours to your cleaner or get a new cleaner who is more willing to do those tasks in addition to cleaning.

@BillieEilish We have a nanny because we needed childcare while DH and I were both at work. & I certainly wouldn't expect her to do both jobs at once, contrary to whatever your crystal ball is telling you.

The whole point here is to keep her happy and working for us. Exploiting her is hardly going to achieve that.

I was considered a nanny/housekeeper/pa by the end of my last job, I think you should just ask, she might be happy doing things she's good at aside from the kids, steer in that direction cooking/ sorting whatever I would just make clear that you won't expect it to go on once you are back at work and that you won't be offended if she says no.

When I did housekeeping it was a more organisational role: tidying the airing cupboard, sorting out children clothing, tidying out cupboards, instructing cleaner, doing laundry but not changing bed, ironing, cleaning kitchen cupboards out and sorting food and freezers out in date order.

Btw I have never had a cleaner who didn’t want to change the sheets - I thought this was a standard thing?!

So you had a nanny with 2 children (and a cleaner) and now still with two Dc's and an extra new born you DON'T need a nanny but someone to change your sheets?

As has been pointed out she doesn’t have much of a cleaner. She’s either doing most of it herself or has a dusty house.

The nanny is to cover childcare while OP and DH are at work.

Just ask her - my cousin (who is a very experienced nanny) does this for a family. provided its the same (or only minimal reduced) rate as nannying, she sees it as a stress free day. She positively loves organising, and doing children’s beds etc is part of the nanny role anyway