To not want nanny to wear a mask around DS?

[Rainallnight]

DS is two. He’s with a nanny three days a week. He’s prone to colds and runny noses, as are lots of toddlers. The nanny has complained that she has twice picked up a cold from him, and has suggested wearing a face mask around him.

I think this is (a) a massive over reaction and (b) not good for DS. He has speech delay and really needs to be able to see people’s faces to develop his communication.

Surely picking up kiddy colds is a bit of an occupational hazard for nannies?

But tell me if I’m missing something.

(Obviously I have no problem with her wearing one in shops or other situations where it’s Covid-mandated. This would be all the time, including at home).

@Nanny0gg during normal times people wouldn't have to get tested and isolate for 10 days for a continous cough. Y son had to isolate for what turned out oi be negative for covid due to his cough. The nanny has every right to wear a mask.

It's her place of work. Suggest she wears the masks with plastic inserts so your child can see her face.

Also, while she might not have another job, if she gets a cough she may pass it on to a partner / parent / housemate who then has to isolate and loose income or has other caring responsibilities she won't be able to fulfil.

No mask wearing at nurseries and preschools here.

Or here. If they adopt it I’ll take my daughter out. I get that people want to feel safe but it’s not fair for little children to spend hours every day in the company of masked-up adults.

OP if you are unwilling to make adjustments during a pandemic then don't hire a nanny. Why should a nanny have to risk isolating every blinking time your child passes on a cold? Cold symptoms often mirror covid, temp cough etc. God people make me so angry.

I would not accept this. If my child's childcare were planning to wear masks for the majority of the day, I would find alternative childcare because speech, communication, conveyance of emotion etc are critical to young childrens development.

Can you buy her a supply of masks that have a clear window over the mouth? There are loads of these available. You need a positive relationship with your nanny, if she is resenting you and feeling ill and blaming you for it, that won't be good for your child either.

The nanny has every right to wear a mask

Honestly I'd question how intelligent the nanny was if she thought a mask was going to prevent her getting a cold when she spends 3 days in sole charge of a snotty 2 year old.

If general hand washing and hygienic practices such as using a tissue have not prevented the spread of a cold a mask is going to make absolutely no difference.

If it hadn't been so normalised to wear a mask at the minute, do you think she would be requesting this to prevent colds any other time? It would have been seen as an exceptionally odd request last year.

So if it's not covid she's worried about and she's not high risk, then it seems unreasonable to me.

The staff at my child's nursery aren't wearing masks because guidelines exempt them, for very good reasons.

Here there are no masks etc in nurseries or schools at all.

This is about not catching colds because she’s very ‘sensitive’ to them.

I can sympathise with her - if there’s a cold going round, I always catch it and it knocks me for six. One of the (many, tbf!) reasons I wouldn’t want to work with small children - it’s an occupational hazard. Her request isn’t unreasonable per se, I suppose....but there’s no way I’d want that for my child.

If she wants to wear a mask that’s her prerogative but I’d be looking to replace her then because I wouldn’t want my toddler around prolonged mask wearing.

No mask wearing at nurseries and preschools here.

Nor here, and I agree with the poster above, I’d take my son out if there was.

I might be wrong about this but I have a feeling the government guidelines to early years settings says masks shouldn’t be worn in childcare settings unless a child is actually displaying symptoms of Covid.

No wonder teacher's and DC workers are worried not wearing masks in child settings.
I know Sweden didn't either but look at Taiwan and other mask wearing Asian countries in comparison to glorified Swenden.

It’s tricky. Is she claiming it’s about catching colds because if she says she’s worried re: Covid she feels she’d start a debate /argument? Plenty people do get heated about Covid precautions.

As her employer you do have a duty to keep her safe at work (including from Covid). But you could get her a visor-style covering, or mask with clear area for mouth. And hand-sanitizer, obviously! Be clear that this is to keep her safe from Covid, and you want her to spend more time outside as she can do that without the mask.

Seems a perfectly reasonable request to me and as her employer you should be actively encouraging health and safety measures which eliminate or reduce ‘occupational hazards’. I think it’s basically an issue of you thinking it’s not nice for your son to interact with someone with a mask all day and your perception of his comfort or enjoyment being more important than nanny’s health and safety at work.

She should wear a mask. An n95 mask would offer her protection from him, and him protection from her. If she catches a cold, she may need to isolate as it can be tricky distinguishing cold symptons from Covid (everything is flippin symptom of Covid!). If she lives with others, she could pass it to them, and they may need to self isolate.

And she's not isolating. She could pass Covid to him, then him to you.

Masking up at work is sensible in a pandemic. She is at work.

But as @howaboutchocolate says, if mask wearing hadn’t become so normalised, this wouldn’t have crossed her mind. Colds have never been a health and safety issue at work for nannies.

And to be clear, this is not about Covid. She is notably relaxed about Covid, thinks it’s all a bit of fuss about nothing.

I think it’s basically an issue of you thinking it’s not nice for your son to interact with someone with a mask all day and your perception of his comfort or enjoyment being more important than nanny’s health and safety at work.

Can you read? OP’s son has a speech delay. It’s not just that it’s ‘not nice’ or his comfort and enjoyment. It’s the minor matter of his development and welfare.

Also how will a non-medical grade mask help the nanny’s health and safety at work?

Get a new nanny if it bothers you that much. Neither of you are being unreasonable.

as her employer you should be actively encouraging health and safety measures which eliminate or reduce ‘occupational hazards’

Once again though a mask isn't go to prevent the nanny catching a cold if hand washing and other hygiene practices have failed to prevent the cold spreading. The nanny's job requires her to be in close proximity to a snotty 2 year old, in doing so it's pretty likely she will catch what ever bug the toddler has.

A mask wilk make no difference to her catching it, but it will create a huge barrier towards the child she cares for developing his speech. Therefore it's not a reasonable measure as it's actively impeding her ability to do part of her job.

If this was last year, I'd have said the Nanny WBU, however, this year, she's NBU as she has every right to wear a mask at her place of work to try to protect her health (doesn't matter whether she's concerned about Covid/ cold/ flu as all of these will affect her health)

I understand that this may present other difficulties with your DC's speech development, but every Nanny/ Au Pair/ Nursery etc has the right to wear a mask in their place of work due to Covid.

I'd be wary of whether she'd have good grounds to claim being unfairly dismissed if you said she couldn't wear a mask tbh.

Unfortunately, this year is shit for everyone, and all kids are getting a crap time with schooling/ childcare etc and your DC is obviously going to have increased difficulties due to masks.

But I'd encourage you to try to remember that the mask will also help keep your DC safe from Coronavirus , which is going to benefit both you and DC in the long run.

If it were strictly for pandemic I'd say yes but it's to avoid catching colds from your toddler!

I'd say to her she can dose up (maybe you could pay half towards them if you're feeling generous) on:-

• Echinachea - this seemed to help me catching them less
• Vicks First Defence - take at first sign of cold - only tried a few times though.
• Vitamin C and zinc - again take at first signs of cold
• also - cough lozenges can help at first sign of sore throat - e.g. tickle - Covonia do good ones - used to use Tyrozets.

She really needs to up her immune system though. Above may or may not help.

Would the nanny wear a visor?