To not enjoy having a nanny?

[ldntoparis22]

We have had a new nanny start a week or so ago. She is Our first. I work from home most days she is here. Admittedly the kids are only just getting used to her, but she is more expensive than childcare (by about £50 a day, which is a lot for us) and I find it less convenient.

I feel as though I need to now have enough lunch stuff, as well as dinner, for the kids. I mean there probably already is, but at nursery I don't worry about food between 8-6.

I work from my office at home which is some way from the kids' area of the house but I find myself talking quietly on the phone, not wanting to go into the kitchen for a snack, in case the kids see me and then won't go back to play with the nanny. One of my DC is very clingy (and whinghy).

The nanny is really excellent and tries her best and all sorts of tactics to take the clingy DC back but no matter what we know that it wouldn't work.

She does take them out, but only for say 4-5 hours so I still have meal times and the other half of the day with them around.

She also needs expenses paying if she takes them out for the day. So a soft play entry for them all is another £15 or so plus snacks. The local farm is £20. So on top of her £150 per day there are extras which don't creep in for nursery.

I feel bad telling her out requirements have changed so soon after she has started but AIBU in thinking there is something good in having the kids OUT of the house all day?!

If you’re going to get wound up over a forgotten mug left out then I don’t think you have the right mentality to have someone working from your home. You’re nitpicking over non events and this is only going to leave you feeling stressed out and your nanny will undoubtedly pick up on the fact that you’re getting annoyed.

By the way I would have never have expected my nanny to empty the dishwasher when I had one. Wash up children’s plates for meals she’d served them, yes, but not empty the dishwasher. She’s only supposed to clean up stuff in relation to the children, not the whole family.

Thoughts? Your poor kids, because no decent nanny will stick around if you continue to be so suffocatingly fastidious.

Send them back to nursery. This isn't working.

I have a full-time Nanny Housekeeper, though I only work from home 1 day per week, and my DC are primary school aged.

On the day I am home, I go downstairs about half an hour before her finish time to take over. I don't flit back and forth, as my DC would constantly want to be with me. It's surprising you don't seem to understand that in your case.

NH does our shopping; I tell her to get whatever she wants to make food, as she also does our cooking. I'd expect her to eat some, and positively encourage that she do so.

You do need to have a word about your expectations around the tidying up, but that's it.

When I did supply teaching I got £180 per day five years ago.

Re lunches- when we had a nanny I asked her to give me a weekly menu of what she intended to feed DC for the week for lunch and snacks so that I make sure I have the ingredients (and can see how nutritious etc food was). I personally prefer the nanny to eat the same as DC and for me to provide as this way DC eats things they may not normally eat and the whole social aspect of meals.
I agree it’s hard to listen to everything going on in the house while you work- is there a way to separate yourself and have snacks etc in your office?

But surely it's preferable for the children to be at home and enjoy half the day out of the house, rather than being in childcare 8-6pm. I'm afraid that children can be an inconvenience at times.