Can you help me with organise my nanny..

[addictedtoblub]

I've posted on here before and I'm always getting really helpful advice.

Summer holidays start soon. Usually my nanny has my 1 year old 5 days a week and my 3 year old and 1 year old together, 1 day a week.

I've noticed on the days she has both, it's all a bit tough for her. Cooking and laundry falls behind a bit. I get that it's hard and I have never complained.

I also notice there is a fair bit of TV for the 3 year old. I don't mind that much. I'm a bit concerned as the holidays are so long, how she's going to entertain both of them.

We have a big garden with swings / sand pit/ little house/ trampoline / slide. She never takes them out there. She only takes them out to the playground and for lunch. She will take them to two toddler classes a week.

What else can she do ? Or what can I encourage her to do ? It's tough because they're such different ages. I usually get older one to play play dough/ do drawing / play tea party etc. we also go out a fair bit.

What else could we be doing with two kids of these ages ? I struggle myself some days, but I'm not a child care professional.

Nanny also doesn't love taking them out together to the park as they shoot off in different directions. She usually just closes herself into the living room with them both.

Any advice welcome.

Could you explain what you mean by falling behind with the cooking and laundry? Is she not feeding your children?

I've been a nanny and had 3 under 5 at one time and managed to do it! I've also had twins which was full on but still did all of their laundry and managed to entertain them with a variety of daily activities. I know many nannies who do more and manage it.

I would have loved to have had a boss with a generous budget, there is a big wide world out there and I would Not expect someone to be stuck in a room all day.

If taking to playground, tell her to take a buggy and alternate when they are on swings if the 3 yr old really does run off.

I'm now a childminder and will have up to 7 children some days in the summer! I'm making plans, batch cooking and hooking up with a lot of different friends/childminders/nannies so we can all chip in and make it fun for the kids and have some support for myself should I need the loo or something whilst out! It's not that difficult.

Quite honestly, your nanny sounds rubbish!! And probably lazy, inexperienced and if you aren't flagging up what you expect she'll be definitely taking advantage! Who texts whilst talking to their boss? She's taking the mick in my opinion and she knows it!!

Write her a daily list of tasks. She can like it or lump and and maybe you might get a new nanny who can fulfil her job properly.

Doesn't do the laundry and doesn't make any hot food and just gives toast. That kind of thing.

I mean not doing laundry for one day is perfectly fine, if it only needs to be done once a week and she's got the other 4 days to do it.
The food would be more of an issue, she should be making a decent meal for the children, even if it's just fish fingers and chips/ pasta and jar sauce.

She doesn’t sound like a very good nanny
i would expect her to go out / have active play twice a day, with some calm activities- painting, reading, baking, crafts
she’s (I assume) a professional nanny, being paid to look and engage with the kids, yes 30 mins TV after lunch for an older child, or at the end of the day, fine
but she should be using the garden, going to the park, taking them out for walks, do reading, crafts
(on top of feeding them, doing their laundry and keeping the kids toys tidy, clearing mess after crafts)
I would suggest a new nanny
but if you want ideas, I would say, 1 outing in the morning (park, walk) back for lunch, garden in the afternoon, with some activity at home before / after the garden - be it baking, crafts, reading, build a den, have a dance party
that as a minimum, and a couple of big outings a week (min) - museum, library, farm, garden centre, depending where you are there are lots of toddler friendly activities, I would expect her to be on the loop and suggest things for you, but check local Facebook pages and suggest things to her

Does she know any other nannies with similar age kids? Your garden sounds ideal for a picnic and play date.

Do the children need hot food for every lunch? As long as they have, protein, starch, vegetables, why does she need to cook for every meal? I would insist they go outside for at least an hour or two per day though. Kids that age need lots of exercise.

OP, there is a chance that your nanny might just be a bit shit. Play dates will be a great way to spend the summer. Outing in the morning and play date at yours or someone else's house in the afternoon, or a trip to the local library or a trip to the park (without the playground) to feed the ducks, sit on a blanket with toys/books.

For when the 3 yo is off school, TV time during the 1 year old's nap so that she can do some batch cooking twice a week. I had a similar age gap once and the 3 year old would not leave me alone otherwise, if he was playing he'd want me to play with him. So parents were happy got him to have TV while I cooked.

Your nanny keeps a 1 and a 3 year old in one room and stares at her phone rather than takes them into a garden...

Get a new nanny that is just awful

She should certainly be out in your garden with both, enjoying fresh air and excercise. If baby only sits or crawls, give them a blanket; but as soon as they can totter around they'll be playing with the 3 yr old. Far more suitable than the park at that age. No dogs, no dog poo, enclosed, no escape. Toys, water, sand, mudpies, garden picnics..

Frankly she sounds pretty lazy and disengaged and I doubt she 's doing much for their speech development.

OP you need a new nanny who a) uses her initiative and b) doesn’t sit in a room with them on her phone and c) doesn’t require micromanaging by you (which you don’t want to be doing). This nanny sounds a bit rubbish.

My 1 year old walks and runs it's tiring to chase around after him. The garden is safe, but you can't let him run riot because he will eat random earth etc. so it's much more tiring than just shutting him into one room.

They are supposed to cook for, do laundry and clean and tidy after the children, Not general household duties.

You don't mind?

Well you should. That's rude and unprofessional. And if she's doing that in front of you what do you think she does when you're not there?

How old is she and how qualified/experienced?

She's not cleaning the house!

She's cleaning up after the children.

I think she's taking the piss...

I think it's bizzare that she doesn't use the garden, if it's safe with lots of play stuff in it. Much easier than trying to watch them both in a playground or at softplay. I would just ask her out straight to bring them out to the garden every day for a couple of hours, weather permitting.

A nanny who can't deal with a 1 year old and a 3 year old sounds pants. Many would have these plus more as a childminder k have a 1 year old and 2 three year olds plus in holidays 2 6 year olds no way are we shut in one room watching TV. Set up messy play using a high chair or in a crafty pod....cornflour gloop is a good one. Older children can do paper mache. Painting, water play, sticking you just set it up then sit between them helping and guiding as necessary.
Lots of outings to woods shape, colour, number, bugs, flower hunts making daisy chains or using pictures drawn on card with holes in to thread dandy lions through....baby sees and hears your conversations can crawl around etc.

Nanny should be able to use her own initiative. Sounds like she does take children out to places throughout the week just not every day. A full day out everyday with a 3 and 1 year old is hard work. 2/3 days through the week is more doable.
Nanny should definitely be using the garden while the weather is nice, so just point out with the nice weather you would like the kids to be in the garden more through the summer.

Tbh I don’t know many nanny’s who do all the kids laundry regularly, do you do any laundry for your children? Because surely it’s easier to chuck them in when you do your own.

Regarding food, you mention toast? When is toast being given? If it’s for dinner then obviously that’s unacceptable if it’s a snack then it’s fine. I would expect a sandwich/crackers etc for lunch.

Surely on that day the nap is her break then some targeted 1 to 1 with your 3 year old doing things like cutting, bead threading etc that baby can't do?

I don’t know many nanny’s who do all the kids laundry regularly, do you do any laundry for your children?

Lovely way of trying to shame me about this. Thanks. I do laundry for my children when required. But actually, I pay for her to help me do it. She agreed to take care of their laundry

So I expect her to stay on top of it the days that she's here and not leave me with a full basket in a Friday and no clean clothes for school. That wasn't our arrangement.

I also don't leave her with a full basket of laundry for her to deal with on Mondays.

You have no idea about my situation and why I pay for her to help me with this.

Never shamed you 🙄

Going to leave the thread as I can now see you keep adding things when you update the thread that were not in the original post that would have given you different replies including my own reply.

Always put info relevant in original post 👍

I don’t know why you’re being slated over the laundry so much. It’s completely normal and agreed with the nanny when discussing the job role!

She has the 3 year old one day a week, so I'm not sure how behind she can get with the kids laundry and tidying away in that time. Either she is very inefficient or you are expecting too much from her.

Obviously the children have to be fed so make sure there's food thst she can prep and serve easily for thst one day - it doesn't have to be masterchef standard!!