would you employ this nanny?

[00Amber00]

hi everyone,

my nanny is due to start tomorrow but it was her induction day today and i have serious doubts if she is the right nanny for us.

we were getting ready to go out for a walk this afternoon and she had my LO in her arms. whilst i was getting my shoes and was locking the front door she was in the garage, where the buggy is. when I got to the garage i saw the following - she was putting the buggy together and my 13 month old baby, who doesn't walk yet was crawling on the garage floor next to the bins!!! i was shocked to see this but did not say anything straight away until 5-10 minutes later when i gave her a suggestion as to how she should organise herself before going out, hoping that she would get the hint. i not sure she did and i have lost all little trust i had in her to start with. i have only met her twice before today and she had excellent references from the two families she worked for. the previous children were older when she started to work for the previous families. i knew she didn't have much experience with babies of my LO's age but didn't realise she had no common sense.

would you feel justified to not let her start her employment with you tomorrow if you were me?

Am interested to hear the answer to Phipps's question, because that's exactly what I do - let my baby crawl around on the garage floor whilst I set the buggy up...I'm much too grubby, me!

I think this is maybe a symptom of your unease about leaving your baby (totally understandable) rather than a problem with this particular nanny. You're unlikely to find someone who feels exactly the same as you about all issues - as you can see from the other posts this isn't an issue of "common sense" but personal preference. Some people wouldn't bat an eyelid at putting a 13 month down on a garage floor, some would!

If you continue employing this nanny (or any nanny) you have to think carefully about what you can let go, and what is really important to you - and then tell the nanny about the important things :)

Can I please point out that if you want a nanny you are going to have to work on your communication?

I've made mistakes/not met unexplained expectations during my career, but because the people i've worked for have taken the time to explain things I've learnt from them and feel I'm a much better nanny as a result.

You chose this nanny for a reason and I can't see how being clearer with your expectations and then seeing how she matches them over a probationary period is going to hurt. There was no neglect or abuse that I saw in your thread.

Also remember that some nannies may just step back and let you get on with it while you are there (it's what i do- I see my role as supporting the parent not filling their role whilst they are present). That may be why she appears 'sloppy' or uninterested etc.

So because your nanny put your 13mth on the floor you are going to sack her

seems to me you are very controlling / the nanny didn't do anything dangerous and tbh better that she had your baby in her sight then left alone in the house

you certainly wouldn't employ me as I let our babs play on the kitchen floor that has dog hair/mud etc on it

good luck with finding a new nanny

I think the OP may have left the thread some time ago when she didn't like what those of us who have employed nannies or who are nannies, were telling her! The biggest adjustment I had to make in my thinking when I went back to work (all those years ago!) was to realise that no nanny/nursery/childminder was ever going to look after my child exactly as I would, didn't mean that different was wrong, just that it wasn't always the way I would do something. I think the OP hasn't reached that point yet or has very high expectations of a nanny on her first day.

Nah, she's hunting for a new nanny....

OMG that poor nanny had a lucky escape!

I am afraid rach I am starting to agree. It was the supercilious trumping of "cleanliness" with "hygiene" that turned the corner.

i wonder if op ever puts her baby on the ground - whether grass/carpet or friends house

i really dont think what the nanny did was such a bad thing - would you have preferred her to leave your dd in the house alone (but obviously NOT on the floor ) while she put the buggy up

more to the point, if the buggy is in the garage,why wasnt it already put up?

poor nanny to lose a job, but lucky nanny to have escaped working for someone who really quite controlling

as my mb says a dirty child means they had fun and thats what baths and washing machines are for :)

Spiders probbly crawl on the buggy if its in the garage - do they wipe their 8 feet before doing so?

OP said that she had little trust in the nanny to start with - it's good that the nanny can look for another job now, rather than bond with child etc then get sacked for some other imagined failing.