How much tv does your nanny/au pair watch?

[nikosmum2010]

I've had an au pair for about 3 weeks and I haven't given her any info on watching tv. I'm concerned that left to her own devices she would have tv on the whole day and I would like to limit this somehow. Anybody with similar experience and if so, how have you dealt with it? e.g have you asked her not to have tv on at all when working/ limit hours and how have you gone about informing them.

Thanks, any advice very much appreciated

do you mean when she on duty or off duty?

Off duty i don't think it's up to you - unless it's in the family room etc and impacts on your family life. In that case i would suggest a tv in her bedroom. FWIW when i have lived abroad i had the tv on most of my free time - simply because its a great way of learning the language. Didn't necassarily mean as was watching it all the time.

On duty i don't see why she has it on at all. When i'm at work (nanny) it goes on when lo is sleeping - but thats more company than anything else and its generally tuned to radio.

I mean when she is on duty. She currently does 30 hours a week. There's normally playgroups etc in the mornings but most afternoons are spent at home.

or do you normally have music on or do most nannies work in silence? I'm not really a music person and would prefer the tv to be off entirely when she is working. just want to make a fair"ish" choice.

nowhere near as much as we do!

We just tell our AP's that the family room TV is only allowed on at the weekends (the kids know the rule so don't flout it). But the AP does have a TV in their bedroom for when they are off duty.

However, if the child was under 3 then I would probably allow an hour or so at lunchtime just so the AP can have some 'down' time while she is working.

when the kids were younger I also remember being very anal with my APs and only letting them put on CBeebies.

I typically had music/the radio on for some of the time however it depends on how old your DC are. If they're still acquiring language then it can be very bad to have other noise sources when you're trying to talk to/interact with them beacuse they find it difficult to separate out the sounds so it did depend what we were doing as to whether I had anything extra on.

TV always very limited (unless they or I were ill) CBeebies etc or a DVD, never 'adult' TV although I would watch, for example, Neighbours if they were having a nap and I had time to sit down or combined it with a task like ironing or sorting laundry.

For older children they were allowed to look at the schedule and choose things to watch, usually as a reward or 1 show when they came in from school as wind-down time.

I agree TV is good for language exposure, even if you're not concentrating, but radio is just as good and less distracting in terms of flickering images.

If your children are around you have every right to dictate how much you want the TV on (or not)

If however she is working, say doing a pile of ironing, without children present, I dont think watching while she works should be a issue.

As a nanny when i ironed i did so when children were asleep in front of the TV. Also watched TV while i had my cup of tea etc when charges were napping in bed

Am a nanny and have the radio on in the background all day when were home, I can't have silence! When youngest is in bed then I put the tv for a bit buy its radio only until 6 when oldest can watch the Simpsons only

i always have sound around me, have radio in kitchen and playroom

some days may get 30mins, others days 5 mins, some days none

tv, mb fairly relaxed about it, we have on after tea/homework is finished and before i pick up mb

holidays, older 2 get an hour or so after lunch, while babs is in bed, and i get peace

I've got TV watching times in the contract - basically no TV except kids TV for 30 mins after lunch and before bed.

on duty with the kids i think you have the right to tell her how much, when and what.

On duty you have every right to dictate how much tv the children watch etc(whether thats them sat in front of it or on as background noise for nanny/au pairs benefit)
My bosses(i'm a nanny) havent really dictated to me and I am left to trust my own judgement(though am sure if I started letting them watch it constantly they would say something)
I sometimes let the 3yr old have an hour after lunch while baby is napping while I sort stuff out.She sometimes will switch it off herself after 30mins but I tend to let her watch a full disney film at this point-about an hour as she is tired at this time.She does this about 2-3times a wk
Then I sometimes let them watch another 15/20mins after tea while waiting for parents to come home as by then the 6yr old is tired and it gives me 10mins to give quick once over of the house.Again this is not every night and it usually depends on tiredness level.
The only time they watch tv in the wk is with me as they dont watch it when wake up or the hour the parents have them before bed.