Will a nanny still come if your DCs are unwell?

[Jacksterbear]

Nanny only just started, second day back at work, and DD has a tummy upset... gaaaaah! Do I need to call nanny and tell her not to come tomorrow or is it normal for a nanny to still come if your child is sick?

One of the plus points is that nannies look after children who are mildly ill. Some nannies will care for children with longer term illness.

Get nanny to come in. See how DD is in the morning. Consider if you can work a shorter day, if DD is in "I want mummy" mode.

Thank you nannynick.

Hi, I'm a nanny.
I still go in when the children are unwell, their mum just sends me a text saying whats wrong so i know in advance incase i have a problem with looking after them while they are ill, but i've never had a problem with it. Cant be helped :)

Thanks. Think I will text tonight and mention it and check she is still ok to come. I don't know if it makes any difference but she brings her own DD to work with her (although if nanny is exposed to the bug (if it is one), her DD will probably be too, indirectly, through contact with her, so it probably won't make any difference... right?).

no shouldn't make a difference i wouldn't of thought, it's part of the job caring for the child when they are ill :)

our nanny started the week DD had a hideous vomiting bug. the nanny also caught it which was bad luck, but slightly inevitable. she vomited all weekend and was fine for work on monday.

one of those thing, tho...

the nanny has also come to work when she has been recovering from a vomiting bug. she still wasn't eating and was barely drinking and was still running to the toilet. i was a bit about that, as i didn't want both kids (and me!) to get it. but fortunately we didn't!

its normal for nannies to work when children are sick

(one of the main perks of a nanny compared to CM / nursery)

I've never not worked because one of my charges was ill, well except when they were in hospital! Having said that, I've caught two horrendous bugs from two different families this year so I'd really like it if all the kids were well from now on!

What did you agree re: sickness and her child? IMO she should work when your child is ill but it's up to her whether she brings her child along.

It is a significant advantage of having a nanny. I personally have something in my contract along the lines of I care for children with any disease against which I have natural or acquired immunity as well as flu/colds/bugs but if I get sick as a result they still pay me and it's nit holiday (and overseas they cover the cost of treatment).

TBH your comment about checking if she is still ok to come rings alarm bells for me. Working with sick children is one of the downsides of nannying, to be sure, but it is normal.

I also agree with the other posters that because she is bringing her own child it needs to be explicitly discussed. I think it entirely reasonable for you to say that she is expected to look after your DD when she is ill and that she should make sure she has in place her own emergency alternative childcare should she prefer to leave her own DC at home whilst caring for an ill child at your house.

Thanks all for your comments. I didn't check with her in advance in the end. She came this morning and I told her when she arrived that DD had an upset tummy but didn't seem too poorly with it. She was fine with that.

The only time i was told in advance was if one of the children would be missing school and so may disrupt the routine I had. Like others, caring for sick children is just something you do.

If she brings her own child I would have let her know in advance. I bring my ds to work with me but if my charge is ill I would leave him at home with DP.

Thanks I will bear that in mind for next time!

as others have said, is the main perk/selling point/difference between using a cm/nursery