What can I do about heating?

[crispycake]

I'm a nanny but mum now works from home! She doesn't put the heating on at all in the day! It's freezing! The older child says so too!
I come to work wearing at least 3 layers!
We do a share too and the little ones fingers were freezing this am!
Baby monitor says its 10c!! cold!!
I don't feel I can put it on or ask her too since she's here too and she doesn't come and put it on!
It comes on at 5pm till 9pm! So when you babysit its cold too!

Sorry for the little rant :)

Any tips?

Well if the little one has said he's cold I would go and put it on tbh, if he said he wanted food or drink you would go and get it, so if mum ask why say you thought it was the same thing with heating? Even if just for an hour to take the edge off?

Other tips:
wrap a fleece blanket round you all and read books
play simon says and jump about a lot

The only thing you can possibly do is ask your boss if it's okay to put it on. Say the children are cold. It's a perfectly reasonable request.

The first thing I showed our nanny was how to work the heating (and where all my warm jumpers, coats, scarves & hats were incase it broke).

I would be mortified to come home & her freezing. Just ask. She might have an electric heater by her desk, or be wrapped in an electric blanket!

www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/temperature.htm

Think as your boss' home its your workplace the minimum temperature should be 16c - see above link. I've been sent home from work before as the heating has broken down. And children get sent home from school when the heating breaks down as school is a workplace. 10c is cold!! Good luck.

Thanks!

Im still getting use to mum being around all the time! It's very hard when I took the job on a sole charge role! Now mum likes to play games etc with us
That's a different thread though :)

We did actually do singing and dancing yesterday afternoon :)

That is too cold! You need to speak to her and explain the children are cold.

Just put the heating on.

Was the change in sole charge to Mum working from home discussed with you? Is there anything that she could do that would make it less difficult for you?

childcare.co.uk is a good site if you are looking for a new job

Chipping - no this was not discussed at all with me!!!
She came home one day and said oh in case you hear from anyone else im leaving my job and will be going free lance!
This happened within 2 weeks of being told the above!

I would like to bring it up about not being happy as I took the job thinking it was a sole charge ie, not having a parent creeping very quietly around so i shit myself!
How would I bring it up??

I feel I can't be myself as I think (know) she's listening in. Coming In when they cry etc! I've given it a couple of months but it's not working out!

Completely diverted away from my original post! :)

put the heating on and wait till/if she says something about you turning it on

if you ask, she may say no lol

10* is far too low

as you do a share can you go to the other house where a) you get heat and b) no mb about

Rather embarrassingly I did this to my poor nanny, I came home one day to find her wearing her coat, scarf and uggs in the house. I relly don't feel the cold much, we don't usually have the heat on during the day. But I was mortified that she hadn't said anything and was obviously freezing.
So yes just say that the child is cold and could she show you how to put the heating on.
I made sure when new nanny started to show her how the heating works.

I am a mum, and I wuld be absolutely mortified if our nanny and my Ds were cold at home when I was at work. I have said time and time again that they should always be warm and that they should override the timer whenever they want - every day if they want. It makes me feel terrible to think of them bring cold.

The room that your MB works in may be better insulated, or she may simply not feel the cold. You have to tell her. Or just put the heating on and wait and see what she says. Or ask if there is a portable heater or two that you can use for the rooms that you're always in.

It will get colder this winter (this time last year it was Arctic where we live) and so if you don't mention this or do something about this now, you will only feel colder at work.

As for the working from home, I understand that it isn't ideal. I don't think there is much you can do to change MB working from home in itself as this is her job (and if she wasn't working, maybe the family woudln't need you) - instead you need to react to it, by going out as much as possible, and finding common ground in the way that you and MB are happy for her to leave you to it with the children and also give her time with them. Its all about compromise for you both and finding a way that works so that the children are settled and happy.

You need to tell her that you want to talk to her. Explain to her that you took this job on as a sole charge nanny and that now she has changed that basis there are things you need to discuss. When you are there, you are in charge, it just doesn't work any other way. If she is coming in all the time everytime a child squeeks it's going to become unbearable... plus whatever other issues you have.

However, in your shoes, I'd look for another job.

I'm not a nanny but I'd look for another job in your position. I can't tolerate being cold all of the time and it would certainly impact my work. And working at home when it wasn't part of original deal would put me off, too.

That's crazy. Anything under 18 degrees is actually really bad for your health. In children it can cause serious respiratory problems.

Would heating actually come on at 10*?

Seriously put the heating on and see what happens and can you go and work in the other share house - warm and mb free?

Working in the other house is a no go!
The mb who's house we are in doesnt want to do it apart from in her house!
They don't have a thermostat that I can see. There's just a little button on the boiler that you press for the heating to come on!

I wore 4 layers on top today! Also a pair if tights and socks but I could still feel the cold! [hmn]

I'd bring my own portable electric heater and just move it with me wherever kids go. Can you take the kids out to softplay or something and just spend all day there? really, this sounds awful.

Just ask her if she's not happy with it maybe speak with. The other parents in the share and get them to speak to her as. Surely they will want there child warm

Re the heating, ask. She might simply have been too busy to notice.

Re the sole charge thing, you might want to bear in mind that for many parents a nanny who is uncomfortable having parents around is a huge red flag: what on earth do you do to the child that you are "shitting yourself" at the thought of parents seeing you? Btw, this is the case with most employees: the ones who avoid colleagues and resent supervision are usually the ones who turn out to be crooks. Not saying you are one, but be aware of how your comments might come across.

Many nannies prefer sole charge because the parents tend to get in the way, not because we want to do anything terrible to their children!! Children tend to behave better when mum is not there, and it is very disruptive to the routine and behaviour to have mum coming into the room everytime the child squeaks!! If you choose a non sole charge post, then fine, but this nanny chose a sole charge position, and it wasnt fair to change this without any discussion.
I have been in this position, and whilst the parents have been very impressed with the way i have managed their childrens behaviour, and implemented good routines,( because they havent been able to do it themselves!(
When at home,they would constantly undermine my authority in front of the children, glare at me if i had a sit down and a cuppa when the children had a nap,etc. Just makes everything awkward!!

I'm a CM so it's different for me but I wouldn't want a sole charge post if I was a nanny, not because I want to hide anything but because:

a) the behaviour issue already mentioned - I know full well how the children change as soon as their parents are around!
b) because I like to act very silly to make the littlies laugh and I don't like to do this in front of other adult as they may think I'm slightly mad! LOL

I took the 'shit myself' comment to mean they made her jump because of the 'creeping around'.

I would just turn the heating on

if i couldnt work out how i would say "can you show me how to work the heating please"

Same as looneytune but also

c) love singing with the children but I am tone deaf!

d) when Mum or Dad are around we get chatting and my focus isn't on the children, so I overcook the pasta/only half hear requests to play a particular game etc

Yes when I said shit myself I meant because mb would creep around the house and be standing behind you or just be standing watching! Which is kind of scary, creepy!

Sui- would you like your boss standing over you watching every little thing you do, making you feel uncomfortable!!!! I doubt it!

Eldest child is lovely, knows what I say I mean, doesn't mess around etc etc but as soon as mb comes into the room he changes! He starts hitting and generally not being very nice! This is how he is with mum, she doesn't mind this behaviour I assume as she doesn't say anything too him! That's up to her! But I am not going to work to get hit!

The whole atmosphere changes and it just becomes awkward.

Yes when I said shit myself I meant because mb would creep around the house and be standing behind you or just be standing watching! Which is kind of scary, creepy!

Sui- would you like your boss standing over you watching every little thing you do, making you feel uncomfortable!!!! I doubt it!

Eldest child is lovely, knows what I say I mean, doesn't mess around etc etc but as soon as mb comes into the room he changes! He starts hitting and generally not being very nice! This is how he is with mum, she doesn't mind this behaviour I assume as she doesn't say anything too him! That's up to her! But I am not going to work to get hit!

The whole atmosphere changes and it just becomes awkward.