How to occupy Nanny's time?

[r3dh3d]

Guess this is a pretty common dilemma, but I confess myself stumped by it.

Background:

DD1 has Special Needs. She is 2 years old. We have a specific Special Needs Nanny to look after her. A SN Nanny just does all the things normal nannies do - but has experience with SN children, in our case has worked with Epilepsy before, does Maketon signing, play therapy etc. etc.

DD1 has been assessed by LEA as needing constant one to one supervision. This means she can only go to special needs nursery, not mainstream. She cannot be put with a childminder or a normal nursery that would take her 8-6 5 days a week or whatever. She can only go into govt provided day nursery, where they will only give us one or two sessions a week. She also does playgroup at the hospital two sessions a week, so her total external care is 8 hours a week. I also have a 4-month old baby to look after and the two don't mix well. So we retain the Nanny.

Question:

What to do with the Nanny when DD1 is at nursery/playgroup? The pain of it is that because she can only go to a specific place, there is a longish drive to get there. Today she has both playgroup and nursery, on the other side of town - if Nanny came back betweentimes, the day would go:

09:00 drive to playgroup
09:30 playgroup start
09:45 drive back
10:15 arrive home
-- do something productive for 45 mins ----
11:00 drive to playgroup
11:30 pick up from playgroup
11:45 drive home
12:15 have lunch
12:30 drive to nursery
13:00 nursery start
13:15 drive home
13:45 arrive home
-- do something productive for 45 mins -
14:30 drive to nursery
15:00 pick up from nursery
15:15 drive home
15:45 arrive home

net net - from 09:00 to 15:45 only 1 1/2 hours to get anything done at all. Nanny wants me to "decide" what she should be doing on these days, and she specifically wants me to come up with something she could do in town rather than driving back and forth all day. I can't think of anything at all - I want her to do child-centred things. She's suggested doing the supermarket shop but the only one in reach of where she will be is a Tesco, which I can't bear on ethical grounds (apologies all Tesco fans). Hitherto I've kept her busy reading up on medical conditions and diet planning which is a big thing for us. But that just won't fill enough time and doesn't cover what to do with DD between playgroup and nursery. If I don't think of anything she'll go "to the library" which I suspect means nipping into the library to get more DVDs out for her then dragging a SN toddler round clothes shops all day.

Ignoring the SN aspect, this must be a common problem. What does everyone else do?

I will have a similar problem (though much less complicated) in Autumn when DD starts nursery. She is going to a school which is about a 10-15 minute drive when there is no traffic. Nanny doesn't drive (and doesn't want to). So every day, nanny, DD (3 yrs) and DS (1 yr) will get on the bus for oh say a 40 minute ride to drop DD off at school for 2 hours, then come back home. So, my plan is to find a suitable activity for DS near the school. So, possibly one day they'll go to music, another day the library, and so on. Don't think I'll come up with five activities. But I'll probably find two to sign them up for and let nanny organise the other days.

Does your nanny look after both kids or just the older one?

Also, I like to do my own grocery shopping because I am picky about what food comes into my home (and therefore goes into my children). Also, I try very hard to keep the grocery bills down which (shock, horror) means I shop at Tesco.

does she have the 4 month old with her?

if she does in the morning bit, she could probably find a local playgroup that she could drop in to.

I'm shocked. I'm horrified. lol No, I know the Tesco thing is just me - but it means that the supermarket option isn't a good one, that's all.

Unfortunately, it's not easy to take a SN child to an activity. We got thrown out of our local baby signing class a while back because we weren't like the other kiddies. There used to be one SN toddler session a week I could take her to, but that's now closed due to staffing issues.

I suppose they could go swimming - DD likes that and it's roughly the same neck of the woods.

Oh btw - no, she does not have 4-month-old with her. I couldn't handle both of them at once, certainally not out of the house - wouldn't ask anyone else to!

On the days like the one above when there's a lot of driving to and fro, could you do the to and froing and let nanny look after the baby ? Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick, but I;'m inferring that at least for now you are at home alongside nanny ("I also have a four month old baby to look after "). Maybe for at least one of the sessions you could do something just for you, or something which is difficult to do when the children are with you ? You would then either be getting a break, or accomplishing a chore quicker without the children being there. Meanwhile your baby is having quality 1-1 attention at home.

oh I see - I meant in the morning bit when dd1 was at playgroup.

you want something for that lunch period in between nursery and playgroup? Would she take dd1's lunch with her then?

(how ridiculous that you got kicked out of a playgroup)

I meant that nanny and baby could go to an activity whilst DD1 is at her nursery. Then come back after the nursery.

Ah, OK, I am not reading properly. That is another good thought. Though as I am breastfeeding and not remotely on a schedule, it would need a bit of juggling and not always work - but when it did work would be a great idea; either for Nanny to go to baby group or for her to be home with baby and me go out. She loves babies so would be happy spending more time with DD2!

The other possibility (thinking waaay outside the box here) on days where DD1 is at nursery or whatever for 2 hours would be to give her the option of swapping that half day off for a weekend half day.

Good ideas so far!

do you need to fill her time? i have a mildly sn ds and i would love 45 minutes n the day to do nothing, i know that probably dosnt help but im sure if you talked openly to nanny and said you were worried anout it she might have a suggestion?
good luck XX

Ach, she says she's bored. She keeps asking me "what do you want me to do on Tuesday?" "what shall I do while DD is at playgroup?" "what shall we do between playgroup and nursery?"

The bugger of it is that the house is a TIP because Nanny doesn't do enough domestic stuff. And the longer she spends out of the house the worse it gets. But I know she tries really hard domestically (it just isn't her thing, poor girl, you should see the state of her room) & I don't want to tell her to spend all day driving just so she can get back and do housework she hates.

Which is why the looking-after-baby thing is attractive: she can spend half day doing a bit of tidying up plus baby stuff she loves to make up for it.

Oh yes, I would leave her at home to tidy up. Not to be the cleaner of course. But organise the toys, straighten up the changing table, etc.

And then you can get out and do a bit of shopping or meet a friend for coffee, or whatever.

It also means you can do the drop off and pick up at nirsery so if the teacher have anything to tell you then you can hear it straight from them.

I do think that the DD1 idea is good.

Are there any other nannies near her that she could meet up with for a play in the park - doesn't nes. need to be a sn nanny, a 'normal' nanny may like to join them or a CM with sn children? Maybe do errans for you, post office, dry cleaners etc etc.........I really think this does children no harm..........but would never do tescos!

lunch out maybe too (take DD's own, if you are who you think you are, and knowing DD's diet needs)that may save one drive home in the middle of the day.

And have to say this but I am very surprised that a nanny is saying that she is bored......you just 'fill in' time doing bits and bobs! Well that is what I did anyhoo!

Yes, Booh, I am who I think I am!

If you mean - if you are who I think you are...

Yes, it's me. "redhed" was taken already If you are who I think you are? Or am I making no sense whatsoever?

Oh hello! TIs me!

Small internet world.........and small world in real life too!

Am not too far from you if nanny needs to be kept busy - could do -play date! (Yeap you can vet me first - as I am a total nutter!!)