Nanny looking after sick child

[MBRaz]

Sorry - I know there are prob lots of threads on this. My dd (11 months) is ill - temperature of 100 and bit of d&v (not bad, been sick once a day for a couple of days). I work from home, and normally try and stay out of their way when the nanny is here.

When I told her today that dd was ill, she ummed and aahed a bit and said that her previous employer used to take the day off to look after her child when ill. Having googled old mumsnet threads, I can see that that isn't necessary, so I spoke to her just now and said please can you stay.

She said, that's fine - unless dd 'wants her mother' or is sick again. Am a bit confused by this - she often wants me when she is totally fine! and not sure how the nanny can tell when she is so small what she wants iykwim.

Any advice? I am a bit new to this, she only started a couple of months ago...

thanks!

It's been a while since I had a nanny but mine always looked after my DC if they were just slightly unwell, to me that was part of why I chose a nanny over other forms of childcare.

I only ever worked 15 mins away from home so could come home if the got worse, but they spent plenty of time with the nanny when they had colds, slight temperatures or a little D&V, if they hadn't I would have missed many days of work.

My DC were with a nanny from very young and yes at times they wanted mummy but this normal, I would be more worried if the child did not want their mum, the nanny's job is to engage the child so that they focus on something else IMO anyway.

One of the huge benefits of a nanny is that you have childcare if child is sick - CMs and nursery can refuse, nanny can't

I am a nanny I expect to care for ill children - I make appointments if I feel my charge is under the weather, I care for them when ill, I administer medicine. This is part of my job.

Sometimes my boss will take the time off, but generally a poorly child is just as happy to snuggle up with the nanny on the couch or snooze in bed while the nanny keeps an eye - why lose a days holiday to deal with a slightly under the weather child when you have a paid nanny available.

I think you just need to be clear that you need your nanny to work today, whether your DD is sick or not, and that this is the big benefit over using a CM/nursery.

The only possible thing I can think of is if she is a part time nanny and so doesn't want to rush her other charges? Is she? But i would expect her to just say so.

Thanks - that's really helpful - I'll be more definite about her staying!

does Ur nanny get sick pay? if she doesn't, maybe she is worried she will catch it and then have to be off herself with no pay

or maybe she is worried other children she looks after will catch it..

She does get sick pay, yes.

You work from home so if dd really needs you, you can take a break and comfort her. If nanny is unable to control dd's temperature, then she can come to you for help.

I would be concerned about a high temperature in a child of that age, I would be wanting medical advice if the temperature could not be controlled using medication like Calpol. Though I expect you are the same and will seek medical advice if the temperature stays high without knowing the underlying reason for it.

Nanny is there to help you, so caring for a sick child whilst you get some work done is her job. Nannying is not all fun, it often involves vomit, poo, and other bodily substances. YNIBU (Your Nanny Is Being Unreasonable) in expecting to go home.

Thanks Cindy. It's not super high, and she is actually in pretty good spirits. Obviously I can hear if she is not!

It's totally normal for a nanny to care for their charges when they're sick.

There are a lot of parents who take days off when they're children are sick though. Is she young? Maybe she's only had a couple of jobs before and they were the 'take a day off' type of parents, so this is new to her.

Some parents take time off for their children's birthdays, to take them to medical appointments, for the first day of school, school play, carol concert, sports day etc. These are all things that are well within the role of a nanny, but it can be surprising if you've worked with families who have taken time off for something when you get a family who want you to do it.

I always care for my charges when they are poorly. 2 weeks ago all 3 of us were really poorly with a cold/flu type virus so we spent the week snuggled up on the sofa, reading stories & watching movies/Peppa Pig. The only time I've called my employer home was because 3 yr old had an awful rash that kept spreading & her temp was almost 40 degrees that Calpol or Nurofen was keeping down! My employer had asked me to call her home if the rash continued to spread as neither of us knew what was causing it. She ended up taking her to A&E while I stayed with 1 yr old. Thankfully it was an allergic reaction & nothing more serious. Employer went back to work after bringing her home to me again.

Thank you so much for all your replies. Really helpful.

Why a cheeky bint !!! Nanny not you

That's why a lot of parents chose a nanny so that if child is ill they still have childcare

Yes obv a sick child wants their mum but if you need to work then nanny needs to look after them

Different if you said you want to look afte them

A 11mth isn't going to know you are working upstairs unless you keep popping down

Cuddles on sofa and quiet day and calpol and tv is what your dd needs - a nanny is quite capable of that - if she isn't then you need a new nanny

Obv if nanny then gets s&d then pay her but she gets sick pay anyway you said

Speedy recovery for dd :)

agree with blondes and nannywaines, I always use that as a selling point for nannies over CMs and nurseries. I expect to care for children when they are ill.

Surely a nanny doesn't get to choose when they work? Cherry pick the best bits?

I was a nanny and always looked after a sick child unless the mum chose herself to stay at home.