have i got unrealistic expectations?

[frypanning]

Our nanny works Mon-Weds for us, and one of her duties is to do the kids' laundry. The kids are 3 and 1 so they generate a fair bit of laundry, usually 2 or 3 loads a week.

She generally does one load a week, washed and dried, and puts away any that I have left hanging up in the utility room. So we never actually run short of clothes completely but I do 2 or 3 loads of kids laundry every other week to keep up.

Is this normal? We probably each do laundry proportionate to the days we have the kids, if you see what I mean, but I was actually expecting her to do it all! I'd be grateful for others' experience on this: does 'doing the kids laundry' mean all of it, and the baskets are fairly empty and everything put away, or does it mean just washing roughly the amount of clothes they've worn with the nanny that week? Thanks!

If you are typically emptying the baskets on Sunday you are preempively preventing her from doing much more laundry aren't you? It must take until Wednesday for there to be a batch available. Don't do any kids laundry yourself after Friday and ask her to do a batch first thing Monday. Then on Wednesday she can do another batch and if you need to do a light batch to keep things ticking over on Friday that's fine.

Agree with fish, she can't wash what isn't there

She may work on the premise of only doing a full load to save water etc - tell her if this doesn't suit you.

Sorry, I know I'm not explaining this very well. Sometimes I do all of the washing on the weekend and leave empty baskets. But mostly, the week starts with two loads of washing in the baskets, she does one wash and she finishes her week with two loads of dirty washing in the baskets.

Is she good with the children and the laundry is a minor bugbear, or do you have other issues with her and the laundry is the final straw for you?

That's what I said. She can't wash what's not in the basket

So don't wash over the weekend fry and nanny will wash Monday and do Friday sat sun clothes

Then wed wash mon and tue clothes which means you put on one load thur eve /fri an and wash wed/thur clothes

It may be doable to do 7 days but still think unfair if works 3

4:5 day nannies diff but 3 is here less then half a week but you expect full weeks washing done but if you want her to do that then that's up to you

I do bring this up at interview when discuss duties and so far all part time employers I've worked for agree with me and do put a wash on at end of week

So don't wash at weekends and ask nanny to wash mon and wed /make sure basket is empty at end of her working week :)

I would expect her to do all the kids laundry - it sounds like she has time.

It's not a question of fairness and three days or seven. It's a nanny with spare capacity while children are at nursery and this is the task that her employer wants doing during that time. If you make that clear and accept that it's time that should be devoted to laundry (rather than eg batch cooking) then that's what's done. If a part time office worker is required to do filing, then they do the filing rather than saying that they only do a pro rata amount relating to the days worked.

An office worker is there to do filing etc and nothing else

A 3 day nanny can't play with her charges lots if doing 7 days worth of laundry washing. Drying folding and ironing it

You know what though, the laundry has to get done at some point. The kids are not going to suffer excessively during this time. And anyway, the 1 year old likes 'helping', we make a game out of it. No ironing required.

I feel I've made this sound like a bigger problem than it really is! I just wanted to canvas opinion on whether other nannies generally empty the baskets each week or do a pro rata share, and opinion is split!

I'll just ask her to do 2 loads a week and I'll do 1. I think she'll be fine with that. Thanks for all the advice!

I'd want my nanny to be nannying, not being an expensive cleaner. So I would expect her to take care of what is in the basket / waiting to be ironed and put away on the days that she is there, plus changing the beds, but not doing 7/7s of the children's washing when she is only there 3/7s of the time.

I think that's fair enough OP to expect her to do a load (with drying and putting away) on a Monday & Wednesday. The nanny is working 3 days out of 5, so 0.6 FTE. You can do a quick wash on Friday, and leave the weekend clothes for her to do on Monday.

I don't think you need to negotiate or justify that as an expectation, just ask her can she do whatever laundry needs done on a Monday & Wednesday.

Your e

Posted too soon!

Your expectations are not unrealistic, it sounds doable, if you have a dryer then its just wack in washing machine, wack in dryer, fold, done, it doesn't take too long.

My nanny does all the kids laundry and bedding but he is full time, I think your idea of she does 2 you do 1 is fine though.

When I was a nanny I always just did the whole family basket, it felt petty sifting through and putting adults aside just because it's not dc stuff, I worked for the family in the end and also a child's load would be tiny and a waste of detergent/ water/ electric I would never wash our stuff separately at home either. I swear it doesn't take longer to just throw it all in the parents knew to put their special care garments aside. If I were your nanny and I felt you didn't have enough of a colour load I would leave it thinking that was the norm not to run half empty.

"I would leave it thinking that was the norm not to run half empty."

Yes I'm surprised there's two full loads of just children's stuff on a Monday.

Have always had a seperate laundry basket for kids

I don't want to have to touch employers dirty knickers and pants

Would never sift through their washing

Quite happy to hang up wet clean parents undies /washing - but not while dirty

What Blondes said!!

I know nannies that had to go through family laundry basket and found underwear with used sanitary towels still in, used condoms and pants with thick skid marks in!

I moan at my boss for putting my charges wet (poo'y or covered in vomit clothes/bedding also!) pants in the laundry basket! If he's had an accident put his clothes in a bowl of water in the utility room, at least then I have some idea what to expect!

3 day nanny washing
3 washing loads clothes
1 bath towels
Twice a month bed clothes (babies evey week)
Washed folded and put away special items ironed.
Kids love to help I had a few pinks thing come out of the washing machine will this help lol.
You nanny is not you 7 day clear it is not her job the other 4 days.

I must be an awful boss as nanny does the whole family's laundry in our house!

However we adults are clean and tidy, no used sanitary items or skid marks here .

Three day nanny should be doing three days worth of laundry for the children

Washing every morning, hanging to dry
Collecting them dry next morning, ironing while kids are napping