What does nanny do during baby naps?

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We are looking to employ a nanny for our 10 month old. One of the things we are wondering about is - what does a nanny do while the baby naps (at home)? Our DC naps around 1-1.5 hours in the morning, and 1.5-2 hours in the early afternoon.

I understand nannies usually do baby laundry and ironing, and tidy away used baby items, but this wouldn't take up 3+ hours every single day... we don't want to pay a nanny to sit around while baby naps (this happened a while ago when we trialled a nanny).
Is it reasonable to expect her to do some light housework like emptying the dishwasher, and prepping some meals etc (we have a cleaner so wouldn't expect her to do a full on clean)?

😂😂

How about have a break ? You know, that thing that people are legally entitled to if they work more than 6 hours a day? That thing you are obliged to give your nanny. With the attitude you currently have you will have much trouble finding and keeping a good nanny. We are childcare professionals and deserve to be treated with respect

I have three children, and I've worked as a nanny and I've employed nannies.

10 months old babies are full on, but they do not warrant over three hours of rest on a day shift.

People doing hard manual labour, laying bricks etc- do not get over three hours of break in a 10 hour shift. Surgeons doing intense stressful mental work, don't get over three hours of break in a 10 hour shift. Nurses providing personal care to multiple sick people (not one healthy baby), don't get that downtime.

I don't know a single SAHM who does nothing for three hours of her day.

Obviously the baby won't always nap for three plus hours, but while they do, it is entirely reasonable if you're employing a professional nanny (as opposed to a babysitter) to agree on what constitutes a reasonable break and what tasks would be helpful for the nanny to attend to on the days nap time allows. Obviously the rate of pay should reflect this.

I am so grateful to my nanny for treating my baby with kindness, looking after him with so much care, affection and energy that she can do whatever the fuck she wants when he's asleep. Some things are more important than getting your pound of flesh so you might want to think about what kind of employment environment you're creating.

When you previously "trialled" a nanny when your child was sleeping 5-6 hours a day, do you really imagine she had anything like that amount of time "sitting around"? Apart from being vigilant for baby waking, there's often time to settle. Then cleaning up/setting up nappy changes, bottles to wash/sterilise/prepare, laundry and toys to tidy. Parents of young babies are often exhausted because they are never 'off duty'.
It will be sensible to discuss any extra (non child-related) tasks you might like done when selecting a nanny. But don't be too surprised if you are told that family meal preparation is not on offer.

My friend has a nanny and she makes all the family’s evening meals for them. All three boys are at school now, but she did it even when she had one at home.

Mine is 2, and naps for 2.5+ hours at lunch obviously the nanny deserves a break, but I would expect an hour is about right, like any other job? Mind you in MN world, your cleaner doesn't have to clean as you should be grateful to have a cleaner, not to mention all the people who feel they Ave the right to work from home etc etc

Well obviously they enter a state of stasis only to be reanimated on the awakening of the precious prince of princess to whom they are beholden.

The responses on here are so weird OP, I think people are jealous that you have a nanny and a cleaner 🤷‍♀️ I don't know why people expect you to pay someone for sitting and doing nothing for hours and hours

@OurChristmasMiracle

I will take your job if you are employing? You sound like someone a nanny would love to work for.

They will probably go on MN and ask advise about their unrealistic employer

Oh FFS that’s not my meaning at all. My point is that the job of caring for children involves down time in which the person looking after them may not do much of anything and that’s fine. The OP sounds very concerned with ‘being ripped off’ by carers who aren’t busy the entirety of the time they are looking after her baby. To ask this person to do chores is insulting.

….The irony of your naive response being you think you are insulting responses for being ‘jealous’ (how juvenile) when really you’re insulting nannies. I seriously doubt nannies feel they do ‘nothing’ for hours and hours.

I'm basing it on the nannies I know of they do housework, like prep food when the baby is nappies. Until they're about 3, alot of babies/toddlers sleep for 2-3 hours. It's reasonable to expect that in a week, that some other things might be completed for that 10-16 hours surely? I'm a SAHM right now to a toddler, so I think I have a fair idea of what goes on. Maybe you don't spend time with your kids much so you're clueless 🤷‍♀️ don't get me wrong it's not an easy job, but I think if I only did it 9-5, I'd find it ok!

No one is saying all the down time should be a break but if the nanny is doing baby related activities (baby laundry, tidying toys, baby food prep, maybe research of activities to do with baby), they are likely to take an hour or two. If you then add an hour’s lunch and two 15 minute tea breaks, that probably adds up to around the 3 hours.

The OP seems to think the nanny doesn’t get a break and that she was ‘burned’ by a nanny who didn’t work during baby nap times.

It is perfectly possible to hire a nanny housekeeper, it’s just that most professional nannies don’t want to be one and won’t stay long in a house where that is expected.

When does she take her breaks? I'd assume whilst the baby sleeps. As others have said- you can not guarantee that the three hour napping will continue, or that it will be that easy every day. Looking after the baby stuff is all that a nanny should be expected to do. I'd assume you have some 'down ti e' during the baby's nap currently

Sure and that makes sense, it's juts alot of the responses were making OP out to be a slave driver which I think was unfair. One day the nanny might have a couple of hours off on a tough day, the next maybe half an hour. I just don't think OP should be expected to be paying someone to have all nap times with nanny on her phone all that time. Best thing is to probably actually find out from some agencies anyway, as I think people also confuse Au Pair for Nanny too which are completely different.

If she’s through an agency there’s usually a specific list of tasks you would be allowed to ask her to perform.

No decent nanny will agree to do housework. If you ask for this you will nay get people desperate for any job who either will not stay long, or will be very inexperienced.
You are not paying someone to sit around. You are paying someone to take care of your baby whether they are awake or asleep

She is being in the house, in your absence, making sure your baby stays safe. Need I say more. Who cares if she has a brew and puts her feet up. She's keeping your baby safe in your absence.

I think she should be deep cleaning and organizing your pantry.

Or maybe treat her like a human and let her have lunch and a cuppa.
There will be plenty to clean and organize for the baby.

OP ran away :D I wonder if she has taken comments on board or is still looking for one who should deep clean during nap time

I’ve only recently joined MN, but you guys can be really mean to each other… I thought this sort of thing was about women lifting up other women!?
I would like to believe that the OP perhaps chose her word’s insensitively when she referred to being ‘burned’ and the previous nanny doing ‘nothing’ rather than assume that she’s some kind of brutal dictator as some of the comments here imply!

in terms of the answer to the original question, my view is that the answer lies somewhere in between.

I have a job and it requires training and knowledge and responsibility, similar to a nanny/early childhood practitioner. In my role I have primary responsibilities. My manager may ask me from time to time to assist with secondary responsibilities. For instance, answering the phone or collecting extra paper for the printer are not my primary responsibilities. But if I have a quiet period, my manager may say, would you mind answering the phone while your colleague is in a meeting. I would say yes, I have sufficient time to do that. If I did not I would say, sorry I can’t get to that today. But if I can, I will, as it makes the running of my workplace smoother, most of my colleagues are the same (obviously there are a few who are not always!)

I think that this situation is similar to the nanny workplace situation. I don’t think family meal prepping is appropriate as this is a very personal thing, but I do think that once nanny has had her break (say an hour, depending on working hours..) then she may be able to do some tasks such as emptying the dishwasher, as this may then be refilled by baby morning tea/lunch things. However if she cannot, because baby only had a short nap, or baby was sick, so she has had some extra clothes/bedding to wash etc… then that is fine as it’s not within those primary responsibilities and the parents need to be understanding. But to say would you mind unloading the dishwasher if you have time, seems more than reasonable.

If she’s an actual Nanny then she’s a childcare professional and won’t want to do any “light household tasks like food prep or emptying the dishwasher” for you as that’s not her job. Her job is to look after the baby and do tasks relating to the baby.

Maybe you’d be better off with a nanny/housekeeper type role but you might find it hard to recruit one. They also may not be qualified or have much experience, as most professional Nannies don’t want to do housework, and that’s fair enough really.

So she could prepare babies food and unload baby’s items out of the dishwasher but no she shouldn’t so be doing light housework for YOU.

The nap is her break time, the baby won’t always sleep for 3 hours a day. In fact give it a few months and the baby will be down to one nap a day.

If money is that tight you begrudge paying her to “sit around whilst baby sleeps” then maybe a Nanny isn’t for you.

The OP is putting other women down with her 'insensatively worded' post... we aren't going to support her in abusing other women in her employment.