full-time nanny when kids are at school?

[bossykate]

dd will be joining her older brother at school in september. in the past we have used a combination of nursery, after-school nanny and after-school club for childcare, so it might seem strange to some that i am considering for the first time in the children's lives a full time nanny when they are both at school.

my reasons are to make dh's and my lives somewhat easier. while the children have always been well looked after, managing the various moving parts has taken more effort than it really should have from me!

for e.g. i would like to be able to delegate planning the children's supper and looking after their toys and clothes. in addition, a "proper" nanny should be able to ferry them to various extra-curricular activities that are not laid on at the school and supervise homework - neither of which i have felt able to delegate to our after-school nannies - good though they have been.

also, i feel that an after-school nanny only ever sees the children at their worst when they are tired at the end of the day.

therefore i am considering a ft nanny when i return to work in september/october time.

i would be grateful for any advice, especially on what the nanny occupies herself with while the children are at school!

TIA

I'd get a nanny/housekeeper and write some housework into the contract.

Yes an after schoolnanny will see the children at their worst as tired BUT I also feel that if you employ a nanny, they SHOULD still do the things a PROPER nanny would

ie cook tea, do homework and take to swimming/activites..
not sure why you think an aftre school nanny wouldnt do that

other problem is what would you do in school hols?

a friend with own child does 2-6 in term time and gets there puts washing on, starts to make tea, icks up children from school,gets home,puts washing in tumble dryer/hangs out, then does homework/activites and gives tea

its amazing what you can do in 4 hrs

then in holidays she works 8-6 for them, and takes her own child with her - works well for her, she can do swim/m&t with own child during the day

not sure a full time nanny would want to do housework - i wouldnt

We gave up our full-time nanny when all the DCs were at school. At the time we couldn't justify the cost but we lived to regret it if I'm honest.
If you can afford it, I'd get a full-time nanny/housekeeper that has housework included in the contract - some will, some won't. Ours did but it was expected right from the start we didn't introduce it after she joined us. She would take the DCs to school, return to the house and do the laundry, cleaning etc then after lunch she had a couple of hours off to tend to her horse that was stabled locally, so it worked out well for both of us. She then collected the children from school, did homework/out of school activities, made tea for the DCs (not us) and cleared away. Life without her was a lot harder!
HTH

If I had a f/t nanny I would delegate all the things you suggest plus:

Sourcing arts and crafts stuff for the endless hat / costume / model projects
Baking for cake sales
All the children's laundry, tidying etc
Cooking a meal which was good for the children when they get in but also suitable and enough left over for you and DH later (a couple of days a week, anyway)
Aquisiton of presents and cards for other children's parties.

And the expectation that they would adjust their hours to cover school hols when required.

Would the nanny get the children to school, or start later in the day?

thank you very much for replies so far

and put in cup rincing in her contract ,this is a definate must LOL

I would also recommend a nanny housekeeper however it can be difficult to find exactly what you are looking for.

I'm assuming that you will want someone with English as their 1st language (or at least very good) so that they can help with homework etc, however not everyone woul dbe happy to do the housekeeping side of the job.

There are brilliant housekeepers out the too but some ar not great at the childcare aspect of things.

That is not to say that it is impossible to find what you could be looking for but I think it is harder to find a good nanny housekeeper than it is to find a good nanny or good housekeeper.

thank you very much for these comments.

has anyone had a nanny/housekeeper? i take on board that the role can be a difficult hire...

thanks again

we are going through the exact same dilemma and have found it difficult to find the sort of person we want. Nannies don't want to do housework (understandably since they have chosen to be nannies). In my experience you are likely to have to compromise on some aspect - if you are prepared to consider a nanny bringing her own child then that might be the best bet.

I don't know how old your children are but our current thinking is to find a good cleaner who can also do the school run and prepare tea.

However, our priorities tend to alternate - when we have a qualified nanny we dream of a cleaner and tidier house and when we have an au pair/other arrangement we dream of someone who knows how to organise the children.

Good luck - and I'd be interested to know what options you find.

Hi bossy kate....I have one but I have to say its not an easy relationship at times..........see my other threads.......

Make sure you set out the boundaries right from the start and make sure you dont give her a load of time off during the middle of the day.

My nanny /hk works 7 to 11 and then 3 to 7 and quite often bleats about what she cant get done. She certainly doesnt work swiftly.........makes a pot of coffee.....chats to the cleaner etc.Without children there of course she can work at whatever pace she wants!

It winds me up because I feel she is working part time for FT pay. My fault because I was niave when I set it up .

My stepsons (13, 10) have always had a full-time nounou (French cleaner-cum-child carer). Most of the families I know in Paris have a nounou.

It definitely reduces the logistics of life to have someone permanently stationed at home but there is inevitably a trade-off between chores and quality of childcare. Someone who is able and willing to do homework with the children, read stories, make rational explanations of the world around them and be involved in the children's lives is rarely also willing to scrub loos and floors and spring clean the kitchen.

Could you have an afterschool nanny/light housekeeper and a cleaning agency once a fortnight for the heavy-duty chores?

Could you get an afternoon only nanny?

Who comes in at lunchtime, sorts out the kids rooms/clothes etc and prepares food, picks up from school and then does all the other stuff

Blimey Anna8888 that made me laugh...nounou was the name of the vacum cleaner machine on the tellytubbies!

I agree with the sentiments on here........my nanny/hk is great with the kids etc but not so keen on the other chorse.

I get grumpy and cross because I feel that I was at home I would have to do it all and the for the vast amount of money paid so should they...........but then did you see that pig flying over just now.

Vast quantities of chill pills is what you need!

I'm an after sch nanny and I ferry kids to activities , cook tea, do homework, bath them and put on washing. However, it is slightly manic to say the least! I prefer to be busy though, so it suits me. I work full-time in the hols also. I do think your right to consider full-timer though. There is much more I could do if I had more hours. I sometimes feel the children would benefit if I could spend more time on homework instead of rushing round cooking etc when they come in. Also, you don't have to worry about what you will do when the children are ill. I do work full days when the children are ill, but I am not actually contracted to do so, and therefore do it begrudgingly! Obviously , I don't show it!

I am a full time nanny and while the children are at school I do the laundry, clean the kitchen and childrens rooms, do supermarket shop and errands, and prepare dinner for whole family. I also go to the gym in that time as i dont finish work until 7 at the earliest and i have no energy by then (having started at 7am!) Of course if children are sick or if Parents have extra errands i wont go to the gym, and during holidays i dont go-12 hours of children is enough exercise!

hi everyone

i really appreciate the comments so far, thank you

you know those threads where you have tons to say?

have tons of comments here and am saving myself for the next time i will have a decent chunk of time to reply - which is likely to be Thursay am.

thank you very much for the comments so far and looking forward to more.

As a nanny myself i would prefer to be full time then afternoon/aft sch. In Sept my job is changing as ill have one at sch and one at nurs (part time) i work 7-4 do both of drop off's pick up's then if im in house ill do childcare duties- Clean playroom, sort washing/ironing, prepare meals etc I have to be honest and say i dont do/wouldnt do housework and my boss knows this. I am a nanny after all not a cleaner, where as if you employed a nanny/housekeeper that would be their job from beguining.