New Nanny Contract

[mishmash]

I have just given my nanny her contract for the coming year and am wondering what her reaction is going to be.

I have added a few extra items into her responsibilities such as:

Menu planning - menu plan for the week must be given to me on a Friday so that I can ensure that ingredients needed are in the store cupboard. I am hoping that it won't be just pizza, fishfingers, sausages etc... I am hoping she will take the initiative and take to some recipes out of a cookbook that the kids can help with when they are off during the summer.

Activity planning - to include "bad" weather activities - again to be given to me on a Friday so I can ensure that all materials and equipment are available.

Daily Diary.

Some of you may recall the history of our nanny over the last few months. Things have become decidely worse to the point of total irratation so I am hoping that the above will give her some focus on what is expected of her besides me having to continuously having to pull her up on things. Mostly small but irratating things.

I think all three of those things are perfectly reasonable - and good for her, because it will help her to plan her week out
If she doesn't have many planning and organising skills, then this will help her develop them, as well as allow you more insight into what your children are doing and eating

I don't think its asking much and it will ensure she isn't being slipshod.

Good luck
Tills

ican understand your nanny may need picking up on if she is not doing her job to your standads but planning a week in advance for meals and especially outings isn't easy, a lot of activities are done on impulse eg other nannies invite you round last minute etc if your nanny has planned something to do and you have got te equipment then it would be a shme to either make your efforts go to waste or to miss out on an opportunity for a play date.

cooking for food is also not as easy as planning week by day. it all seems to regimented to me

how about just making a few suggetions on rainy day things but to do as and when suits etc.

daily diary is a good idea so you can keep a general record of your childrens feeding nappies etc thn you don't repeat things ie foods at the weekend

I get what your saying Jo - I guess it is like Tilly says more into organising things as at the moment I have to tell her what to cook and what activities to do - she won't go to anyone elses house.

surely her job should be to know what to cook for a balanced diet and she should have a wide range of things to do to entertain the children, thats what she is trained to do!

It sounds like your having to do most of her job (a large part is planning) thats not right. poor you. If it doesn't improve after you asking her to use a bit of her initiative(put in a polite way obviously) then i would consider looking again.

If you have a nnany then you should relax that they are doing the job they are being paid for.

Good luck

I have to say if i had to tell my boss what we were having to eat/ doing the week before i would be mortified!

I often dont know myself until 24 / 48 hours before or even on the spur of the moment!

I do all the shopping for me and the kids tho, and basically ensure that each week they have a

a 'Fish' meal
a 'mince' meal
a 'chicken' meal
a 'vegatarian meal'
a 'other meaty thing' meal

also have pasta / rice and 2 diff types of potatoe at least once a week. + whatever goes well with other meal

Lunches i generally do a
egg / ham / cheese / cheese spread / smoked salmon
with bread / rolls / bagels / toast

Jacket potatoes with beans / cheese / butter

cauliflower / broccolli cheese

make our own pizzas

other lunches like soup etc (only give them lunch 3 times per week)

I also ensure they eat a vary wide selecton of vegatables (they love almost all vegatables) normally 6 or 7 per day (rather than 5)

and for pudding we have yogs at lunch,

and a 'homemade pudding'
a 'milky' pudding
a 'chocolaty' pudding
a 'fruity' pudding
as well each week + whatever i think of...

you see i dont 'plan' as such and would be horrified if i had to say on mon we are having X and Y etc, because over all the children get a varied and balanced diet

(i rarely use processed food (beyond baked beans!) and REFUSE to give them reconsituted 'meat' (if u can call it that) of any kind.

Equally with activities... we spend time inside and out side each week, we do crafty stuff, arty stuff, cooking, playing 'games' playing with 'little' toys (playmobile / lego / dolls house etc) and read books etc, but again i dont 'plan' it as such just ensure (in my mind) that over the week we have done lots of different things!
When its a gorgosue sunny aftrenoon i like to be outside no matter what was planned, and when its miserable... well then the paints / playdough etc all come out and we have great fun to...

do you see what im saying?

I would be utterly insulted if my boss asked me to tell her what we were doing / eating every week, so be careful not to offend your current nanny.

We also have a nanny diary (but due to being so busy with the children i often fill in 2 or 3 days at a time!) normally just a brief summary of what we did / where we went, what they ate and when little once slept.

i look after 2 children aged nearly 3 and 4 1/2 btw!

I just think be CAREFUL with how you tell her!

Thanks - much appreciated - will take your advice and not be so regimented when we sit down to discuss

Again Jo I admire your initiative - unfortunately my nanny would not be as enthusiastic or as creative as you - so again that is where the forward planning came in. When they bake it is always the same thing.
It is always the same jigsaw that is out.
It is always the same game that is out if you see what I mean. The playroom is full of stuff that never seems to get played with.

She doesn't do the shopping and again I want her to try other things for lunch besides what she serves.

Your boss is very lucky to have a Nanny like you.

The last thing I want is to insult my nanny but just want to get her motivated a bit more because it will be good for her as well as the kids.

Sorry that reply was for NannyL

mishmash, I've worked as a nanny and now I'm a childminder, so I've got lots of experience. TBH I don't think your nanny has her heart in her job - she's just going through the motions. Of course I don't know what you agreed in her interview and what you pay her, but she doesn't sound much of a nanny going by your posts here...sorry!

You shouldn't need to organise her so much, she's not ready for sole charge if she can't use some inituative.

I'd look at another nanny/nursery as she sounds better suited to a mothers help position where the mum is around all day and can supervise when needed.

Mishmash, I really don't want to worry you, but your nanny sounds like the one I had who went off the rails completely (and got sacked). It started off with irritating things - toys everywhere, lunch and tea stuff left on kitchen table, plus paints (when she could be bothered to do anything creative with them). I sat down with her and went through what we expected of her, just ordinary things like stuff to be put away, dishwasher stacked. She just agreed with us but nothing changed.

Although your plan does sound a bit regimented, perhaps this is what she needs for a few weeks. I cook for my DDs myself and freeze the food so that I know they are getting decent home cooked stuff. Unfortunately, my nanny used to slop it straight from freezer tray straight onto the plate and didn't bother heating it up, never mind cooking veg with it.

I don't see anything wrong with saying, as per Nanny L, one fish meal, one chicken, one veggie per week, rather than having her write down what she is going to cook on what day. That might spur on her creativity - but then again, it might be fish fingers, chicken nuggets, tomato pizza!

Isn't your nanny Filippina? I've also found when employing someone from a different culture that they do things very differently from us on occasion - eg can sometimes be a lot more passive and just leave the children to amuse themselves rather than actively playing with them, and do need more guidance on how you want things to be done. I am probably going to be shot down in flames for that as a huge generalisation, but it's just my experience.

Mish Mash.....your Nanny sounds quite erm....I don't know the right word, but maybe 'unprofessional'?

She's paid to entertain your children and cook them proper nutritional food. She sounds like she doesn't really want to be in the job at all and is maybe just doing it for the money.

I am a nanny/nursery nurse and if you like your job, then of course you want the best for the children and that includes making sure they're given the best things possible. Maybe ask her outright if this is the job she really wants?

Mish Mash - feom what you have said it doesn't sound like your nanny has ever really excelled herself.
I think rather than a list of activites and plans produced by you, why not ask your nanny to sit down with you, and help put together some new and exciting activities that will challenge your kids a bit more.

Ask her what she's done with other kids, can she think of some good healthy food options?

She might just talk herself into being more enthusiastic, and imaginative and then it becomes her ideas rather than yours - and then its no excuse!!

Hopeful she will get the message that you better expect better for your kids, and she needs to pull her finger out.

If she doesn't engage, it doesn't she never will never be good at her job.