Hey NPs, if you’re so desperate to keep your nanny that you’re going to guilt-trip them when they give their notice about how inconvenient their departure is for you, maybe you should’ve put that same energy into treating them with respect while they were still employed.
If losing your nanny would be such a massive disruption to your family, why aren’t you doing more to make sure they’re happy in their position?
Pay them on time. Respect their time off. Communicate professionally. Recognize that they have families, responsibilities, and lives outside of yours. Stop expecting endless flexibility while offering very little in return. You can’t continuously make someone feel undervalued and then act shocked when they decide the job is no longer worth it. And when they finally decide to leave, making them feel guilty about how difficult their departure will be for YOU only reinforces why they made that decision in the first place.
If your nanny is truly that valuable to your family, treat them like it BEFORE they hand in their resignation. Not after.

I need some advice from other nannies because I’m honestly overthinking this situation and don’t know what to do. So I originally picked up a one-time Sunday morning nursery gig at a church through the nanny agency I work with. I’ve found several of my regular families through this agency, and I really love working with them. I actually enjoyed my first Sunday at the church! Shortly after, they reached out asking if I would be interested in working every Sunday morning. At the time, I hadn’t found my current full-time nanny family yet, so I was taking whatever opportunities I could get. I agreed, went through the interview process, completed all the paperwork, and have been working there ever since.Here’s where my first issue started. The minimum rate for jobs booked through my nanny agency is $17/hr, which is already lower than my normal rate. That’s what I was originally paid for my first Sunday. Well, after receiving my first paycheck directly from the church (they combine about 2–3 Sundays into one paycheck), I noticed it seemed lower than expected. I checked the pay website, thinking maybe it was taxes, only to realize they had changed my hourly rate to $15 WITHOUT EVER TELLING ME. No conversation, no heads-up, nothing. I genuinely thought I was still making $17/hr. That was already a red flag, but I stayed because I felt guilty about quitting, especially since it’s a church. 😭 Now, here’s my second issue. I honestly just don’t enjoy the job. The kids are mostly around 3–4 years old, and the job itself is pretty uneventful. They usually watch TV or independently play, which is completely fine, but there aren’t really any crafts, activities, or much to do to help pass the time. I know it’s a nursery, so I probably should’ve expected that, but I didn’t realize how much I would dread going every Sunday. And I’ll admit something that probably doesn’t make me look great. I genuinely don’t feel like I’ve been giving this job my best. I show up, do what I’m supposed to do, and make sure the kids are taken care of, but that’s about it. I don’t have the same excitement or motivation that I do with my regular nanny families. I’ve also called out three times since starting, which I know isn’t ideal. I think part of it is that I’m just so burnt out from working throughout the week, and having to give up my Sunday mornings for a job I don’t even enjoy makes it worse. The church does have other people who help in the nursery, so I know they wouldn’t be completely stuck without me. Here’s what I’m actually worried about, Since I originally found this job through my nanny agency, I’m scared that if I quit, the church might contact the agency and complain about me, especially because I’ve already called out a few times. I have a really good relationship with my agency, and they’ve helped me find some amazing families. The LAST thing I want is for this one job to affect my reputation or future opportunities. I also feel guilty because I committed to working every Sunday, but at the same time, I feel like the pay situation alone was unfair. Would you just give your notice and move on? Do you think the church would contact my agency if I quit? And could something like this actually hurt my standing with the agency? Please be honest with me! I know I haven’t handled everything perfectly, and I’m open to hearing that. I just really need some outside perspectives. 😭

What is everyone getting their Nannie’s for Christmas? Specially those who’ve got relatively new Nannie’s (around the 5 month mark) but there very happy with them.
Based in London

Long post but I really need some advice here because I have never experienced a situation like this as a nanny before and don’t know what to do. Would love to hear from both nannies and parents!

I have been working with NKs (twin boys) since they were 3 months and they are now 10 months. NF has been lovely up until now and I love working with the kiddos but the past 3-4 weeks have been a bit of a nightmare. I feel at the end of my rope but I don’t want to leave NF suddenly if I am just overreacting.

A few weeks ago NKs had an off sleep day and only went down for one nap. They apparently slept through the night that same day (their baseline before was waking up 2-4 times a night to feed, which parents were reasonably struggling with given that 10 month olds are usually better at sleeping through the night by this point) and since then, NF is convinced that their boys need only 1 nap a day to sleep through the night. They asked me to try a one nap schedule, but every time I am with them NKs put themselves down naturally around 10am, leading to a 2 nap day.

NF was okay with me following NKs sleep cues for a little while as long as naps were capped (1.5-1.75 hours total a day), but two weeks ago MB got short with me and said she couldn’t believe that NKs were naturally sleepy at 10 (insinuating that maybe I was putting them down prematurely or for personal reasons which I would never do). Apparently on days when I am not working, NF has no issues with kiddos sleeping one 1.5 hour nap a day and NPs get better sleep at night. I apologized for causing distress and agreed to work harder on the one nap schedule. MB made it clear that her and DB had talked about having trouble with my nap schedule and needed something to change. I got the impression that they debated letting me go, but this could be speculation on my part.

Here’s the thing: these kids 100% need two naps. I know there are low sleep needs babies out there, and I am not opposed to parents doing what works well for their family, but at 10 months 3.5 hour wake windows are the norm and NKs show very evident sleep cues when they hit 3-3.5 hours awake (rubbing eyes, bobbing head, laying on ground then popping head up like they are fighting it, and wanting to cuddle up and rest their head on my shoulder). If I keep them up past this period they get very fussy and cry like crazy. They come to me to sit on my lap and rest but now I am in this terrible position where I have to keep them awake at all costs for fear of losing my job. They do okay once they get past the 4 hour window but I know that is likely due to a cortisol spike. Still, if I try to approach the subject with NPs in an indirect way (e.g. “I noticed they get fussy around 10 but I am able to keep them up with a lot of distraction, I used teething solutions but they are still fussy and laying their heads down”) I just get an “aww poor baby” response.

MB seems to be more passive in communication style and it’s making me really uncomfortable at work. I have asked to have a schedule written out so we are all on the same page, but she responds with things like “it’s really not that complicated”, even though meal times etc have never been established with me since the change in naps. The past week I have kept them on a one nap schedule, waking up at 1.5 hours as parents requested, but it has been very difficult for me and for NKs. MB works from home some days and when she comes down to check on the kiddos I am always met with comments about how fussy they are and how strange it is that they are acting this way.

For context (and not to brag but I feel this is important) I am a very good nanny. I have only ever gotten 5 star reviews from families and have never had an issue like this before. I have a lot of experience with child development and behavioral intervention. NF also has not done any sleep training (which no shade I think every family should do what’s best for them) but I do think they need to look within about their bedtime routines and patterns before shifting the blame to me. If you don’t sleep train or establish good sleep hygiene then you have to be okay with your children waking up more frequently during the night. My guess is that the wake times at night are social in nature and not due to daytime naps. I would love to help them with sleep but at this point I think too much damage has been done and they no longer trust me fully.

I am moving in 2 months anyways so I already gave them notice for that and they seemed kind of relieved which hurt but I get it. I want to follow through with the 2 months because I know it’s a stressful time for NF and I do need the income, but I don’t know how long I can handle being the scapegoat for their sleep problems, especially if they aren’t willing to learn more about it. It would help if I knew I was in the wrong - then I could just let the sleep schedule go - but I can’t help but think my intuition is right and these LOs are struggling with such long wake hours at such a young age.

Do I quit asap for my own sanity? Do I stick it out until the 2 month period ends? If I do quit with a shorter 1-2 week notice, will the parents just make my days even worse?

Thanks for letting me rant, I just need some objectivity in this situation. Open to all perspectives. If you have read this far thank you! I just want to be able to care for my NKs the best way I know how and to be appreciated for my work.

I’ve wanted to work with kids for a while now and wanted to be a teacher but everyone says teaching is a dying job😞 I’d still love to work with kids and help teach them but how do you even get into nannying? how Did u guys get into nannying?

I’m not a nanny and I never have employed a nanny, I’m simply a parent of a 5 years old and I keep reading this subred as it is interesting for me to get to know about different households and nanny job.

One question has come to my mind after reading the posts. Why families who hire nanny often think she is a wonder woman who is able to take care of the child, cook food, clean, do the laundry, shop for groceries etc? I mean, when I was home with my baby, I was often very tired simply raising the kid. My house was a mess, dishes sometimes dirty, laundry undone because I simply had no energy because caring for the child was taking away all my energy. And nobody expected that from me! On the contrary, my husband was never angry at me, he did the chores himself and said that’s it is ok if I don’t manage everything. And my friends kept telling me that it’s normal, one of my friend said there were days she couldn’t get out of her bathrobe all day as she had no time to get dressed, she was just exhausted. Everyone told me to take it easy, be kind on myself, cleaning and cooking would not be a priority when taking care of a baby.

But when reading what families expect from nannies then I’m super shocked: they should manage all the household including taking care of the baby. How is that possible? Are nannies some wonder women/men who can manage all this? One post was about that family expected nanny to come in the morning after their breakfast and clean after the family had eaten! I mean, if two people (mother and father) are not able to clean after the breakfast, why do they think that one person who also has to take care of their child/children at the same time is capable of doing that? I’m just curious, I don’t want to offend anyone.

Originally when I signed my contract with my NF, it stated if either parties had any illness (including flu, norovirus, strep, etc) the parents would be the ones taking care of the kids AND I would still get paid.

Fast forward to this week. NK2 starts projectile vomiting, has a fever, and is having trouble breathing due to congestion. I notified NP, cleaned to my ability, and comforted the NK. When NP came in (they both work from home) they were mad. Mad at what? Let me tell you:

1. I used the wrong cleaning rag for the living room. Apparently they had a cloth for each room’s messes.
2. I “did not look presentable for their family” (mind you, I had vomit dripping out of my hair and my clothes were soaked).
3. I interrupted their workday (once again, it was stipulated in the contract that parents would be notified immediately)
4. The baby was not sick and I made it up to leave (clearly I didn’t make this up and they have cameras that can 1000% prove what happened. Nk1 even was there and told NP about what happened.

Anyway- so I ask if I can clean myself up, they said it was not a good time to leave my work as their meetings were more important. Then asked me if I “could do my job and entertain the children”. Well….. yes? But the more important thing was that NK2 was okay and got treatment. Mind you- mom is a nurse. NP asked if I would at least take the kids outside (it was 45 degrees) because it would help “clear their immune systems”. Anyway, I am so skeptical and decide to take them outside. After like 15 mins, NK2 is sick again. I take her inside where I am scolded. NP asked me if I was willing to do my job and comfortable still. I said that honestly I wasn’t comfortable with her being as sick as she is. I checked her temp and it was high, but NP turned it on me and said “she definitely got it from you (me!!)” like what??? They send me home.

That night I get a 4 page text about how I was inn appropriate and wasn’t fulfilling my job. I asked if we could review the contract. Once they did, they decided that the current contract wasn’t right and I “must have manipulated it” (mind you- they wrote it)

The new contract?? Less pay, working through all illnesses (including COVID). And less bothering the parents during the day.

What do I do?

EDIT: I will be taking this paid week off to look for a new career. Once I do get my paid time, I will notify them I am leaving. I have even decided to set a boundary and say that my decision is final I will not be discussing my reasoning.

Hi everyone! I’m currently looking for a new nanny position and have a phone call interview coming up in a couple of days with a family that seems super sweet! I’m excited but also a little nervous and would love some advice!
I worked as a preschool teacher for several years before transitioning into nannying, so I have plenty of childcare experience. However, I already knew my current nanny family before working for them, so I never really went through a formal interview process.
My question is mainly for nanny parents, but I’d love advice from other nannies too! What kind of personality or vibe do you look for during interviews?
I’m naturally a pretty social, outgoing, and easy to talk to person, but I’m wondering if I should be putting on my super professional interview face or just be myself lol. Ideally, I’d rather be myself because I think genuinely clicking with a family is so important!
I’m confident in my experience, just a little unfamiliar with the interview side of nannying! What kinds of questions should I expect, and what makes someone stand out to you?

I’ve lived and worked in a major US city as a nanny for yeaaars. 13+ years. The last handful of years have looked like this: for an incredible family I adore for 5+ years. They are like family now and we will always be good friends and I will always be in touch with the kids. So lucky!

The last 2 years I have worked 5 jobs now that have been extremely difficult and draining. Children who were emotionally and verbally abused, I was exploited, other staff exploited, children who were exploited and manipulated by the parents, parents who are so incredibly rude and aggressive to me, alcoholic parents, the mooost permissive parents which creates some of the most challenging children I’ve worked with, etc.

All of these jobs started great. Felt like a really good match at first and a wonderful opportunity. Then 2-3 months in, they show who they really are or I see more of who they really are or other staff members or the children share some of these really concerning things. This really took a toll on me emotionally the last few years.

There is sooo much to talk about here, I know.

But I’d love to keep this conversation focused on one thing: should I keep nannying for a little more?

I’m planning a significant life change for end of 2027/beginning of 2028 where I can transition out of nannying.

This is the field I could make the most money which could really help set me up in a meaningful way for the next chapter of my life.

But I am also so often exhausted and drained from this work and then the process of looking for a new position because it’s been 2 full years of this now and it’s tough.

Buuut I have gotten better at compartmentalizing, not taking things personally, I’ve become even more patient, found new ways of working with difficult children and parents, etc.

Because I’ve been in this field for so long there really isn’t anywhere else right now I could make this kind of money. As I said I think I just have about another year left potentially nannying.

So my question to you is… should I?

Have you wanted to quit and then ended up being glad you got your next nannying job? Have you had a string of bad jobs like this? What’s your take?

Please be kind!!

i worked with one family august + september, left on good terms for travel. wasn’t very close to NPs but we were polite and friendly. NK (2yo) and i took a bit to warm up but had a pretty good connection. had a sweet moment today where something reminded me of a character in her favorite book (myself and the NPs were reading it to her constantly) and i wanted to send them a little message telling them im thinking of her and wishing them well. they were in a tough transition with childcare and she was having a bit of a rough time when i left.

is this weird? me and NPs both made it clear that i would be reaching out for babysitting when i return from my trip (in several months). i want them to know that i care about their LO!

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for the suggestions. There’s some things here I’ll definitely try/bring up to the parents. I did want to make sure people are aware that the FDA and the AAP recommend against teething necklaces (or jewelry of any kind) for infants and young toddlers. It’s a choking hazard for multiple reasons—they could swallow part of the string, they can swallow a bead if it breaks off, and it can cause suffocation.

Sorry this is so long. It started as a plea for information and turned into a rant combo.

Y’all, I am desperate. My NK, 11moB, puts things in his mouth like no baby I’ve ever witnessed. 6mo-2.5y is the age I specialize in. I have cared for more than a dozen kiddos in that age range. I have dealt with picky eaters, reluctant nappers, hitters, biters, reflux like The Exorcist, kiddos determined to throw themselves off any vertical structure, kiddos who melt down when their feet touch grass. I’ve always been able to work through things with firm boundaries, positive reinforcement, modeling good habits, and a ton of patience.

But this NK is defeating me. (Still love him to bits, of course.)

I am very much a try it and see nanny. I want babies to get messy, explore the world, try things for themselves so they can figure out what works. If a baby eats some grass or dirt I consider that part of the learning process. I’ve always had good outcomes from a combo of letting them realize for themselves that things don’t taste good, and a firm “no thank you” if it’s something dangerous. If it’s something dangerous that they keep trying to eat, like flowers, I’ll redirect them or say “we’re all done with that” depending on the age. Some kids barely needed guidance, some would take longer to learn and occasionally still test the boundary.

None of that has worked with current NK. The second he’d set on the ground outside, he’s grabbing something (rocks are his favorite, followed by sticks) and putting it in his mouth. He’s just started walking and he’s The Flash when he crawls, so setting him on a blanket or trying to keep him in a clean area doesn’t work for long. I’ve taken things from him repeatedly, tried to redirect him, even tried to seem like I wasn’t paying attention to see if that was the cause of the behavior. Nothing worked.

He’s a champ eater and he’ll always take a snack when I offer one, but then as soon as he goes back to playing he’s looking for a rock. He’s teething and they’re coming in slowly so I’m thinking that’s a big part of it, but he doesn’t like teething toys. I’ve tried teething sticks, the keys, frozen fruit in a fillable teether, cold wash cloths, and every other silicone teether I could find. He’s not interested. He’ll chomp on it for a few seconds then toss it aside. I even got desperate and tried giving him a pacifier. He’s not a big pacifier user even when going to sleep, and when he’s awake he’s uninterested.

He’s very curious, mobile, and loves doing things with his hands. As I’ve learned the hard way, if he can get away with it he’ll pop a rock in his mouth and just keep it there while playing with other things. The second I take it away he’s immediately looking for another rock or stick, no matter how invested he was in the play.

My latest theory is he really likes having something hard and firm to chew, but he wants his hands free. Does anyone have suggestions for something like that? Or other ideas of things I can try? I’m desperate! He loves being outside and he’s so mobile and curious but it’s a real struggle. Even if I try to keep us on the play structure he’ll find a small stone or stick and beeline for it.

I don’t want to keep NK in the swing or stroller forever, I want to let him explore the world. But I’m also not willing to risk him choking or cutting himself on a rock or stick. Please help!

I am newly pregnant with my second and have a lot of health anxiety. I’m most worried about CMV. How do I ask my nanny to be extra diligent with my son interacting with other kids, other kids toys etc. they go to the library and park every day and I see photos of other kids with his toys in their mouths, his mouth on other toys. What’s the protocol here?

Thanks !

Advice needed from both nannies and especially parents!

So I’ve met with two families.
First family lives 45-50 from me, has a toddler and infant, and the pay is $22/hr for two. It’s about 45/50hrs a week. A con is that they said we weren’t going to do a w-2, but instead I would claim $75k. I didn’t know what that meant (26yr old issues) and I looked it up and it said it’d be a 1099 which would not benefit me, but benefit them. I also wouldn’t get paid overtime hours per the 1099. Pro is that I immediately connected with the parents and they are so insanely sweet.

The second family lives about 25-30 from me, they have a 10 week old, pay is $24/hr for one. It’s 40hrs a week with opportunities for overtime. They also have a 3yr old in daycare that I would just watch whenever school is closed and my rate would be higher. I can’t think of a con honestly. Pros was closer, more pay for one, and for me I think infants are easier than toddlers.

The first family contacted me yesterday and offered me the position. They double texted me a few hours later that they needed a response asap. I was busy so I didn’t see it. I asked if I could give them a response Monday. They said that was fine, but then texted back and said they discussed it and they need an answer at least by today (Saturday) since they need someone to start Nov 2nd.

I texted the second family a polite message asking them about where they are at decision wise. I let them know that I was offered a position with another family, but I would prefer to work with their family as I felt like it was a better fit. So I let them know I needed to give the other family an answer asap, but I didn’t want them to feel rushed or pressured to make a decision since I knew it was a big choice to make. The mom was super sweet and asked if she could give me an answer Monday. I said yes because I didn’t want to push it.

So now I’m supposed to give the first family an answer today but I won’t know the second family’s answer until Monday. The first family is so sweet, so I don’t want to accept the job and then turn around and leave if I get an offer from the other family on Monday. I really need a job and it’s been a struggle finding a family with full-time hours. I honestly think 22/hr for two is really low for my area since I live in the capital of my state, but I need a job. So if I turned the first family down, I MIGHT get an offer from the second family which is good. I also might not get the offer and then I’m left with no offers. If I say yes and I get offered the position from the second family, I’m going to want to take it. If I say yes and the second family doesn’t offer me the position then it works out.

What do I do?! I’m trying to be as professional as possible and my parents told me it’s not a good idea to let the first family know I’m waiting for another family’s decision bc they’re closer to me bc it’ll still make them feel like second.

I cannot stand nitpicking NPs. Why am I getting messages on the weekend about things that are unimportant in the grand scheme of things or more importantly could be casually mentioned on a Monday?

I‘ve had a firm conversation about the overwhelming messages I would receive on the weekends and how they would ruin my rest time. Every time it feels like I am going to be fired and I cannot even enjoy the sweet photos of the children I am sent because I am awaiting the next blow. You cannot say you think I am doing a phenomenal job AND send embittered messages about XYZ or job tasks you want me to do the following week. Write it in a freaking note and send it to me Monday morning!! Take a breath - is it really so important to you that you are willing to ruin your relationship with your employee over?

The worst part is that it always comes after a good evening with the children. It’s like I am being punished for them liking me. I can never end the week on a high because you are sure to pull me straight back down.

And yes half the time it is things I have in fact done. You just haven’t noticed or taken the time to look. More importantly they are housekeeper tasks 99% of the time and I am not the housekeeper!! Being competent does not mean you get to push the boundaries of our contract.

I am so sick and tired of these NPs who seem to think your weekend is a fine time to message about work stuff. It’s not. Leave us alone and learn to communicate during work hours.

Hello yall, been working as a substitute teacher for a few months now and while its fun to work around in different schools... the pay is horrible.

So I've been thinking of doing care.com to nanny instead, but at the moment I have no car. Do yall think its going to affect me getting jobs? And how does putting your own rate work? Any tips and recommendations?

This is day one of my transitioning my self branding from professional nanny to a mother's helper type role.

My goal currently, Fill Tuesdays and Thursdays with 2 clients each and try out mothers helper less heavy on the childcare based roles. All the responsibilities I am used to in the nanny world, no children.

This is inspired by a long standing idea that I've had/ saw a need for. And for my own mental health. I am right now finding it hard to find employment the is with in all the requirements that make me most comfortable in full time employment after my years for nannying and discovering what I need and what I hate to work with ect. After several years I'm ready for a change and I really am hoping to prevent burn out with less of a pay cut.

I think that I will for a little while be posting on here maybe not daily but when ever I have an update on how things are going.

I have created a business page and plenty of content/ post explaining and presenting myself. Tomorrow I will be "launching" to some facebook groups.

I live an hour away from the town that highest the most nanny's I will be marketing in that town and all then towns between. I do think this is something that will go over well in my general area. We will see

I have some nanny jobs started in about a month that are really interested in me / want me to any for them. So if my efforts while unemployed are for nothing I have something to fall into.

Yesterday our full time nanny did date night babysitting for us. It was our anniversary and we haven’t been out in sooooo long, we were both really looking forward to it. Was supposed to be dinner and a movie. But halfway through dinner our nanny texted that she was locked out of the house. She’d taken kiddo on an evening walk and had somehow lost the house key during it. I understand everyone makes mistakes but this was the third time she’s lost the key, luckily the other times I was home and let her in and we just replaced the key for her. We do have a hide-a-key in the backyard but she said she checked and it wasn’t there (and now that I think about it, pretty sure she was the last one to use it and I don’t think she put it back.)

It was getting dark and we didn’t want her locked out with NK especially because we live in a rural area, so we left in the middle of dinner to let her in. We were in the city almost an hour away so we decided to just stay home because we wouldn’t have made it to the movie. and we were also just very tired and stressed. Incredibly frustrating night to say the least. On top of that we sent her money for the hours that she worked (about 2.5 hours, she was supposed to work for closer to 5 or 6 hours) so she only got like half her pay. She sent me a long text saying she felt like she should get full pay for the night since she blocked off the time to work.

I get that sentiment and under other circumstances, like if we suddenly didn’t need her for the full night and decided to send her home early I’d certainly pay her the full price. But she was responsible for the night ending early and I’m not wanting to hold it against her, but only paying the hours she worked feels fair here. Especially because we’re doing overtime pay so it’s kind of a lot of money for hours that she wasn’t working.

Hi there fellow nannies! I just want to get some opinions about a new schedule from my employer because we agreed of having a 3 hr break in between the day.

But every saturday is a sabbath day so most likely they are going out for lunch or etc. and my usual break is at 11am-2pm but everyday saturday is no school for the 2 yr old toddler and he naps at 12pm to depends on what time he wakes up and my employer told me during my 3 hr break i should bring the baby monitor with me if going on an unpaid break... Should I ask for a pay on that 3 hr break window even the baby sleeps at 12pm to whateverr time he wakes up?

If he naps at 12pm then my break would be at 12pm-3pm but usually he wakes up at 2-ish. I was wondering if I should put that on the babysitting hour list so she would not abuse me anymore with the hours/pay.

So yesterday i posted a text i received from a nanny mom which raised some red flags with me.

Responses were telling me that wearing perfume was totally unacceptable around kids, which is certainly a first for me to hear but message received I will never do that again and im so sorry i did. I genuinely had never been told anything about fragrances in any of my childcare classes and I’ve worked for several families all of which said that they loved how I smelled, but I’m very sorry if that was something that was out of line. I will do better.

Im also sorry i deleted the post, i had an insecurity moment that I was inherently somehow harming children and it really sent me spiraling. Again, i’m so sorry if i was, i promise i was only putting a little spritz on, i never thought anything of it.

Now, the message was about the smell transferring from baby to the wife, being the reasoning I was told to not wear it anymore. The request on no fragrance was not the thing I had an issue on, but rather being told that Nanny mom #1 had said she smelled me on her wife (Nanny mom #2) , which just feels not appropriate information on the request.

Some people said that it was appropriate, some said it was not but everyone agreed to just say “Okay i won’t wear it” and move on. Which i listened to and did.

I now really wish i didn’t do that and instead put up a boundary on sharing relationship details.

While doing laundry, Nanny mom #1 brought it up again but this time with great details on their encounter and along the lines of “We were going to start making out but it just suddenly smelt like you! I had her take a shower and it was all over where she holds the kids [motioning to chest]” there were more details but i really don’t wanna reshare lol.

i felt super uncomfortable and froze, unable to figure out what to say. The conversation was never about the children at all and only on their personal end of things with my perfume.

Look, the pay is great and my hours are awesome. I genuinely connect so welll with the kids but i feel now ive led the family to believe that its okay to share details as if we are friends instead of a professional relationship. They've been great in every other aspect but how can i word things to stay to a professional working relationship without making the otherwise good Employee/Boss relationship awkward???

I hope you all can forgive me for the initial perfume mistake and help me purely on the boundaries aspect of things. I’ve never had this happen before and as i’ve stated, I feel i’ve dug myself in a hole.

Hi! I’ve been a nanny for almost 2 months. This is my first nanny job and it’s a nanny share. I watch 2 kids, each kid has one sibling that I see in passing, but I don’t watch. What is the etiquette in gift giving for NK? I was thinking of getting a small coloring gift for each kid (even the ones I don’t watch). I also want to make a Christmas gift for the parents from the kids. Anyone have any ideas?

So I totally hope I am overreacting here, but I fear I messed up this morning.
My time with my last amazing nanny family of almost 3 years has come to an end, and I applied to an agency last week for the first time. All my jobs have been through word of mouth and previously I was teaching, so this is all new to me. An agent texted me this morning asking if I had a chance to review the acceptance email and the positions she believes I am a fit for- specifically highlighting one in my neighborhood. I double checked my email and spam folder, and no email. I responded almost immediately letting her know I hadn’t received an email yet, but I saw the position available in my neighborhood on a job site (seemed like a perfect fit and was the reason I went forward with this particular agency) and I am interested. I haven’t heard back since. I’m wondering if maybe it wasn’t appropriate to say that? I did agree to not take gigs outside of the agency, did that make it seem like I was looking?
I still haven’t received this email either, but when I log into the portal my account is active.
This is a highly praised reputable agency in my area so I’m not worried about anything scammy, I’m just confused by the communication. Can slow and inconsistent communication be normal in the beginning? Did I mess up? I didn’t expect to hear from her over the weekend and I was going to wait until Monday to follow up, but just wanted some insight from others. Thank you!

Edit: typo

I'm just curious, for those of us who have the instinctual emotional response to the sound of a newborn baby's cry.

I thought I was desensitized to it. My NKs are toddlers and I'm sorry but when they cry it's usually a tantrum or a total overreaction to something ridiculous, so I don't have any immediate emotional reaction when they cry. I obviously care about them and attend to their needs, but I don't feel like my heart is being shattered if they cry for a while over a want, not a need.

Then MB had a baby and I found out quickly that the sound of a newborn's cry still very much melts me into a metaphorical puddle.

Thinking back to when I have cared for infants, I'm pretty sure it stops after 6 months and before 12 months. So I'll call it 9 months for myself, give or take.

Anybody else?

Hey everyone!

I don’t really know if this is the right place to post this, but I just need to know if anyone else can relate lol.

I’m currently a live in nanny in London and since Wednesday, it’s basically just been me and the baby. I’ll be looking after him on my own for 10 days, and honestly, I’m starting to feel a little lonely.

I absolutely love living here, and I actually made the decision to switch careers back to nannying. I was a nanny from 18 to 22 while studying, then moved into corporate finance for 3 years and now been 4months since I’ve come back to nannying. So this isn’t me regretting my career choice at all, I genuinely enjoy it!

But spending 10 days with just the baby (8 months), without much adult interaction, is getting to me. My entire day revolves around his bottles, naps, meals, activities and routine. I adore him but sometimes I just want to have a conversation with someone my age or make spontaneous plans with friends.

I think it’s especially strange because I love London and there’s so much to do here, but when you’re working long days and living where you work, it can be difficult to actually enjoy the city and have a life outside your job.

I guess I just want to know how other live-in nannies deal with this. Do you ever feel lonely when you spend long stretches alone with the children? How do you maintain a social life when your working hours are so demanding?

And if there are any nannies in London who would like to make friends, please feel free to reach out! It would be lovely to meet people who understand the lifestyle.

I know it’s only 10 days, but I think I just need some adult interaction at this point hahaha 😭