I judge the families my nanny is interviewing for....

DandR · August 2009

She tells me about the crazy (i.e. not my parenting style) things these people want my nanny to do.

Family A--Kids get fed when they say they are hungry...and there is 5 kids...so you could prepare breakfast and lunch 5 different times and have it spread out over a 2 hour period...they also don't eat at the table, so the kids could pick at the food, go play, go pick, go play, etc. She get 4 weeks vacation time...or so they call it. 2 of those weeks she goes with them on their vacation and the other 2 weeks are when they pick...she does not get to pick a single day off. And they told her they do not tolerate her taking time off "all medical appointments can be made for the weekend, so we won't approve time off for doctor or dentist appts." HA!

Family B--newborn...like 4 weeks old. Baby MUST be fed every 3 hours, no more, no less...she's doing that eat play sleep thing. She is nursing the baby and only nurses him for 30 minutes...sets her timer and when it dings she pulls the baby off because "baby shouldn't need to eat longer than that" And somehow the baby DOES sleep for 10 hours at night...the mom said she can't figure out though why the baby acts hungry 2 hours after feeding, but she makes the baby wait until its the "appropriate 3 hour time". Also, the baby sleeps in a crib at night, but the mom holds the baby during the day for naps and expects nanny to do it as well. "its the only way he takes a 3 hour nap during the day. So I sit as still as I can on the couch." and nanny can't watch TV, since she will be holding the baby because it may potentially expose the baby to TV, while the baby is sleeping.

These people make me roll my eyes. While I get it...you are paying someone and that someone should do what you want them to do, the holding the baby during nap, feeding kids throughout the day as they are hungry, etc just seems a little ridiculous to expect a nanny to do. And I feel bad for the baby who is on the mom's schedule.....