By bostonnanny
7:45 I get out of my car lugging my big blue rolling bag filled with activities for the week.
7:48 I'm on the elevator heading to the condo.
7:50 I'm knocking on the door.
7:52 dad opens the door half asleep. I ask how their vacation was and he gives a short answer while walking toward his room. A is still asleep.
7:54 I begin walking around the condo picking toys, blankets, laptops, papers and trash.
7:56 I begin making P's bottles for the day and breakfast for both kids.
7:57 I'm toasting waffles, have yogurt set on the table.
8:01 P and her dad knock on the door.
8:04 P's dad is asking me about my vacation and informing me about P's ear infection, while I have P in my arms and am giving her kisses.
8:06 I show P's dad the cute onesie I got her from my vacation.
8:07 P's dad leaves and we go to A's room to wake him up.
8:08 A jumps up from his bed, smiles and points at P while saying her name. I get him out of bed and give him a hug. I ask how his vacation was and he smiles and repeats the word vacation.
8:10 A is sitting at the table and P is in her booster seat eating breakfast. I
turn on pandora and sing a long to Elmo goes to school.
8:12 I stop feeding P and give her a waffle to munch on while I rip the sheets off A's bed, put a load of laundry in the wash, fill A's humidifier and start to unload dishwasher.
8:18 I go back to P and finish feeding her and A finishes up his breakfast.
8:36 I ask A if he wants to take a bath, undress him, change diaper and let him play in the tub.
8:38 I take P into the room and change her diaper and change her out of her pjs.
8:40 P is in her playpen playing with toys while A plays in the tub and I finish unloading the dishwasher.
8:46 I wash A up, lotion him, dress him and send him off to play.
8:50 I give a whining P her bottle.
9:00 I text my nanny friend to see if she wants to meet up.
9:05 I give A his crayons to color on his easel and P is playing on the Abc mat with some toys while I begin packing their diaper bag and lunch.
9:07 I get a reply from my friend and we agree to meet at 11 at the park in Cambridge, change P dirty diaper and redirect A from climbing on top of his bike.
9:10 I'm steaming veggies and cutting up strawberries while A is looking in the cabinets and drawers. I remind him to be careful when he closes them because he can get his finger caught, then I offer him a strawberry. He says strawberry over and over again but refuses to take one. I offer him a cucumber and he takes it.
9:22 P is napping in her playpen and A is riding his bike around her. I remind him that P is sleeping and to be quiet while she sleeps.
9:30 I get a call from my boyfriend telling me I filled out the mortgage application wrong, he sound angry...oops.
9:32 I switch the laundry and put in a new load. As I do that I remember A's grandparents are coming next month from out of country and I have to get them a present, then I remember Easter is coming up and I have to plan the Easter egg hunt and buy the baskets for the kids....I start to panic.
9:35 I finish up the steamed veggies and pack away the kids lunch.
9:50 dad comes out the room asks me how my house hunt is coming along. I show him the shirt I got A and tell him we are going to the park to meet up with friends.
9:58 P wakes, I put sweaters on both kids, place P in the stroller and ask A to get in. A refuses and calls out for daddy as he grabs his laptop and heads to his room.
10:00 I ask A to pick out a toy to bring for the train ride and he grabs all his trains and two matchbox cars. I put his trains in a ziplock bag and place next to him in the stroller.
10:03 I'm down in the lobby heading out the door when the concierge asks me to sign in. Grrr...
10:10 we are waiting for the train and A is so excited I think he's gonna pee himself when he sees the train.
10:17 A starts yelling "the man is sleeping, the man is sleeping" All the passengers start staring. I tell A the man is sleeping, he is tired and we need to be quiet.
10:25 we arrive at our stop and head to elevator where A tells me he wants to eat. I let him know he just had breakfast and a snack.
10:30 we are early for our play date, so I head to a coffee shop for a hot coco.
10:35 I'm standing in line with the double stroller asking A what he would prefer to eat. As I go down the list of options people in line start staring at me like my a lunatic talking to myself.
10:37 we decide on a cranberry pecan roll.
10:40 we are sitting having our snack and P is happily enjoying her roll with the pecans picked out.
10:45 P starts to gag and I quickly pat her back as she pukes up a piece of roll.
10:50 P is cleaned up and we are heading to the park. It's looks cloudy and I start to worry about rain.
11:00 I get a call from my boyfriend reminding me to call my car insurance about a claim.
11:06 we arrive at the park, meet our friends and it starts to rain :(
11:08 kids are back in the stroller and we head to the local book store.
11:12 in the children's section, A is coloring and wandering around. P is in my friends lap cracking up. While her charge is bringing her books to read.
11:45 A and P are in their stroller waiting for B and her charge Z to come back from the bathroom. I showed A an Elmo book and refuses to put it down, so we are bringing up stairs for lunch at the cafe.
12:00 all 5 of us are at the cafe, setting up lunch. I give A his food and feed P while I drink a boost and sneak a piece of cheese from my lunch box before A sees and asks for it. (I can't eat in front of him because he will refuse to eat his lunch and eat all mine.)
12:35 we clean up and say goodbye to our friends. I sneak the Elmo book away from A and put on a shelf.
12:38 we head to the restroom where I squeeze the double stroller through the door and quickly change both kids diapers.
12:45 at the station waiting for our train, pissed that the sun decided to come out as soon as we left.
1:00 on the train, explaining to A how many stops we have before we get home and reminding him it's nap time when we get back.
1:10 P fell asleep on the train which means no break for me today.
1:25 back in the condo, emptying the lunchbox, switched the laundry and watching A ride his bike around.
1:30 P suddenly wakes up...thank god!
1:32 P is on the mat playing with her toys, A is digging through his toy box while I fold his laundry and make his bed.
1:38 P and A join me in the bathroom. A is on his potty and P is sitting on the floor both are smiling and watching me pee.
1:40 water for my soup is boiling. P is throwing her face into my boobs motorboat style and laughing hysterically. A is on the floor next to me showing me his boat and car.
1:45 I tell A it's time for his nap and we get his sippy cup and toy car, then head to his room. I give him a kiss and he kisses P goodnight.
1:46 I kiss P and lay her in the playpen then start to make my soup.
1:54 A is singing the alphabet in his crib and P is making baby sounds.
2:00 both kids are asleep and I'm enjoying my lunch and checking my emails
2:02 call from my bf telling me the mortgage is looking okay.
2:37 I pick up the toys on the floor and put the dirty dishes A's dad left in the sink into the dishwasher. Feeling happy the maid came today and I don't have to do any more housework.
2:42 P is fussing, I ignore her and eat my banana.
2:44 A's dad walks out of his room and asks if I can stay late tomorrow, I agree.
2:46 P doesn't stop fussing, I check her log then give her a bottle.
3:00 P finishes her bottle and is on the floor with me playing.
3:12 I fold second load of laundry while watching P try to grab a toy just out reach.
3:20 I eat my applesauce and answer a call from the bf telling something is wrong on the sellers end. Starting to stress over the house.
3:22 rocking P hoping she will sleep for 20mins so I can close my eyes.
3:30 text from P's mom talking about P's odd nap schedule today (She can follow our daily log online through the baby connect app).
3:33 P is rolling around in her playpen attempting to nap.
3:51 A wakes up.
4:00 we go for a walk around the harbor.
4:50 we return from walk.
5:00 P's dad picks her up.
5:15 A and I make animals from play dough.
5:40 A and I blow bubbles outside.
6:00 I gave A his dinner then say goodbye.
6:05 talk to A's mom in the lobby about our vacation and his day.
6:10 at my car heading home.
You left A alone in the tub unsupervised?
ReplyDeleteI might be slightly obsessive about safety (that comes from some past work experiences), but to me it seems dangerous to leave P eating a waffle unsupervised (since kids her age, as we see later in your day, are prone to gagging/choking), as well as to leave A alone in the tub. Other than that, it sounds like you have fun with the kids...a lot of laundry, though. Hope everything works out with your mortgage :)
ReplyDeleteSorry for the length of this post, I didn't realize how long it was. I also forgot to mention that the condo is completely open concept besides the bedrooms I can see absolutely everything. All chores are done within sight of both children at all times.
ReplyDeleteyou can see them in the bathtub? That is really odd that the bathtub would be completely open?? I mean, I believe you but that just is so weird to me!! Also, does the dad work at home and the mom works away from home? Just wondering :)
ReplyDeleteNo the bath tub isn't completely open, but with the door open I can see him from the kitchen/living/ dining area and laundry room. It's an odd layout. He is also a well behaved boy who listens and doesn't try crazy things, so I don't have to be right next to him the entire time he is in the tub. His mother normally cooks while he plays in the tub and is okay with me cleaning as long as I don't leave him in their for an hour lol.
ReplyDeleteP is 8 months and she has had soft finger foods since she was 6months. I'm not worried about her choking on anything I give her, she may gag since she is still learning how to chew but I make all her food to the point it dissolves in her mouth(she lacks teeth). I don't follow the food guidelines that doctors in the us recommend obsessively like some parents do, I believe if it's pureed or very soft they can have it( exceptions of shell fish and peanuts). If they are allergic something better to find out while they are young and in a controlled environment. Not one baby I've cared for has had an allergy to anything or developed one later in life.
His father doesn't work from home but does a lot of overnights at the hospital so he is normally in his room hiding watching tv or on his laptop. His mom does work from home once a week.
How old is A? Just curious..I guess I'm a little safety paranoid..My last family the oldest was almost 5 before I let him take a bath without me in the bathroom with him.
ReplyDeleteHe is 2. I understand everyone's concerns but trust me he can't drown unless he gets out of his inflated ducky tub and holds his own head under water. Plus he loves playing with his toys and splashing so much you have to drag him out.
ReplyDeleteWow when I was 5 I was taking showers by myself without any help. I guess it depends on the child's personality.
Just saying... children can drown in an inch of water. It happens. As a mom, I ALWAYS closely monitored bathtime. A little paranoid but I have four very alive young adults.
ReplyDeleteHaha they watched you pee. Also the motorboat thing was funny. Only thing I would say is to get A used to "this is my lunch. that is your lunch. My lunch is for me, and your lunch is for you." He will cry and protest for a while, but in the end it will be worth it so you can have a snack or lunch while they are awake so you don't get so hungry.
ReplyDeleteI think Bostonnanny is keeping the child safe since she leaves the door open and keeps her eye on him while she does other things. Since her job requires doing household chores, it would be completely unreasonable to expect her to not let the opportunity of the child being temporarily occupied let her do a few things for the house. This is the reason why I do not believe a nanny should be responsible for anything else aside from making sure the child is safe at all times. I think the nanny should only be responsible for meeting the needs of the child. If she is told to complete certain chores while on duty, then there will be times where the child is not going to be supervised in the same manner as they would if the nanny didn't have any distractions. It goes with the territory. If the parents were so worried about the child being in a tub of water alone, they shouldn't ask Bostonnanny to do any chores. Problem resolved. In my current nanny position, I have no chores to do. While I am on duty, I can focus all of my attention on the child and it makes me a better-adjusted nanny as I am constantly watching him without worrying about washing the dishes or folding his laundry.
ReplyDeleteI've brought so many baskets of laundry into bathrooms so I can watch lil one bathe while I get the household stuff done. From what I can see here BostonNanny you are an awesome nanny and you work hard. Plus I always got the back of a fellow Massachusetts nanny!
ReplyDeleteI leave my two and four year old alone in the tub while I put away laundry in their rooms which are directly next to the bathroom. I continue to talk to them the whole time so I know they are ok, and I peek in at them every couple minutes. They would stay in the tub all day if I let them, so I might as well take advantage of the time and get something done.
ReplyDeletelol they watched you pee =]
ReplyDeleteMy concern with the tub would be more that a 2yo would stand up, slip, fall and hit his head. I know a 4yo of a friend who received a skull fracture this way so am very paranoid! However, it sounds like the bath seat he is in prevents this.
ReplyDeleteYou sound very organized and loving!
uh you left A in the bath tub by himself? I hear about kids drowning that way all the time
ReplyDeleteWhile I am not personally a big fan of leaving a child in the bathtub unsupervised, I can see why bostonnanny did it. It seems she had some chores to attend to and took full advantage of bathtime to complete them. It would be so tempting for me if I were her to use that time to do whatever else I needed to do. In my current position, his parents do not require me to do any housework which makes my job 150 percent easier. I focus all of my attention on my charge fully w/out any type of distraction whatsoever. However, in my previous position I had daily chores and sometimes the child would feel neglected while my attention went to doing other things. For example, when I cooked her breakfast, it took me 15 min. and during this time she clung on to me and cried. Also, when I had to wash her bottles and dishes, she used to cry as well as she needed me to entertain her and read to her. The parents thought they were getting an efficient Nanny, which I was, however it was sad how I had to set aside their daughter's needs temporarily while I folded her clothes or prepared her food. (She was only 1 1/2 at the time.)
ReplyDeleteI also had a family who told me to perform household duties during bathtime. They had a three year old and specifically instructed me to empty the dishwasher while she was in the tub playing w/her Barbie dolls. I told them I didn't feel safe doing this, yet they told me they did this all the time since it was only one of a few times during the day that they had any free time to do other things.
Overall bostonnanny, your day sounds pretty hectic, but typical for all of us Nannies. I admire your work ethic, dedication to your job as well as true love for your family.
Good Job!!
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see any reason to do chores during a child's bath time unless the chores can be accomplished in the bathroom.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't turn my back on a two year old in a bath for even a minute let alone to do a lengthy chore. Don't wait for an accident to happen before realizing that the dishwasher and virtually all other chores are trivial in comparison to the safety of a child. They can wait.
@nenanny: No it is not just you. What the bostonnanny did is hugely irresponsible. A child can drown in even an inch of water and can suffocate within seconds of being immersed. If the nanny had chores to do, she should do them during the child's nap. I think the reason some nannies perform chores when the child is awake is because they want to sneak in a nap when the child naps. While I understand a parent doing this, I think it is unprofessional to nap on the job. If someone were working alongside a stay at home or work at home parent, this probably wouldn't fly very well. I would be angry if I came home from work early one day and the nanny was sound asleep.
ReplyDeletebostonnanny, please do not leave the child in the bathtub alone unless you are standing or sitting right next to him. So many accidents happen in a matter of minutes and as his nanny, you would be found grossly negligent if he were to drown. Do your chores when he is asleep and ignore the "quick nap." Make sure you go to bed early the night before so you won't need that nap while at work. It's a common misconception that a person can only drown in deep water such as a pool or the ocean, but this is not so. That is why there are child locks on toilets. A child can even drown if he or she were to fall in a toilet bowl. :(
Ok, I do agree that leaving a child in a tub alone, even if they are in eyesight (which I don't understand, since a bathroom is usually not open to the rest of the house) is a bad idea. I also think that OP needs to change that habit, but ultimately she and the parents of the child have to hash that out.
ReplyDeleteBut Reese? Seriously? You would probably pass out within 4 hours of working the described job, either from exhaustion, or from an "I don't unload dishwashers!" spasm.
OP got an entire HOUR of time without a child or two around, and by my calculations, less than 45 minutes of that was what could be described as "peace and quiet". She took the kids on 2 outings, totaling 4 hours and 15 minutes out of her slightly longer than 10 hour day.
And on top of that, she works for 2families, which most nannies couldn't handle due to the need to balance double the demands of parents.
There's an old saying about not throwing stones if you live in a glass house Reese. Your statements here on ISYN have made me think your house is nothing but glass, and I don't think you have a lot of room to be critical of others.
@Tales from the Nanny Hood:
ReplyDeleteWhy do you always have to say something negative about what I choose to comment? I wasn't even talking to you and you just stick your nose in my business. Geez.
Just because I hate unloading the dishwasher doesn't mean anything. I am sure there are some jobs that you hate to perform. Unloading the dishwasher is not a nanny's duty. Period.
I can't believe you are saying it is between OP and her bosses to let a young child sit unsupervised in a bathtub. Children need an advocate since they are much too young to advocate for themselves. I personally have never seen a floorplan where one can be standing in the kitchen and completely see the bathtub in full view. This would be a huge deal-breaker for me as a parent if I were to come home and see my nanny performing chores in the kitchen while my child sat a few feet away in another room in a tub of water. She would be fired on the spot. I blame the parents in this situation since they are putting OP in this position in the first place by assigning her chores. Everyone knows that a nanny's job is to focus on providing exceptional care for a child and the more distractions you provide (i.e., chores, etc..) the higher the chance that your nanny will have her attention diverted to something else. I never told my nannies to do anything but watch my sons. During their nap times, my nannies usually watched T.V. and I didn't trip.
I have to agree that if a child was in the bathtub, kiddie pool, or whatever, I would supervise him or her like crazy since it is not my child and the liability factor would be much higher. As a nanny, we all should be armed with the basic knowledge that it doesn't take hardly any water for a child to drown to death nor does it take more than a few seconds to swallow water and suffocate. If I were this child's parent, I would never be okay with my child being left alone in the bathtub. This is one of those scenarios that look perfectly harmless, but can be quite deadly.
ReplyDeleteReese, I am wondering about your life story now! Are you a nanny, as {all of} your previous posts {on ISYN} have implied, or are you a parent employing a nanny (or a former nanny employer turned current nanny??) as the post I am about to quote implies? I am very confused, and would appreciate clarification.
ReplyDelete** added for emphasis:
Reese said, "I can't believe you are saying it is between OP and her bosses to let a young child sit unsupervised in a bathtub. Children need an advocate since they are much too young to advocate for themselves. I personally have never seen a floorplan where one can be standing in the kitchen and completely see the bathtub in full view. This would be a huge deal-breaker for me as a parent if I were to come home and see my nanny performing chores in the kitchen while my child sat a few feet away in another room in a tub of water. She would be fired on the spot. I blame the parents in this situation since they are putting OP in this position in the first place by assigning her chores. Everyone knows that a nanny's job is to focus on providing exceptional care for a child and the more distractions you provide (i.e., chores, etc..) the higher the chance that your nanny will have her attention diverted to something else. **I never told my nannies to do anything but watch my sons. During their nap times, my nannies usually watched T.V. and I didn't trip.**"
And yes, I am saying OP and her bosses are ultimately the only ones responsible for this solo bathing situation, since I cannot figure out via IP address who OP is, and then track her down to her employers home and sit down to discuss the problem with OP and her employers. Is OP doing a safe thing? Not IMO, but she's been cautioned and berated already, and my providing a virtual scolding makes no difference at this point.
As a mother, I was terrified of leaving my children alone in the tub even to answer the telephone. As an avid reader of multiple child magazines/books, it was always advised to supervise young children around water at all times. However if OP's boss gave her the green light to leave the child alone in the tub while she did chores, then it would be the mother's fault if (God Forbid!) anything happened to the child. As a Nanny, I am expected to comply w/my bosses wishes/requests at all times whether I agree w/them or not if I want to keep my job. Sure, I always groan (to myself) when a parent asks me to warm up the baby formula in the microwave, but I am simply following boss's orders and being a good employee.
ReplyDeleteI totally disagree with the statement about if the boss tells you to do something, do it. It's their fault if something happens.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a family that was constantly telling me to supervise their small children while they did dangerous things. One time, the mother sent me outside with four children and the oldest (3-year-old) went inside "to get something" and came out with the keys to the car given to her by her mom. She got in the car, locked the doors, started the car and was trying to get it in gear! I immediately moved the other children away from the car, got the door open and took the keys. I told the little girl that playing in the car (especially in summer) is not safe and we needed to find something else to do like sprinklers or bikes. She went running in crying to mom. Mom came out and told me that "We allow them to play in the car." I informed her that it was extremely hot, the child was getting the car into gear and locking the doors. She replied, "It's not going to roll anywhere if she gets it in gear. It can only go into the bushes." I replied "It could also roll over one of the other children. I will not supervise this activity. I feel it is extremely dangerous." If that meant I lost my job that's fine! It's better than having criminal charges brought against me when something happens and then trying to use the defense that "The parents told me to."
As a nanny you have to use common sense. It's never okay to allow children to do something hazardous using the excuse that their parents let them. Ultimately, if you are on duty, you are responsible and liable for injuries to the children.
When my nanny would disagree with something, she would be very vocal about it. However, if we could not compromise on anything, then we probably were not the best fit. While I value a nanny's opinion on how to raise my child (especially if she is an experienced mother herself), I believe since I am the boss then she needs to follow my orders. I don't think I would ever ask my nanny to do anything potentially dangerous or out of line though. We usually disagree on stuff like what to feed the children. Usually nannies prepare what I want them to, but I have had a few nannies who were vegans who didn't approve of my children eating red meat, etc. and would provide more veggies. That type of stuff.
ReplyDelete