r/Nanny

My NKs are 5yo boy and 8yo girl. They are my full time family and I’m in the middle of a situation I could use some input on!

This week the 5yo asked me to paint his fingernails. I went ahead and painted them. I honestly didn’t think anything of it because they have nail polish laying around all over, his sister loves polish and I’ve even painted her nails before as well. He was really happy and excited about having nail polish, he loves to copy what his sister does.

When his parents came home he ran over to show them and I could instantly tell by the look on their faces that they were not happy. After I left they sent me a message basically saying that I had no right to paint his nails and telling me never to do it again because they didn’t think it was appropriate for a boy.

I want to say that I really did not think they would take issue with this and it honestly didn’t cross my mind that it would be so controversial. I used to paint my little brother’s nails all the time!

Work was super awkward today because of this. Just needed to talk about this and I welcome any advice or similar experiences!!

I’m allergic to wheat/gluten and my MB wants me to regularly make play dough with her kid, which exposes me to quite a lot of allergens even if I’m not ingesting it directly - even just playing with premade dough makes my hands break out in rashes, and I’ve definitely been “glutened” by airborne flour before.

I can wear gloves and a mask but it seems insane to expect a toddler to not throw flour and make a mess - and I get sick from walking into a hand tossed pizza place just from the flour in the air. I bought my own nail brush to keep there and gloves after getting sick the first time I tried to just ignore the risk and play with premade dough with the kid.

My boss is aware of my allergies but thinks they aren’t so severe because she herself has to limit gluten (but like she still eats wheat flour, just not a ton, so it’s really quite different)….. but hasn’t made the connection as to why I’m hesitant to make play dough. I don’t want her to think I’m crazy because I’m so sensitive and her experience of having a gluten sensitivity is so different from mine.

How would you bring this up? I know it’s reasonable to ask to not make the dough, but I don’t know how to best word it.

I can’t decided if there’s just an increase number of generally unpleasant children or if my tolerance for obnoxious, entitled behavior has drastically lowered since having my own child.

I know this will be a controversial post. But over never found myself dreading being around so many clients until recently.

I’ve dealt with some extreme behaviors in my 15 year career but these kiddos were outliers. Now I feel like like at least half of my clients have at least one kid that is just a chore to spend time with.

Is this a me issue? It very well could be!

I started a FT position April 1st (feels like it’s been so much longer). 40 hours a week. I get 10 days PTO. They accumulate 2 per month with immediate 2 available for use. I’ll technically have 6 PTO days to use by time of vacation which is May 29-June 5. I’m in a month probationary period. They ask for two weeks of notice. I don’t know when the best time to let them know is. I have this fear that they’re going to fire me for taking time off and especially scared if I let them know prior to my probationary period

Just like the title says, I injured myself in NFs home. I was running after NK2 because she was running into the office to talk DB and stubbed my toe on a slide that she has in the living room, which I have done numerous times and so has everyone else in the family but this time it hurts so bad! My pinky toe is swollen and I can’t even put any weight on it, we were going to leave to the park but I can’t even walk to the park, so I decided to stay home and put on a movie because I can’t even run after NK right now. MB and DB are both out running errands right now, but in the event I have to ask them to come home so I can leave early, should I expect to get paid for the rest of the day? I would hope so but I have nothing in my contract that states this.

Edit: My toe is very swollen. I can barely put any weight on it meaning I can’t walk upstairs and I can’t walk downstairs, and I especially can’t do any of that while holding NK. I don’t really care if you think I should go home early or not. My only question is if I should expect to be paid for the rest of the day since I injured myself in NFs home, if you aren’t going to comment an answer for that specific question, don’t comment at all. Thanks!

Hi everyone

I nanny a 3 year old boy who lives in an RV, and I’m here for about 12 hours a day. It’s not really an RV park where you can walk around. I’m looking for ideas on what to do all day, because right now it’s a lottttt of screen time. The child also gets upset when we turn off the screen.

Hi! I’m pregnant and my fabulous family that I adore is giving me 3 months of leave (we have state funded maternity leave) and then I’m coming back to work with their toddler who I’ve been with since she was a teeny bean. I’m so happy!

I hope to help them find a fantastic short term replacement for me for this gap! They are great but I’m more of a planner than them so I’d like to take charge. I know they will be fine if they don’t find anyone til I’m about to pop but I want to help with the search. Selfishly to find a nanny I think is up to my standards! But also for full peace of mind that my people are covered while I nest with my new baby.

AS NANNIES what can I say in my post on local nanny Facebook groups that would make you click?

-looking for ~3 mos of care

-flexible days/times but close to 35hrs

-2.5YO girl

-parents both WFH (I care for her at my home but I don’t think they’d do that with a stranger)

-has been with a nanny her entire life

-well behaved on outings and in public spaces

Pregnancy is making me sort of brain dead so my creative juices aren’t flowing. Any thoughts or ideas are welcome!

Okay so today NK (F5) had a race at her school today I also watch NK (M2) and NK(M7). To start this family isn’t the cleanest. The bathroom is disgusting (like poop marks in the toilet and pee smell everywhere) we recently had to move the couch bc they have water damage to the house long story short MOUSE POOP was under the couch. I said did you guys have mice? Yes but we eventually caught it. Like how disgusting is that. Anyways

Today I smell this poop smell from NK f5, nk2 is sleeping, I ask her do you smell that? It smells like poop she says no I say did you fart trying to be light hearted about it. She says no. I’m trying to tread lightly bc of her age and trying to be respectful of boundaries. I don’t want to say you smell like poop we need to go take a bath lol. They don’t bathe the kids every night. What is up with these new parents not washing their kids every night I don’t understand. She smells BAD. Idk what to do. Do I say something to the parents? Do I just let her smell? Do I report this? These people are well off huge house. Surface level everything looks put together clean but the habits and inside the closets/drawers is where everything is a huge hoarder disaster. I’ve only been with this family a few months

I've been with my NF since before G13 was even a vague concept of "what about another baby?" She is hilarious, and tells me all the gossip from school, her crushes, stuff she isn't ready to tell her parents or just wants an extra perspective on, stuff like that.

I've answered questions and had honest talks about drugs/alcohol, puberty, sex, social issues, literally anything all 3 of the kids have ever wanted to ask me or talk about.

So tell me why I almost choked today when G13 said "wait why is this shirt funny" and showed me a shirt that said 'I don't argue with people who should have been swallowed' on it. I told her it's a sex joke, but left it at that but I could see her brain processing and when she realized she said "Oh! OH! Calm DOWN, ladies!" (She's been saying "calm DOWN, ladies" in response to anything even slightly scandalous the last two weeks).

And like...I absolutely would have understood that shirt when I was her age, so I shouldn't be shocked or anything that she also is aware of certain aspects of different sexual acts, but like...that's my baby! Who has been in my care since she came home from the hospital. Just crept up on me I guess.

I’m a bit conflicted. I’ve been with this family full time for 7 months now. During my interview process I briefly mentioned wanting to go back to school at some point in my life. The mom knew that but I said I wasn’t sure about it/ when I would do it. Which was true at the time, and she still decided to hire me. I love working for this family but ultimately it’s not what I want to do forever so I’ve been actively working towards going back to school in January 2027. I’ve been taking pre reqs full time after work and it’s been chaotic but anyways…

I’ve been keeping this a “secret” from them because I don’t want them to replace me (I hope that’s understandable). I’m also not sure if I will get accepted in this program so I was going to wait until I knew before I mentioned it.

I travel with them and they just started mentioning travels for next year and now I’m nervous about not telling them/ questioning if I’m going about this the right way.

If I get into this program I will obviously give them plenty of time to find someone else, I’m just scared now and don’t want to jeopardize my job.

Just to clarify: the program is accelerated, I will not be able to work during it.

Adventure Nannies just released an email blast and it’s talking about Million Dollar Nannies. I think it may have been in good faith but that’s just the last agency I think that should speak on a show about “ethics”. Mentioning “white people in Ibiza”…idk they just are the last agency that should be trying to correct something. Also, they are one of the most racist agencies out here answering questions from probably inside their own umbrella. They asked the question…”What is a “million dollar nanny”? 

‍And answered it saying:

“Is it a person who is a nanny and has a net worth of a million dollars? Is it a nanny who makes a million dollars a year? Please explain.” We all know nannies don’t make a million dollars and it’s “suppose” to refer to Nannie’s who work in million dollar homes. I just think they always piggy back off of what’s popular and what Nannygram is talking about without ever really thinking…or asking the community’s thoughts…before speaking.

So it finally happened. I have been with my NF for 2 years (next Wednesday) since NK was 4 months. MB works from home and is a great mommy and a lovely, reasonable and kind person. DB is just as great. I have seen in many many ways that NK adores me, and I adore him. He hugs me all the time, but this morning when I got there (slightly later than normal) he screamed my name, ran to me and threw his arms around me for the first time on arrival. ❤️❤️. Nothing could ruin my day after that. It’s the small things that feel like the big things. Just had to share.

Btw I'm open to nanny parents advice.

So I've been working this job for a few months now and my boss is very wishy washy. Failed to pay me a retainer fee she offered herself, keeps cutting my hours back and announcing schedule changes last minute... basically keeping me at her back and call. At first I thought I'd be working 40h a week but now it's more like 13h... But she is so sweet. And so is her kid. I NEED more hours though and I just got offered another job but they want me to start next week. The pay jump isn't crazy but it's a business so it's CONSISTENT and I know what income I'll be getting. They say that I'm family already and she's recommended me to her sister for babysitting gigs. New job wants me to start on Tuesday and idk how to even say it, plus I know they'll be upset and so will the kid.

​I’ve had a bizarre month of run-ins with a former NF that I had a truly toxic exit from. For context, the Dad was verbally abusive (yelled at me in front of the child) and the Mom eventually ghosted me after I reached out about his behavior. It was a mess, and it took me a long time to get over the discard feeling.

​Lately, I’ve been seeing the Mom around. She has been "fake -style" nice—smiling brightly, trying to talk to me and ignoring the fact that she ignored my frantic messages a year ago. It makes me feel like I’m losing my mind. If I don't reciprocate her "high-energy" friendliness, I look like the one with the "beef" or the "attitude problem," even though they were the ones who were unprofessional and spoke negatively about me to my current family.

​The weirdest part? My current NF’s cleaning lady just told me that this former Mom asked her to babysit. My current MB and this woman are close friends.

​I feel like I’m being watched or tested. I gave the cleaning lady a total "blank wall" reaction—no gossip, no anger—but inside, I’m vibrating. It feels so calculated for her to reach into MB's staff knowing our history.

​How do you guys handle the "social amnesia" of toxic employers? I’m trying to stay professional, but being the only one who remembers the "truth" makes me feel like the crazy one in the room.

I just moved to Orlando, and I'm struggling to find a nanny job that pays more than $20 or $22/hour.

Where I was before, I'd made $35/hour.

I have decades of experience , single, no kids, open schedule, stellar references.

But Orlando just want to low ball you!

Does anyone knows a good agency here?

The parents don't want their 2 yr old to nap anymore for reasons that I completely understand but I'm losing my mind.

They used to be the most well behaved kid and now I feel like every day is just survival of trying to get them through it without falling asleep and putting up with the crazy tantrums.

Every day between 10-11 am the tantrums start. They don't listen at all anymore. They hit. They bite. They throw things. They try to break things. I get nervous every time we go in public.

If we do any type of physical activity in the morning the tantrums are 1000% worse. So I'm terrified of summer when the older kid is home. We usually spend almost every day outside at the playground and if things don't change idk how we're going to do it.

I can usually keep it together until around 2 and then my patience is out the window. I just feel like a zombie trying to get through the rest of the day.

Please tell me they will adjust to not sleeping soon. It's been about a month and if anything I feel like the tantrums are getting worse