My Nanny Experience

First of all let me say that I am sure there are lots of good nannies out there and that this is just my personal story.


So I decided to try a nanny out.  I work from home and needed someone to entertain my three year old in the afternoons.  Ask me the difference between a nanny and a babysitter, not sure.  Anyway, someone I knew had been using a nanny for a long time and raved about how great it was.  She recommended her nanny to me, I met her, liked her, and hired her.  Oh, and the plan was for this nanny to bring along her one-year-old baby.  Can't be too bad, right?  The baby would help keep my daughter entertained.  She loves babies.  I agreed to set up a pack n play in my daughter's room for the baby to nap in and offered her use of my old high chair.


Day One:  The nanny arrives along with lots of stuff.  Baby toys galore.  Remember my daughter is three and well out of the baby stage, these were for the baby.  The nanny immediately questions the fact that there is no gait at the bottom of my stairway.  There was a gait there, it just is not screwed into the wall.  We have always been able to just prop it up at the bottom of the stairs for all three kids.  We do have one screwed in at the top.  The nanny proceeds to move my coffee table across my hardwood floor to block the stairs.  Okay, no big deal.  I understand her little one is one and starting to get around.  So, we go over a few things and I get to work.  Two o'clock comes and the crying starts.  The baby is trying to go to sleep upstairs in a room that is right above my office.  This goes on for way over an hour.  Baby is getting used to new surroundings, this will get better.


Day Two:  I am going about my work thinking this will be okay.  All my daughter needs is entertainment.  Someone to keep her busy for a while.  I glance out the window and I see my daughter speeding down the driveway in her Barbie Jeep and continuing to proceed down the road.  I start to get up and head towards the door.  I then see the Nanny running down the road with her baby in tote chasing her.  We have a lot of neighbors and they still remind me of this day.  What a site!  They 2 o'clock crying continues.


Day Three:  I leave my office to get a drink and see the nanny rummaging through my cabinet.  I had originally showed her where everything was and this cabinet was not one of them.  This is the cabinet where important off-limit things are kept.  (Of course I couldn't help but wonder when my older daughter's DS was missing afterward, hmm)  The 2 o'clock crying continues.


Day Four:  Day went well (other than the daily scream at 2 o'clock).  That night when getting my daughter ready for bed I noticed her bedding was moved to the pack n play along with the stuffed animal she sleeps with every night.  Now, why would she go and use the blankets from her bed?  And, her stuffed animal?  I was starting to stress.  What am I going to do?  This is not working.


Day Five:  That afternoon I noticed the nanny outside with the kids.  I got up to get a quick drink and noticed an open bottle of Tylenol on the kitchen counter.  This is the counter with the stools where my daughter sits all the time!  That was it.  I couldn't do this anymore.  I had to have a nanny to mommy talk.


So, my nanny did not last very long.  I am sure not all nannies are like this.  Our nanny was just really involved in her baby which any mom is, but someone like that should not be nannying someone else's kid.  She also obviously did not have much experience with preschoolers.  I mean come on, anyone knows that a 3 year old can easily get to an open bottle of Tylenol.  Needless to say, my nanny days are done.