Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Type of Help Mothers and Fathers of Multiples Want from Nannies or Au Pairs

Be the Best Nanny Newsletter asked mothers and fathers of multiples that employ nannies or au pairs what help they need most from their in-home caregivers. The answers from 383 mothers and fathers of multiples is listed here.

Mothers and Fathers of Multiples Want Their Nannies or Au Pairs to Help Them With:

1. Bathing the babies while the mother or father plays with, or bathes, the other baby.

2. Help with feeding the babies.

3. Cleaning the kitchen.

4. Go grocery shopping or help with running errands.

5. Take the babies' older brother(s) or sister(s) out for an outing.

6. Care for the babies while the mother or father sleeps, runs errands, goes to the gym, or steps out for fresh air.

If you are a partent of multiples what type of help do you need most from an in-home childcare provider? If you are a nanny or au pair how do you help the parents of multiples?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is interesting because all of my au pairs have always complained about cleaning the kitchen. I see here that parents want help with that too. I have heard a lot of attitude with all my au pairs. I think ten minutes of unloading and loading dishwasher is a great help and aren't au pairs hired to help?

Michelle said...

To comment above:
If it only takes ten minutes to unload and load dishwasher than why can't parents do it? My issue as a nanny is when parents leave their dishes for me to load in the dishwasher. Parents are adults! I am a child care provider! Why do I need to take care of the parents dishes? I only was the kids laundry not the parents. I only makes the kids dinner, not the parents. Why can't parents put their own dishes in the dishwasher?
Nanny Michelle, DE

Anonymous said...

Whenever nannies and aupairs work with newborns and infants (whether or not they are multiples) it is in everyone's best interest if the nanny or aupair would just help the parents out anyway they can. I don't think nannies or aupairs should stick their noses up in the air when it comes to helping out by loading and unloading a dishwasher or anything that helps with the care of the household. I personally do not mind running errands, or making the mother toast when her hands are full. I have nanny friends that have stomped off the job when asked to pour a glass of milk for the mother while she held a crying child?? You can't go into this job with an attitude. It is a domestic job and not glamorous. I do not do any heavy housekeeping but if it has to be done I pitch in. If little helpful things like loading and unloading a dishwasher bother you then you are in the wrong line of work.
Camille, Northern NJ

Anonymous said...

If one of the parents is home full time it is just too difficult to work alongside a stay at home parent. The easiest way to take care of multiples is to have the parents out of the house. Mean perhaps but true.