Today I'm in my room with the door shut getting ready and I hear my babies crying but it's muffled. I knew instantly what it was and I ran out there to find one of my babies on her stomach with her face in a blanket. My nanny left all four of them on the floor for tummy time in the living room while she washed bottles in the kitchen. I have told her several times that I do not want them left alone during tummy time. I had to say it again today. Next time she does this I'm going to have to fire her! Am I overreacting?

Stephanie

Mama to Beautiful Quads
30 weeks, 5 days

and ^Angel Baby^ 1/05

As far as I'm concerned, if you instruct your nanny to do or not do something and they disregard your wishes, you are not overreacting. I don't care if it is a safety issue (as in this case and thank goodness you were there) or a just the way you do things issue. You are the boss. I have no problem telling my helpers what I want them to do (a big difference in having paid help vs. family help).

I'd definitely warn her that if it happens again you will take action. I'd also wonder what other wishes of yours she disregards.

Plenty. She has no initiative. I have to tell her everything I want her to do specifically. She is not the kind of person who sees things that need to be done and does it. Also, she only half-asses. She will take the trash out to the garage but won't go the step further it takes to put it in the trash bin. But that's a whole other story...

Stephanie

Mama to Beautiful Quads
30 weeks, 5 days

and ^Angel Baby^ 1/05

I agree with everyone else, and would also note that your babies were born at 30 weeks, which means that they are not truly 4 months old, but are roughly 6 weeks old. If this woman believes that unsupervised "tummy time" is the norm for 6 week old infants then she is not an appropriate caregiver. Oh, and even if the kiddos were 14 months old, if you say "no," you should be obeyed. Period.

I wouldn't have someone around who needs monitoring as much as the babies do. Simply not worth the worry.

Cat w/3 Kittens
Caidan, Carina and Caeleigh
Born at 31 weeks, 1/8/04.
It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. In memory of Carina, who was greatly loved.

http://b3.lilypie.com/bDA

Stephanie: I agree with the others. You need to fire her immediately. There are a lot of great nannies out there to help you with your darling children, but she not only disrespects you as her employer, but is not taking care of the children properly. I have been willing to overlook minor issues with my nanny as any employer has to do at times, but there have never been any situations where someone has been in danger like your little one. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Susan
b/g/b born 1/7/03

Hearing this makes me sad, as a nanny/babysitter myself who loves babies and especially loves caring for multiples. If I only I lived near you I would be so happy to take care of your children and you would never have to worry.

As far as what to do, I would say fire her now. You dont want to risk what might happen in the future because of her negligence. But be sure you tell her your exact reasoning.

I don't think that you're over-reacting. a muffled cry means that a baby can't breathe and they can't rollover or lift their little heads.

RoseMarie
mom to the Hooligans 12/21/98

I do not think you are overreacting AT ALL! How scary!!! I am glad that you were home and heard her.
Jodie

our gifts from above...
GBG.......December 2004
*lots of prayers ~ 31w4d*


""


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As a nanny and babynurse with over 30 years experience I suggest you not wait until next time. Fire her now. If she does not have enough sense to know it is unsafe to leave 4 mo. old infants alone while on their tummies, she doesn't need to be working with infants. Why wait for her to make another, potentially more dangerous, mistake. You are by no means over reacting. It is her responsibility to follow your directions.


Clelie Bourne
The Temporary Nanny
The Solution to Your Child Care Puzzle!
http://www.temporarynanny.com

Oh I would be fuming especially when you instructed her not to leave them alone during tummy time. Glad you were there!

Josie married to best friend Keith
June 28/05 @35wks:
Marcus Arthur 5lbs 1oz
Patrick Robert 5lbs 3oz
Sydney Maya 4lbs 4oz

Fire her now. Never keep a bad employee, especially if she is responsible for the safety and comfort of your children!

Since I am going through an unemplyment claim by my former nanny right now, fire her now and WRITE HER A LETTER detailing that you are firing her for cause as of this DATE. She was verbally instructed to never leave the babies out of her line of sight during tummy time and she disregarded your instructions. On this DATE you found the babies on their tummies outside of her line of sight.

Hand her her letter and any pay up to that day and send her home. Keep a copy of the letter for 3 years.

If your nanny quits, send her a letter saying that you accepted her resignation due to whatever reason she gave you as of DATE along with any pay she is owed.

If you fire them, they need to be paid immediately, if they quit, they get paid at their next regular payday.

She's totally right. If you overlook this this time, you have implemented a pattern where you've basically let her know that this is not a fire-able offense. From there, you will find yourself paying this woman's unemployment when you finally do have to fire her for the same stuff. Cut your losses now.

Cat w/3 Kittens
Caidan, Carina and Caeleigh
Born at 31 weeks, 1/8/04.
It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. In memory of Carina, who was greatly loved.

http://b3.lilypie.com/bDA

As difficult as it will be to find another nanny I think you should fire her immediately. In a subsequent post you've stated that she has ignored other requests you've made. She obviously has no respect for your authority and therefore, shouldn't be in charge of your babies.

I know it's inconvenient but I'd probably send her home today. She is in charge of four babies. You've hired her bc you can't be with them all the time. She should be with the babies. Washing bottles can certainly wait.

Marie

Once is the warning, twice she's fired. Imagine what she's doing when you're not home to "catch" her. Tummy time is an important time for someone to be watching them, guess she felt the bottles were more important...she'd be gone if it were me.

PAM
ggg @ 31+ weeks

Get rid of her now!!!!
What might she do when(if) you have to step out?

Darmax

We had the same type of nanny and just fired her because I was tired of having to babysit her all the time and tell her everything that needs to be done. We've had this routine for almost 5 months now, and she still needed to be told EVERY DAY what needed to be done.

We also had problems with not listening too...and I agree, it's time to fire her and find someone else to help you out. It's tough and I'm in the same boat. If you need to chat, drop me a line at carriedezutter@gmail.com

If she disregards you on that, there's more going on that you probably don't know about.

Carrie
and the crew...
Tyler 9/01 (9)
and Noah 10/03(7)
Andrew, Jason, and Tessa (5) 11/05

I would begin finding her replacement immediately and let her go as soon as you can. That is a huge safety concern, and if she is not willing to follow your directions she does not wish to be employed by you. You are her boss (period).

B/B 31w/1d
^B^ their guardian angel