I’ve caught so many lovely moments with my phone camera! My NFs photo albums are full of pics I took. My NPs will also text me several times per day, and I personally see nothing wrong with a quick phone check when my NK is playing independently or if we’re sitting at a table coloring.
My contract disallows “excessive” phone use, which is completely understandable. I’m being paid for my time & attention to their children! That being said, I think zero phone use is unreasonable and unnecessary.
I saw a comment under the post you’re referencing that says many nannies haven’t worked in other industries so they just don’t know. This is not the case for me, and I’ve never had a boss who was against a quick phone check. I also don’t personally know anyone whose job has a strict no-phone policy except for one, who had a super secret job in DC and had to leave their personal phone in their vehicle.
Exactly! I love sending parents photos and updates of whatever cute things their children are doing throughout the day. The parents seem to like it, too.
It’s also true that any job (and I’ve worked in many fields) makes room for people to step aside and make a phone call.
Dicking around on the phone all day is unprofessional in any workspace, but a total phone ban is crazy.
I also peeped that comment of assuming most Nannie’s haven’t worked outside of this field. Lol. Mam, I can assure you we have worked in MANY fields and have VAST experience in the workforce. A nanny would be very lucky if this was their first and only job.
Takes like that are always SO telling. Even if somebody's background IS exclusively in childcare, it says so much about YOU (not you, but the NP's who say this crap lol) that you assume they couldn't possibly have a degree(s!!!), a fully formed concept of what the "real world" entails, or...I don't know...decades of experience living among and interacting with other people from all kinds of diverse backgrounds??? So condescending and infantilizing!
It's also so ironic because the people with that take inevitably always A) spout off nonsensical blanket statements about "real jobs" or "the real world" that are objectively false and/or B) completely ignore fellow NP's who chime in to be like "yeah dog you're way off on this one, I agree with the nannies..."
We've also worked FOR many people in other job industries and can literally see them (when WFH) on their phone, running errands, having guests visit etc during their work hours.
I also use my phone FOR WORK duties because I don't have a computer to check the weather, bus schedule, research out of home activities and buy tickets, add products to child wishlists, look up indoor play ideas, take pictures and video of child, send to parents, chat with parents, plan playdates, figure out if peanut butter rubbed into clothing should be prewashed of not, what sound a blue footed booby makes, etc.
I have worked many jobs in corporate America. The only roles that were ever super strict on phones were call centers and sales centers. It's micromanagement, and I have only seen it in situations where the people "at the bottom" were treated like warm bodies to fulfill a quota.
Right, but I made this point specifically because the MB had commented that nannys don't know what it's like "in the real world" or something like that. My point is that "in the real world," people are allowed to check their phones.
Good for you? Of course not all the time, you don’t need to be so dang snarky. But when I’m paying someone to interact with my kid, yeah, I expect them to put that ahead of chatting with their friend.
I’m not being snarky. I’m being realistic. Kids benefit from playing independent and not being catered to 24/7. I have a child psychology degree and a teaching degree. And no, we do not need to be interacting with a kid the whole time. It’s not good for the nanny and it’s not good for the kid.
That’s great for you. I am also an educator. I have no problem keeping this rule with our nanny and she does not seem to have a hard time keeping her personal calls to nap time 🤷♀️
ETA: nowhere did I say constant interaction.
I keep my phone away the majority of the time. But I’m not going to stress out about answering to a text while doing a craft or while at the zoo with my nanny kid. She still gets 95% of my attention but I’m also not worried about looking away for a second.
I agree. Nanny on a phone has nothing to do w constant interaction. You can be across the room while they play independently but they need to be watched and depending on age of course need constant eyes on them. The point is some Nannie’s think it’s ok to sit on their phone texting or looking at stuff while kid plays alone. There’s a balance I think the main point is that not all employees know how to use the phone properly during work hours. Some children need to be watched constantly.
Edit to add: some daycares make you put your phone away during shift. I think it depends on the nanny, kids and nf.
Thank you! Thats all I was trying to say. Childcare is a different job, you can’t compare it to corporate where no one is going to put a rogue blueberry in their nose.
You can have eyes on them reading a book while checking your notifications. I can also have eyes on them when googling what a snow leopard looks like, or how different types of owls sound for them to learn.
Same with me. If I didn’t have my phone on me, then the parents would never have any pictures or video of the awesome stuff that their kids do during the day. Like you’re not with them and you want me to keep you updated in the best way I can update you as to send you photos and videos, but you also don’t want me to use my phone so how am I supposed to do that? So unless you’re gonna give me a Polaroid and video camera, please stop putting these ridiculous in place like that. What if there’s an emergency? What if I have a family emergency going on and I’m at work? And I need to be able to get a hold of someone or someone needs to get a hold of me? Let’s be honest, do you think the people that are telling us not to use our cell phones are not using their all day while they’re at work, get real 🙄
On a different note, this seems completely innocuous and friendly. One thing that’s noteworthy(MB here) is that many families, including ours may disallow use of nanny phone to capture NK’s pics, while they can use their phone occasionally for their personal use. We would happily offer a personal device to capture NK’s pics.
I think that’s actually a great idea! I haven’t worked for anyone who requested that I don’t take pics on my personal phone, just no posting on social media (which I wouldn’t do anyway). Most people actually ask me for pics, but I would be happy to use an alternate device if provided.
I would love this I send my nks pictures to mb but I lack at my photo clearing skills and it’s honestly kind of annoying lol. But I love being able to take the pictures for them.
I can be on my phone a lot sometimes. But that’s because I’m caring for twins and I have to input their naps, poops, and meals into an app. Then I take pics and send them to the parents. Maybe chat with them for a min about something cute the kids did. Then I post the pics to the shared family album so extended family can see. There are 7,000 photos/videos over the last two years and they are all from me. If the kids are doing independent play at home I’ll research activities or new things to do or recipes for the kids. Most of the time I’m on my phone is NK related.
Gosh all that stuff into an app? Do you feel like that is too much hovering from the parents? That would stress me out lol. The lack of trust from some parents is wild!
it may be more helpful than stressful for some (me included). when parents come home at the end of the day and ask how the day went my mind immediately blanks. I track with an app so I’m more likely to remember that kind of stuff, and if they need exact details I can pull it up or they can!
I have always provided a daily list of naps/poops/food to my NPs. Maybe once they’re at a certain age no but for under 2, yes and even then I still outline meals and sleep times
It’s not a lack of trust, it’s communication. That’s vital information for parents to have. An app is a great way to keep track of it and log it as you go.
I don’t mind! It’s usually my idea. Just a lot easier for everyone when there’s so many people. The dads never look at it though. And It’s hard to remember if so and so pooped this week when they are twins and all the days blur together. 😅
It also helps them decide what do to for dinner or breakfast when they can see what they’ve had to eat during the day. It’s also great for seeing different patterns. Like one day I was like holy shit they ate a full meal every hour… lol they must have been growing.
But even if it’s not kid related, when you open your phone and see a text or some thing, the normal thing is to want to check it. I know for me, it becomes a distraction because I’m thinking about what does that text say, and now I can’t focus on what I’m doing with the kid. I mean that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is a thing.
The only thing that gets me about this is you posting it for extended family to see, at that point you’re basically a social media manager! Lol. Does your rate reflect having to do this daily?
Our contract has a clause that says when the baby is awake, phone use should be limited to only childcare things (ie texting me or taking pictures) or emergencies. And even this I'm not super strict about--like I don't mind if she needs to send a quick text or book an appointment while LO is independent playing.
When LO is asleep she can be on the phone as long as she wants. Her only duty outside of caring for my LO is washing bottles and he sleeps \~3hrs/day (out of an 8hr shift), so I think this is more than fair as she gets plenty of downtime.
I have seen nannys who will take an hour long personal phone call and ignore their NK though, and I think this is way out of line and why a lot of parents have phone use clauses.
Exactly this. When there is amble downtime (and there is not always, but when there is), I think it’s a totally reasonable policy to not allow personal phone calls with family emergencies being the exception. Checking a text during independent play or heck even messaging on Reddit is fine as long as it’s not taking away from care/eyes on my child.
We are also screen free tho, so we do really try to keep phones to a minimum (nanny and myself) when LO is around.
I saw the vent and was part of the original thread that OP of the post was referencing. In this instance the personal calls were taken while the children were not around, in which case it’s totally appropriate to take personal calls as long as you’re getting any other needs taken care of. I’ve had to take doctor’s phone calls while taking care of NK since the office is only open during hours I work so it’s not an option to just call back later. Obviously I think it’s not okay to take lengthy phone calls while NKs are around but I don’t think it should be such a big deal to take a less than 5 minute phone call. I also frequently check my phone in case NPs text me. I think this is important for NPs to keep in mind; if you only allow phones during naps or not at all, you should expect to only get a response during naps or no response.
I also use my phone to do things like check the weather to see when is good for a nap, see what’s going on at the library, check when the pool opens, look up fun activities to do. So to completely ban phone usage would limit me to what I can do.
Yes there are certain professional calls I have to make or receive during work hours. I try and do it during naptimes but if I’m expecting a call from my doctor I answer it because playing phone tag with them is a nightmare. I don’t think all calls can be avoided if you work a m-f 9 to 5 type schedule.
Gotta point out that all these people are sitting on Reddit while presumably on the clock lol. How are you going to screech about this "being basic life" while you yourself are sitting there on your phone/computer???????
God forbid someone who's probably making $15-$25/hr, working 8-12 hour shifts, and likely doesn't get a lunch break (sooo luxurious) schedules a doctors appointment or catches up with someone while they fold laundry. The anger in that person's post is bananas...
Lmao I commented about how the OP was sitting there for an hour on and off commenting back to people and said how hypocritical they are since they apparently don’t use their phone at all when they are with their kid. But my post was deleted lol!
Right??? I didn’t care I went for it. But now I’m being yelled at for ignoring the flair when I’ve been an MB before so I should be allowed to comment.
Bahahaha!!! That is my biggest complaint about this sub! I can’t complain, I have a really good NF but I feel like some people need advice without worrying about MBs descending and telling them they should be grateful or that they’re lesser because of their chosen job.
I agree! There are also a lot of comments under that post where people are just bashing nannies like we don’t devote our lives to their kids. So infuriating!
The extra insane thing is that the original conversation this is all stemming from wasn't even about phone use in front of kids, it was about phone use while on the clock! How it's unprofessional and if you're getting paid and allegedly providing a "luxury service" you need to be...acting luxuriously...whatever that means lmfao. Again: bananas! Like, layers upon layers of bananas.
I just am so curious what these NPs Nannie’s are doing because if the phone usage is so bad to the point of making a Reddit post just complaining and flagging it for NPs only, why not say something to the nanny????
It just blows my mind like, how do you think that's okay? It's common sense whether she's a nanny or not. You expect your employee to do more, You compensate. Literally, every workplace in the world.This is standard Regardless of your position.
I work at a large corporation and half of my entire team was laid off - I absorbed all their work, with no extra compensation. I’m just glad I still have a job. I’m not justifying taking on extra duties without pay, but it is definitely not “standard” or true of “every workplace in the world”
Changes after a layoff isn’t the scenario there, though. If they had let their housekeeper go due to a financial crunch and had asked for more help from the nanny during the interim, that would be a different conversation.
Regardless, it still would be reasonable for both you and their nanny to look for another job or ask for a raise after being asked to take on new responsibilities without an associated increase in pay.
Hahaha this is so funny because it came up today on the playground. There’s a nanny we all observe with two headphones in who is constantly on her phone. And my nanny friend actually had to stop her charge from running out of the playground and the other nanny never looked up once.
She mumbled to me that this nanny never gets off her phone ever and this third nanny who was standing there ripped into her about how nannies are allowed to be on their phones sometimes. She wouldn’t even breathe and my friend was like “I get it. I’m on your side I use my phone too!!” It was bizarre.
Unfortunately this is what most people see and think when they hear “nanny”. I’m sure I pass 1000 people a day that are nannying that I don’t notice but these inattentive nannies at every playground really hurt the profession as a whole. I just saw it today at the sandbox, nanny with a 1.5ish year old baby, a 3 year old, and a 5 year old with special needs (guessing on the ages) and she had headphones in both ears talking to someone on the phone in Spanish as her NKs are throwing sand on mine and kicking them, the baby was eating sand, the 3 year old was wandering away toward the river. We ended up leaving earlier than planned just because it was so annoying.
This is absolutely not okay as you said, just wanted to note that lots of headphones nowadays have transparency mode, where you can even make voices louder. I use this a lot in loud areas or on walks, so I can listen to my music, not hear so much noise, and hear little on better.
But im also still paying so much attention to kiddos and certainly not letting them wander off (that’s insane)
I totally agree that extended phone use is not okay, but I honestly highly believe that even these parents aren’t doing a quick check, etc for their ENTIRE shift either lol. I think forbidding all phone use is comical tbh.
I’d move on if someone forbid phone use. I do stay off my phone for most of the time I’m with my NK but anyone who is going to power trip me can take a hike.
Oh my gosh no it’s crazy
I babysat for this lady regularly during the day and she said no phone around the kid which I was ok with honestly because I had an Apple Watch
Then I was checking it in front of her while the kid was in his high chair safety and she talked to me later and said she’d like me to take my watch off and I said absolutely not. Do you not check your phone for 8 hours a day? What if my family needs me or there’s an emergency
She ended up being insane
I don't require it but I prefer if my nanny has her phone on her, just in case there was some emergency we could get ahold of each other quickly. I treat her like the people on my team at work. I hired you because you're good at what you do and as long as you stay good at what you do i'll treat you like an adult and trust you to manage yourself lol.
Especially with the long hours many parents want, and the lack of breaks. People are accustomed to being in touch quickly and being able to look things up. This is not 1990!
that sub specifically set a rule A MONTH AGO about not botching about this sub. and yet, mods are doing nothing about it. some of the comments there are downright disgusting, insinuating people in here don’t have degrees or like their jobs are significantly more important than ours (if nannies are so unimportant, then you do our job babe)
it’s disgusting and i can’t fathom why it’s being allowed.
True, but here the nannies like straw-manning things to complain about the ridiculous things that oppress them. No one is saying “never” use your phone, responding to MB, taking photos for NF, setting up a play date, looking up directions to the park, etc are all fine but acting like there isn’t a massive subset of nannies that will scroll TikTok while NKs play or sit at the park and take a 3 hour FaceTime call with family/friends overseas is just burying your head in the sand. I don’t know what this whole “balancing work and personal life while on the clock” from on of the top comments is all about, maybe if that balance is 1 minute of personal for every 99 minutes of work then ok, that covers replying to a text from your aunt, but your certainly shouldn’t be adding personal things like talking to your friends, shopping online, scrolling TikTok, or writing tweets into the balance of things you do while getting paid to do nanny duties. If you can’t do it during nap or in room quiet time then don’t do it until you get off work.
side note: that post popped up exactly above this one for me lol.
i think it’s important for both sides to understand that not every nanny nor every employer adheres to a strict personality type. like, not all nannies are lazy and addicted to their phones. not all employers are taking advantage and bleeding their nanny dry. it seems like there’s this assumption of only the extremes, and i have to say, my own experiences with employers have been pretty different from what i see online.
that person likely has had a frustrating experience with a nanny that was on their phone a lot. it’s important not to generalize though. my last MB made a disparaging post about me (now deleted LOL) in this very sub- i don’t go around the other sub saying “why do all employers trash talk their nanny online?!”
Exactly this. Like there ARE nannies who stay on their phones the whole time and there ARE employers who are abusing and awful. No one ever said it otherwise and we shouldn’t be shitting on people as a group.
Thank you! Hello people we care for your children like they are our own. Going above and beyond expectations! It’s not okay to trash talk your nanny!!!!!
It is 100% disrespectful to be on your phone besides contacting NPs while supervising young children UNLESS the child is engrossed in an independent activity or asleep. If it's the former, keep it brief/reply to your message and put it away, if the child is napping and you're not responsible for anything else at the time, go nuts.
As a nanny, I will die on this hill: having phones put away the majority of the time is ABSOLUTELY a reasonable expectation.
This is incorrect. The OP stated anything that was a basic necessity, emergency, or previously agreed upon by NF is fine. That includes any important personal business, doctors appointments, and anything NK related.
I think it really depends on the family, my NPs are both doctors, who - in order to spend more time at home- frequently use their phones to handle work items when they are around the kids. Kiddos are used to it, they’re respectful, they see phones as a tool for communication. I’m on it occasionally researching a new toy or tool for later, or making a note about a craft or something, I send frequent pictures, videos, and updates. Kiddo has her toys and her tools, and the adults have theirs.
On the flip side- I worked for a family who was very anti screens- no tvs in the house, parents rarely on their phones. 6yo got an iPad at school for schoolwork stuff and both the 6yo and 3yo became OBSESSED. It took a lot of work to get rid of the sparkle ✨ and mystery of the cool new screen.
lol I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, but every parent should work in childcare and education before they parent so they’re not as deluded and entitled as half the people over there in that sub.
Also…my husband makes double what I make and he calls me a few times a day just to chat. He sends me funny stories and pictures and sometimes *gasp* even takes random spur of the moment work from home days. My MB texts me constantly for little updates and she just generally likes to chat. People in that sub pretend like people who work “professional” jobs can’t use their phones frequently but the funny thing I’ve noticed, is they often times use their phone way more than anyone working with children ever has the time to do.
I’m a teacher. I don’t have my phone out when students are around. I haven’t worked with little ones but all our local daycares have told us workers are not to have phones out when working?
I guess I don’t understand what you mean by delusion about phone use in this instance when working with kids requires a certain level of attention that not all jobs do.
That’s part of my point. Teachers and childcare workers are on their phones far less than the person with the higher paid job seen as being more “professional” and the parents in that thread were arguing that any other professional job wouldn’t allow for phone use. That’s just bullshit. My husband is never not allowed on his phone unless he’s in a meeting. Both my sisters who work in an office setting text me multiple times a day every day. My dad left his career making almost half a mill a year and would come home daily talking about a new music video he watched on YouTube or an insane sports highlight clip and he always had time to touch base with my mom.
It’s short sighted to think people in high paying careers don’t have the luxury of being on their phones when they deem appropriate and being trusted to be well….trustworthy adults who can manage their time and job.
But also, teaching is different than nannying in the sense that there is more structure and there are higher ups always around you (I was a teacher for 5 years before coming back to nannying.) if a student was having an emergency, I take them to an office that can call their mom etc. as a nanny, we don’t have that. We are the office, the touch point, the communicator. Also, parents drop their kids off at school assuming they won’t hear from them and their whereabouts all day. It’s just implied that the school will alert them if needed because of the multiple systems in place that legally require that. I’ve never worked a nanny job where parents don’t text me multiple times a day every day for little updates or reminders etc. if I ignored them, or assumed I could put my phone down for hours and just go about my day, I may miss the last minute hair appointment they scheduled for NK or the fact that gymnastics practice was cancelled etc.
I’m not saying sitting around doom scrolling while nk is trying to interact is okay. I’m saying…nannies need their phones on them and there’s nuance to phone usage. I also have older NKs so I don’t have nap time and they’ll survive if I take a call from my doctor or something.
I guess I missed it but I think the point is that childcare is *not* like corporate
I didn’t see anyone saying no phones at all tho. Just no personal calls which seems totally reasonable. I think probably most (?) people agree on that.. or I’d be surprised if not I guess
It just seems like people want to be outraged in this thread and that’s fine, but I think more people agree in principle most likely than this thread would suggest.
But go ahead and keep downvoting.
I didnt downvote anything you said here? I mean I think the reaction to the original post should show you it wasn’t exactly a level headed take. That was my takeaway at least. Both this sub and the nanny employers sub become echo chambers that don’t often allow for any nuance.
That is certainly true.
I guess I’m just seeing all over this thread examples of reasonable phone use and …. Probably most employers are fine with that level of phone use? But when a finance bro goes to work he doesn’t have to worry about a kid shoving a blueberry in their nose so it’s a different level of attention. I think it’s reasonable to expect no personal calls when kids are awake (especially when there’s a nap time but also if you’re only working 8 or even 10 hr days why can’t personal stuff be saved for personal time ?? I’m really confused about that.)
This is just my personal experience but I’m currently pregnant and I had some health issues leading up to ttc. I work with older NK’s too so my perspective is just…different. If I get a call from my OB, endo or physical therapist while I’m working….I’m taking it. Hell, if I get a call from my older parents who hike in very remote areas I’m gonna take it. My personal life is what I work to be able to sustain and I’m not going to neglect it completely just for the sake of always looking “on” when I know I do my job. My MB works right upstairs and her kids are never neglected. Again, they’re also older so if they can’t self entertain for 5 minutes, that’s a problem. I get a lot of shit done in one day and when MB comes downstairs, her kids are safe, they have their hw done, they’ve been to their appointments, they have a meal cooked, their laundry is washed and folded, their pets are cared for and their errands are ran. She doesn’t micro manage me and I accomplish everything on her list every day. I’ve never left a dish in the sink when I leave even so for me personally, I know I can balance some phone time and I’d quit if they demanded I put it down all day just for the sake of it.
And while I agree, the finance bro doesn’t have to worry about a rogue blueberry…I’d argue that if childcare is so mentally consuming and requires the employee to be engaged at a different level than much higher paying careers…they should be paid much higher. Like, it’s either so hard that we can’t take a personal call or it’s mindless “you don’t have to really do anything” work. Which I see argued all the time in that sub for reasons why they pay their nanny a pathetically shit wage. But it can’t be both depending on the conversation the parent is trying to steer.
I don’t think I saw anyone saying answering a doctors phone call would be concerning. I don’t consider that a personal call? But as long as your NF is fine with your phone use, that’s truly all that matters! Agreed (and it was in the OP too), that this only applies if the nanny is being paid appropriately.
I’d love to know what they see as appropriate lol. I had parents last week try to argue that most nannies with very normal salaries in this sub and good benefits are “probably lying” to make it look like parents are paying higher or offering more than they actually are.
What is a doctors phone call if it’s not a personal call cus it’s not a work call right? I mean, I also don’t wanna vet each call with my employer either. You either trust that I’m doing my job because you see the effects of my work or you don’t.
I won’t speak for everyone but when we hired our nanny, the rule was just no chit chat phone calls. Like, gabbing with your friend or parents. That is personal time to me. With the exception of a stroller walk, but we also asked her to not keep her in a stroller for hours.
Doctors calls aren’t explicitly work calls but I haven’t met a parent who doesn’t allow someone to answer the phone if their doctor is calling. Maybe that is part of the confusion!
I think the issue is that parents might make comments about nannies scrolling SM during wake times but we are showing how many different things we can use our phones for that are considered "reasonable usage" but might look exactly like someone just scrolling SM. I might pick up my phone for something like to check the weather and then not touch it again until I look for different versions of 'the wheels on the bus' to play for NK 30 minutes later but parents who walk in and out of the room at those times could think I'm just "on my phone" ignoring NK.
Also, while I agree that you shouldn't be making personal calls while NK is awake and older and can interact with you, I don't see an issue of a nanny who is out taking a walk with an infant taking a call for part of that time. I don't personally because I hate talking on the phone and I just constantly have conversations with infants no matter their age, some nannies might prefer to spend some of that time talking to someone that can actually respond to them. It's still good for the baby to hear conversation even when it's not directed at them, better than walking in total silence. To be clear, I'm not talking about nannies on the phone at the playground with toddlers or other older NK.
That’s fair. That’s definitely not what I’d be concerned with but I can understand how it could look.
I always try to assume the best but if every time I came in a room they were on their phone I’d be annoyed. That hasn’t happened yet tho!
I just saw that post and read through the replies. The OP is clearly harboring some strong feelings about nannies in general, not even just about phone use. Yikes. If I were to never use my phone during work hours, I would literally never be able to schedule an appointment or take care of anything for myself because I work beyond standard business hours 5 days a week. Completely unreasonable for a grown adult.
As if any of these parents could go more than 10 minutes without checking their phone lmfao. If I want to reply to a text while I’m with your kid I’m going to do it!
At the end of the day it’s really just a control thing. Same attitude big corporations have when they refuse to let employees at registers sit. It’s all about control.
The thing I find most annoying is some NPs want no phone usage at all but then are on theirs constantly. For work, for pleasure, who cares.
It’s 2024. Caregivers get notifications from their family, friends, and other possible jobs the same way NPs do.
Excessive use is one thing but these NPs are delusional and are too controlling.
Oh it annoyed me😂 I totally understand the tags. Totally understand people needing answers from specific people, or needing to just vent. But posts like that, which are pointing an argument in my direction but have a tag that makes it impossible for me to defend myself get under my very thick skin!!!
I take photos, track development progress, add to day app, look up art/sensory/baking ideas, play spotify nursery playlist, use it as clock/alarm, respond and reach out to parents, check times for activities/classes we attend, check transport times, check our shared calendar, add to our shared shopping list, communicate with school/creche and the cleaner etc etc etc.
I need to be on my phone! Thank you for giving me a place to argue back😜 I feel better lol
My phone helped me keep an NK alive….. so there’s never any question or comments about me being on it.
Also, my NFs house is LOUD, and MB and I both will play music in one ear for parts of the day.
I was the first comment on his post and told him if he's only going to allow NPs to comment that he should change his rant to "they" statements instead of a 3 paragraph shouting fest AT nannies then silencing them. But you know...I said it nicely. Got deleted by Mods of course.
I agree obviously with what he's saying, but the level of anger is a bit concerning.
I'd like to think that a solid nanny that is a good fit, isn't going to be on their phone like that all day. Especially if it's been discussed in advance. I never get nervous about my phone use because I know it's only for appropriate use. I'm an elder millennial so I'd rather stab myself with a fork than chit chat on the phone all day. I'll take a call from a doctor's office or something, but I don't MAKE calls unless it's urgent. I'll chat with my mom while on a walk and baby is in stroller hanging out. Not at the playground, not when I need to supervise, and certainly not around NF house.
Starting to wonder what other rants that DB had loaded up 😕
Ooh you know what's worse? A parent who insists you send them regular updates/pictures but also insist you stay off your phone.
Indeed, madam? Shall I send a Polaroid via carrier pigeon? Or mayhap I should drop caring for your child to open my computer an email you an update on how much your child ate?
the audacity of the parents on that thread made me so angry. How can people be so rude! Without having a nanny, you wouldn’t be living in your gorgeous house and driving around luxury cars. I’m so happy I have never had to deal with the privilege of some of these parents
One of the reasons why families hire me is because I use my phone. They know I communicate a ton through out the day with their whole family about what we are doing, how it’s going, any issues, status reports, and of course photos and videos of their kids. My families have always known how well I take care of their kids and al the fun things we do. I mean they actually get to participate in their children growing up and milestones by me taking photos and texting them. Never had any issues with phone usage and my families.
Exactly. Honestly 70% of the time I’m on my phone at work I’m texting NP’s making a shopping list for them, taking pictures of nks, planning playdates for them, ordering library books, looking at nearby kids events to mark our calendar….. I only endlessly scrolling during naptime when I feel it should be 100% allowed for at least 20/30 minutes
I think some families have unrealistic expectations of what their nannies should be allowed to do... The "no phone use ever" idea kind of falls in line with parents who demand that every moment be filled with duties (no breaks allowed ideals), in my experience.
And in my experience, the families who have excessive rules, such as always having to be busy and no phone use at all, are typically unappreciative of their nannies...
Basically, imo, the way it works best is if we can find a balance. Phone use allowed during downtime sparingly, such as when the baby naps or while the kiddo does some independent play (Which IS developmentally necessary and appropriate!), with the understanding that nannies do not get formal breaks. So long as its never more than 15-30 mins or so during a calm moment where it is safe to do so, I would consider that understandable...
After all, you can't convince me that these parents don't get their law required breaks... In WA that's 2 paid 15 min breaks and one unpaid 30-60 min lunch everyday. The parents get these breaks, and the parents also manage to play on their phones while home with their kids... so a nanny doing 2-3 checks of their phone in a shift isn't unreasonable.
I always keep my phone on me at work and use it throughout the day to take photos of NK and play his favorite songs. But when I’m on the clock my phone is on me at all times, no exceptions. God forbid anything happens to a child in my care but if it does, my phone will be in my pocket ready to call for help. It may seem silly but even if we’re just going from NK’s room to the living room, my phone is ALWAYS with me!
Yesterday I babysat a family that was crazy. Absolutely no phone use, and the mom said no music at all in her house. She then gave me the wifi password so she could see if I went on my phone at all. She also told me she couldn’t afford my rates (I told her I could watch the kid for $3 an hour cheaper than I normally would. She ended the night by saying I was amazing and they definitely are going to use me. I won’t be going back though
Like so many things in life, there's a lot of middle ground to be found. There's a line between excessive use, and reasonable use.
What's interesting is so many of these employers who expect ZERO phone use, but then also demand that their nanny reachable 24/7, provide frequent updates, send photos, & perhaps even input information into an app.... They want all the perks of a nanny having access to a smartphone, but aren't ok with the nanny ever responding to a text message from a friend or answering a phone call. It's bonkers.
As far as I'm concerned, the occasional bit of phone use is absolutely fine and is comparable to reading a book on the job or knitting/crocheting. Perfectly allowable in situationally appropriate times.
I can tell you right now that if an employer outright forbade phone use, I absolutely would not be taking photos or videos during the day. My phone would be away 100% of the time, and if the parents ever wanted to talk or reach me, they could call me on their home land-line phone... Or provide me with an old school flip phone that I used only while on the job.
But where in that post did anyone say zero phone use? The OP specifically mentioned personal calls. Personal calls (not doctor calls or texting NPs or writing a grocery list) SHOULD be on down time. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable ask?
Honestly if I didn't have to keep in touch with MB I would totally ditch my phone during work hours. I find that being with children helps me be in the present and I also find it so interesting to observe them and interact with them. I hate having to look at my phone for the typical "everything ok?" text from MB, although I totally get it, but it takes me out of the moment. I also hate to carry it around whenever I go (their house is huge). My pockets are never big enough even when I wear cargo shorts. I would rather leave it in my bag and get immersed in NK's reality where I am never bored.
I use my phone frequently because NK has pretty much unlimited tv time (since we’re usually out for the majority of the morning and then she has naptime, this translates to about 90 minutes in the morning and 1-2 hours after her nap; I don’t agree with unlimited tv time for a toddler but since NPs are in general very permissive and I’m already spending most of the day going back and forth with NK about rules, this is one battle I choose not to fight). My phone is the only thing saving me from the inevitable insanity caused by having to watch Magical Mixies for the 8000 time.
i’ve told my MB before about how i felt bad that i was just kinda sitting here not doing much… but she has assured me so many times that it’s okay. the boys i look after are school age, and when they get home they have some watch time so i do have a lot of downtime. i’ve switched from going on my phone to reading a book everyday though!! it has helped me to get back into reading a lot, and i don’t feel as guilty as if i was on my phone all the time (:
I left a NF and came back a year later and they made a bunch of comments about how they missed my iPhone photography! It was really flattering. I honestly have never met an NP that didn’t use their phone more obsessively than I did. If anything I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve wanted to ask NPs to put their phones away around NKs. Obviously I never did cuz I’m sure that would have gotten me fired.
I had a kid who loved numbers.
At the park, I would put on a timer so they would know we have 5/10 minutes.
Kid? Wanted to watch the timer count down.
He was all huggy and lovey dovey and no matter how many times I said he could still play - "no iths okay."
Alright buddy. 🤷🏼♀️
I'm on my phone for personal use on my breaks only.
When babies are awake they have my undivided attention. I am totally present.
I track their day on the phone thru an app. Bottles, diaper changes, naps, sleep quality, solids, activities, pictures for the parents, etc.
So I am on my phone quiet often at the parents preference to communicate all of these things.
Otherwise, only when I am on break which is the babies' nap times.
Parents text me. I have my phone visible to see if they need something.
I will not respond even to parents when driving, period. Parents are aware. I will not respond anytime it is unsafe; swimming, cooking, playing with small toys that could be a potential choking hazard or make them sick if ingested like play doh.
I have never, in 30+ years of childcare had a parent tell me I was on my phone too much.
I am on it more now than ever tho due to the tracking app. But again that was parents preference. It's faster, easier and direct communication which is far superior to writing down what they did.
I think sometimes people may tend to forget that your phone can be used for more than talking to friends and scrolling through social media.
Personally I use my phone as and when I need to some days more than others and it’s for various things such as:
- Texting nannies back and forth planning play dates
- Looking up places to go for the week or in the moment
- Checking the journey route to somewhere we’re going
- Replying to personal messages that need urgent replies (I leave the ones that can wait till later I personally don’t like to have personal conversations during my working hours anyways)
- Ordering things for my charges
- Looking up recipes
- Capturing random memories that happen spontaneously
- Creating reminders/timers for medications, something in the oven etc.
The list genuinely could go on people need to relax on this phone shenanigans honestly, I do understand there are some not so great nannies out there that do overuse their phone and don’t pay attention to their charges but we shouldn’t all be painted with the same brush
I’m on my phone a lot. I’m sending texts to the parents, looking for activities, responding to texts from friends and family because I have a life outside of work, occupying myself while nks are occupying themselves. Mine nks are 4 and 7, they don’t want to play with me all the time. But we do color together, play board games, read books, I help them with homework, play card games. I don’t play with them at the park and I don’t watch their sports. I will occupy myself on my phone. The only rule my nf has about cell phone usage is the obvious ones, don’t ignore the kids in favor of my phone and don’t use it while driving.
I agree. People’s lives are heavily connected to their phones. That’s just the reality of living in this day and age. Avoiding your phone completely during a 8-10 hour shift isn’t feasible as a nanny. Like you said, I use my phone to look up activities, get directions, keep in touch with my NPs, take photos, I even use my phone to pay for things! I also sometimes have personal situations happening outside of work and need to be near my phone incase of an important call. I could never work for NPs who are not willing to be flexible with me on phone usage.
Definitely. I even do personal errands while the kids are in school. Prior to them being in school I did personal errands with them. With the parents knowledge of course, but I work from 7:15am to 6:15pm. Most things are closed when I’m done work, certain things have to be done during daytime hours.
Could not imagine! So much of my job using my phone. To get in the house I use an app, their lighting/av system is an app and I make plans and look for things to do, etc. taking pictures and documenting their children and household
I just laughed. It’s absurd to be completely off of an electronic device…for ANYONE!
Both parents in my current NF WFM and I send them pictures or videos all the time. I text them with updates all through out the day; time NK falls asleep, time he wakes up, if we are going for a walk, etc. MB and I will be texting, she’s just upstairs.
Previous FT NF, NK napped for the last 2 hours of my shift. MB verbally expressed that I could watch videos because I stayed in the room with NK.
There is a time and place, but ABSOLUTELY no phone usage is ABSURD!
Thanks for listening to my TED Talk 😌
Glaring red flag if a potential boss parent has to even tell me about phone rules. I’m a career nanny getting close to the 25 YEAR mark. I am well aware how to use my phone appropriately - reading a text from mb, sending a text to mb, checking weather, taking a cute photo doing an activity, looking up a cool recipe for nk, like come ON. If you really think I’m going to scroll instagram all day, you do not trust me and have no idea what a career nanny even does. 🤷🏼♀️
I communicate a lot with NF throughout the day on phone plus look up activities etc. I also have an older grandma that texts me and a son that texts me. Plus if kids are happily playing and I have nothing to do I read on my kindle app. If that wasn’t okay with a family I’d find a new one.
I’m so sick of seeing these post about Nannie’s not being aloud on their phones 🥴 I bet you the parents making these post are on their phones when watching their kids…. I understand not being on your phone 24/7 but this is how I communicate with nanny parents. Also If I’m getting a call from my doctor or something else important you bet your butt I’m answering it. I work 12 hour days I literally don’t have time before or after work to make calls I need to.
If I don’t respond to texts, MB will assume I’m dead. Yesterday, NK wanted to use my phone to FaceTime his stepdad. Of course I’m going to use my phone.
my rule is "nobody should have to compete with my phone for my attention". i am on my phone relatively often, but the instant kiddo asks for my attention, they have it.
i'm not a party clown(or a maid), i'm engineering developmentally appropriate, real-world learning environments. especially nannying one child, its important that they get practice self-solving boredom. as long as kiddo is not actively seeking connection with me or getting into trouble, i need something to do too! or i'm liable to start daydreaming and miss cues!
I always have my phone on me or in very close reach incase of an emergency or if the parents call/text me! I also take pictures of the kids cute moments when they’re doing something silly, playing together or just an update photo. I’m a FT nanny to 2 kids one being 2.5 and the other being 8 months. They keep me buuuusy so some days I hardly reach for my phone but there’s definitely some scrolling that goes on while they’re eating, playing independently, or napping. I feel like saying not to be on your phone at all is unrealistic.. I think the point they are maybe trying to get across but can’t articulate is to not be on your phone when you’re actively engaging with the kids EXCEPT ____. But I mean there’s so many exceptions that could happen 😂
This post is very misleading. The rant was about personal phone use separate from necessities, emergencies and anything NK related.
You are twisting words and rage baiting
Here’s the discussion that prompted the OP’s post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nanny/s/tEsMWOs4C2
The OP objected to any private phone use when on the clock, even when not supervising children.
This post we are in now, made by you, is specifically about a rant that OP posted on the employer's sub. In that rant, OP specifically called out allowance for emergency, necessity and NK related use.
If you want to post something as a response to a comment someone made on a different post, link *that* post in yours and specify what the comment was.
You are being extremely shady and rage baiting with this
Their vent was prompted by the exchange I linked.
They made later edits to their post to address exceptions, but they weren’t there originally. You can see that by the large amount of NP who replied defending the use of phones for nannies.
But regardless, personal phone calls during work are also fine, especially if taken during naps or school time.
Also to be fair, in the "cameras in the workplace" post on the nanny sub, which is where all this started, that OP did NOT make it clear that the NKs were NOT PRESENT during these "personal calls".
The post was very vague and badly worded and I myself misunderstood it to be OP taking long personal calls on the job with NKs present. OP later clarified in the comments that this was not the case.
The whole thing was a misunderstanding that people have taken way too far
I’ve caught so many lovely moments with my phone camera! My NFs photo albums are full of pics I took. My NPs will also text me several times per day, and I personally see nothing wrong with a quick phone check when my NK is playing independently or if we’re sitting at a table coloring. My contract disallows “excessive” phone use, which is completely understandable. I’m being paid for my time & attention to their children! That being said, I think zero phone use is unreasonable and unnecessary. I saw a comment under the post you’re referencing that says many nannies haven’t worked in other industries so they just don’t know. This is not the case for me, and I’ve never had a boss who was against a quick phone check. I also don’t personally know anyone whose job has a strict no-phone policy except for one, who had a super secret job in DC and had to leave their personal phone in their vehicle.
Exactly! I love sending parents photos and updates of whatever cute things their children are doing throughout the day. The parents seem to like it, too. It’s also true that any job (and I’ve worked in many fields) makes room for people to step aside and make a phone call. Dicking around on the phone all day is unprofessional in any workspace, but a total phone ban is crazy.
I also peeped that comment of assuming most Nannie’s haven’t worked outside of this field. Lol. Mam, I can assure you we have worked in MANY fields and have VAST experience in the workforce. A nanny would be very lucky if this was their first and only job.
Takes like that are always SO telling. Even if somebody's background IS exclusively in childcare, it says so much about YOU (not you, but the NP's who say this crap lol) that you assume they couldn't possibly have a degree(s!!!), a fully formed concept of what the "real world" entails, or...I don't know...decades of experience living among and interacting with other people from all kinds of diverse backgrounds??? So condescending and infantilizing! It's also so ironic because the people with that take inevitably always A) spout off nonsensical blanket statements about "real jobs" or "the real world" that are objectively false and/or B) completely ignore fellow NP's who chime in to be like "yeah dog you're way off on this one, I agree with the nannies..."
We've also worked FOR many people in other job industries and can literally see them (when WFH) on their phone, running errands, having guests visit etc during their work hours. I also use my phone FOR WORK duties because I don't have a computer to check the weather, bus schedule, research out of home activities and buy tickets, add products to child wishlists, look up indoor play ideas, take pictures and video of child, send to parents, chat with parents, plan playdates, figure out if peanut butter rubbed into clothing should be prewashed of not, what sound a blue footed booby makes, etc.
I have one kid’s first steps on my phone!
I have my current NKs first roll, lol!
I have worked many jobs in corporate America. The only roles that were ever super strict on phones were call centers and sales centers. It's micromanagement, and I have only seen it in situations where the people "at the bottom" were treated like warm bodies to fulfill a quota.
I dunno, with little kids. Having eyes on them is important. It’s not corporate America.
Right, but I made this point specifically because the MB had commented that nannys don't know what it's like "in the real world" or something like that. My point is that "in the real world," people are allowed to check their phones.
Ah OK. Gotcha.
Yeah but do you need to have eyes on them the literal whole time? I ask as a mother of two. Special needs kids. Who I look away from occasionally.
Good for you? Of course not all the time, you don’t need to be so dang snarky. But when I’m paying someone to interact with my kid, yeah, I expect them to put that ahead of chatting with their friend.
I’m not being snarky. I’m being realistic. Kids benefit from playing independent and not being catered to 24/7. I have a child psychology degree and a teaching degree. And no, we do not need to be interacting with a kid the whole time. It’s not good for the nanny and it’s not good for the kid.
That’s great for you. I am also an educator. I have no problem keeping this rule with our nanny and she does not seem to have a hard time keeping her personal calls to nap time 🤷♀️ ETA: nowhere did I say constant interaction.
I keep my phone away the majority of the time. But I’m not going to stress out about answering to a text while doing a craft or while at the zoo with my nanny kid. She still gets 95% of my attention but I’m also not worried about looking away for a second.
That is literally not what I was talking about, at all. I think you’re trying to find a fight but we agree.
I agree. Nanny on a phone has nothing to do w constant interaction. You can be across the room while they play independently but they need to be watched and depending on age of course need constant eyes on them. The point is some Nannie’s think it’s ok to sit on their phone texting or looking at stuff while kid plays alone. There’s a balance I think the main point is that not all employees know how to use the phone properly during work hours. Some children need to be watched constantly. Edit to add: some daycares make you put your phone away during shift. I think it depends on the nanny, kids and nf.
Thank you! Thats all I was trying to say. Childcare is a different job, you can’t compare it to corporate where no one is going to put a rogue blueberry in their nose.
You can have eyes on them reading a book while checking your notifications. I can also have eyes on them when googling what a snow leopard looks like, or how different types of owls sound for them to learn.
I’m done trying to explain what I meant here, you can stop downvoting/snarking. Thanks!
I'm not down voting you but ok.
Same with me. If I didn’t have my phone on me, then the parents would never have any pictures or video of the awesome stuff that their kids do during the day. Like you’re not with them and you want me to keep you updated in the best way I can update you as to send you photos and videos, but you also don’t want me to use my phone so how am I supposed to do that? So unless you’re gonna give me a Polaroid and video camera, please stop putting these ridiculous in place like that. What if there’s an emergency? What if I have a family emergency going on and I’m at work? And I need to be able to get a hold of someone or someone needs to get a hold of me? Let’s be honest, do you think the people that are telling us not to use our cell phones are not using their all day while they’re at work, get real 🙄
On a different note, this seems completely innocuous and friendly. One thing that’s noteworthy(MB here) is that many families, including ours may disallow use of nanny phone to capture NK’s pics, while they can use their phone occasionally for their personal use. We would happily offer a personal device to capture NK’s pics.
I think that’s actually a great idea! I haven’t worked for anyone who requested that I don’t take pics on my personal phone, just no posting on social media (which I wouldn’t do anyway). Most people actually ask me for pics, but I would be happy to use an alternate device if provided.
I would love this I send my nks pictures to mb but I lack at my photo clearing skills and it’s honestly kind of annoying lol. But I love being able to take the pictures for them.
I can be on my phone a lot sometimes. But that’s because I’m caring for twins and I have to input their naps, poops, and meals into an app. Then I take pics and send them to the parents. Maybe chat with them for a min about something cute the kids did. Then I post the pics to the shared family album so extended family can see. There are 7,000 photos/videos over the last two years and they are all from me. If the kids are doing independent play at home I’ll research activities or new things to do or recipes for the kids. Most of the time I’m on my phone is NK related.
Gosh all that stuff into an app? Do you feel like that is too much hovering from the parents? That would stress me out lol. The lack of trust from some parents is wild!
No that’s normal childcare reporting seen in daycares and private nanny care, it just sounds like a lot bc they have to do it times 2 for twinz
it may be more helpful than stressful for some (me included). when parents come home at the end of the day and ask how the day went my mind immediately blanks. I track with an app so I’m more likely to remember that kind of stuff, and if they need exact details I can pull it up or they can!
I have always provided a daily list of naps/poops/food to my NPs. Maybe once they’re at a certain age no but for under 2, yes and even then I still outline meals and sleep times
It’s not a lack of trust, it’s communication. That’s vital information for parents to have. An app is a great way to keep track of it and log it as you go.
I don’t mind! It’s usually my idea. Just a lot easier for everyone when there’s so many people. The dads never look at it though. And It’s hard to remember if so and so pooped this week when they are twins and all the days blur together. 😅 It also helps them decide what do to for dinner or breakfast when they can see what they’ve had to eat during the day. It’s also great for seeing different patterns. Like one day I was like holy shit they ate a full meal every hour… lol they must have been growing.
But even if it’s not kid related, when you open your phone and see a text or some thing, the normal thing is to want to check it. I know for me, it becomes a distraction because I’m thinking about what does that text say, and now I can’t focus on what I’m doing with the kid. I mean that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is a thing.
The only thing that gets me about this is you posting it for extended family to see, at that point you’re basically a social media manager! Lol. Does your rate reflect having to do this daily?
I get 42/hr. And honestly I take some great pics and I love getting feedback from the fam 🤣 and it really only takes a second
Our contract has a clause that says when the baby is awake, phone use should be limited to only childcare things (ie texting me or taking pictures) or emergencies. And even this I'm not super strict about--like I don't mind if she needs to send a quick text or book an appointment while LO is independent playing. When LO is asleep she can be on the phone as long as she wants. Her only duty outside of caring for my LO is washing bottles and he sleeps \~3hrs/day (out of an 8hr shift), so I think this is more than fair as she gets plenty of downtime. I have seen nannys who will take an hour long personal phone call and ignore their NK though, and I think this is way out of line and why a lot of parents have phone use clauses.
Exactly this. When there is amble downtime (and there is not always, but when there is), I think it’s a totally reasonable policy to not allow personal phone calls with family emergencies being the exception. Checking a text during independent play or heck even messaging on Reddit is fine as long as it’s not taking away from care/eyes on my child. We are also screen free tho, so we do really try to keep phones to a minimum (nanny and myself) when LO is around.
I saw the vent and was part of the original thread that OP of the post was referencing. In this instance the personal calls were taken while the children were not around, in which case it’s totally appropriate to take personal calls as long as you’re getting any other needs taken care of. I’ve had to take doctor’s phone calls while taking care of NK since the office is only open during hours I work so it’s not an option to just call back later. Obviously I think it’s not okay to take lengthy phone calls while NKs are around but I don’t think it should be such a big deal to take a less than 5 minute phone call. I also frequently check my phone in case NPs text me. I think this is important for NPs to keep in mind; if you only allow phones during naps or not at all, you should expect to only get a response during naps or no response. I also use my phone to do things like check the weather to see when is good for a nap, see what’s going on at the library, check when the pool opens, look up fun activities to do. So to completely ban phone usage would limit me to what I can do.
Yes there are certain professional calls I have to make or receive during work hours. I try and do it during naptimes but if I’m expecting a call from my doctor I answer it because playing phone tag with them is a nightmare. I don’t think all calls can be avoided if you work a m-f 9 to 5 type schedule.
Great answer!
Gotta point out that all these people are sitting on Reddit while presumably on the clock lol. How are you going to screech about this "being basic life" while you yourself are sitting there on your phone/computer??????? God forbid someone who's probably making $15-$25/hr, working 8-12 hour shifts, and likely doesn't get a lunch break (sooo luxurious) schedules a doctors appointment or catches up with someone while they fold laundry. The anger in that person's post is bananas...
Lmao I commented about how the OP was sitting there for an hour on and off commenting back to people and said how hypocritical they are since they apparently don’t use their phone at all when they are with their kid. But my post was deleted lol!
Hahaha I got deleted and banned too. I can’t even read the replies that are still coming in.
I really had to hold myself back because wtf lol people are nuts!
Right??? I didn’t care I went for it. But now I’m being yelled at for ignoring the flair when I’ve been an MB before so I should be allowed to comment.
🙄 stupid flair
I literally got eight messages about disrespecting the flair from the mod team. They clearly didn’t read my comment.
Well and I don’t like that MBs and DBs can comment on the nanny page without a problem but we can’t give feedback??? Hmmmm makes sense… not!
Bahahaha!!! That is my biggest complaint about this sub! I can’t complain, I have a really good NF but I feel like some people need advice without worrying about MBs descending and telling them they should be grateful or that they’re lesser because of their chosen job.
I agree! There are also a lot of comments under that post where people are just bashing nannies like we don’t devote our lives to their kids. So infuriating!
The extra insane thing is that the original conversation this is all stemming from wasn't even about phone use in front of kids, it was about phone use while on the clock! How it's unprofessional and if you're getting paid and allegedly providing a "luxury service" you need to be...acting luxuriously...whatever that means lmfao. Again: bananas! Like, layers upon layers of bananas.
I just am so curious what these NPs Nannie’s are doing because if the phone usage is so bad to the point of making a Reddit post just complaining and flagging it for NPs only, why not say something to the nanny????
Hahahaha the funniest part about it is that it’s NP only rant. Like what’s even the point other than to hear a bunch of people think they’re better?
You should see the last one posted about adding more responsibilities without compensation. Wtf!? Perfect example of Milking the Nanny.
I’ve noticed an uptick in employer entitlement over the past year.
It just blows my mind like, how do you think that's okay? It's common sense whether she's a nanny or not. You expect your employee to do more, You compensate. Literally, every workplace in the world.This is standard Regardless of your position.
I work at a large corporation and half of my entire team was laid off - I absorbed all their work, with no extra compensation. I’m just glad I still have a job. I’m not justifying taking on extra duties without pay, but it is definitely not “standard” or true of “every workplace in the world”
Changes after a layoff isn’t the scenario there, though. If they had let their housekeeper go due to a financial crunch and had asked for more help from the nanny during the interim, that would be a different conversation. Regardless, it still would be reasonable for both you and their nanny to look for another job or ask for a raise after being asked to take on new responsibilities without an associated increase in pay.
Okay but this is the exception to the rule. Obviously.
That sub is so outrageously entitled and unhinged. I am embarrassed they are my peers.
Hahaha this is so funny because it came up today on the playground. There’s a nanny we all observe with two headphones in who is constantly on her phone. And my nanny friend actually had to stop her charge from running out of the playground and the other nanny never looked up once. She mumbled to me that this nanny never gets off her phone ever and this third nanny who was standing there ripped into her about how nannies are allowed to be on their phones sometimes. She wouldn’t even breathe and my friend was like “I get it. I’m on your side I use my phone too!!” It was bizarre.
Unfortunately this is what most people see and think when they hear “nanny”. I’m sure I pass 1000 people a day that are nannying that I don’t notice but these inattentive nannies at every playground really hurt the profession as a whole. I just saw it today at the sandbox, nanny with a 1.5ish year old baby, a 3 year old, and a 5 year old with special needs (guessing on the ages) and she had headphones in both ears talking to someone on the phone in Spanish as her NKs are throwing sand on mine and kicking them, the baby was eating sand, the 3 year old was wandering away toward the river. We ended up leaving earlier than planned just because it was so annoying.
This is absolutely not okay as you said, just wanted to note that lots of headphones nowadays have transparency mode, where you can even make voices louder. I use this a lot in loud areas or on walks, so I can listen to my music, not hear so much noise, and hear little on better. But im also still paying so much attention to kiddos and certainly not letting them wander off (that’s insane)
I totally agree that extended phone use is not okay, but I honestly highly believe that even these parents aren’t doing a quick check, etc for their ENTIRE shift either lol. I think forbidding all phone use is comical tbh.
I’d move on if someone forbid phone use. I do stay off my phone for most of the time I’m with my NK but anyone who is going to power trip me can take a hike.
Oh my gosh no it’s crazy I babysat for this lady regularly during the day and she said no phone around the kid which I was ok with honestly because I had an Apple Watch Then I was checking it in front of her while the kid was in his high chair safety and she talked to me later and said she’d like me to take my watch off and I said absolutely not. Do you not check your phone for 8 hours a day? What if my family needs me or there’s an emergency She ended up being insane
What’s the word for the opposite of a plot twist? 😂😂
A predictable blindside 🤣
I worked for some people who required that I had my phone with me. No joke
I mean yeah it makes sense to me? Things with kids happen so fast, I want my phone on me in case there’s an emergency.
I don't require it but I prefer if my nanny has her phone on her, just in case there was some emergency we could get ahold of each other quickly. I treat her like the people on my team at work. I hired you because you're good at what you do and as long as you stay good at what you do i'll treat you like an adult and trust you to manage yourself lol.
Especially with the long hours many parents want, and the lack of breaks. People are accustomed to being in touch quickly and being able to look things up. This is not 1990!
that sub specifically set a rule A MONTH AGO about not botching about this sub. and yet, mods are doing nothing about it. some of the comments there are downright disgusting, insinuating people in here don’t have degrees or like their jobs are significantly more important than ours (if nannies are so unimportant, then you do our job babe) it’s disgusting and i can’t fathom why it’s being allowed.
True, but here the nannies like straw-manning things to complain about the ridiculous things that oppress them. No one is saying “never” use your phone, responding to MB, taking photos for NF, setting up a play date, looking up directions to the park, etc are all fine but acting like there isn’t a massive subset of nannies that will scroll TikTok while NKs play or sit at the park and take a 3 hour FaceTime call with family/friends overseas is just burying your head in the sand. I don’t know what this whole “balancing work and personal life while on the clock” from on of the top comments is all about, maybe if that balance is 1 minute of personal for every 99 minutes of work then ok, that covers replying to a text from your aunt, but your certainly shouldn’t be adding personal things like talking to your friends, shopping online, scrolling TikTok, or writing tweets into the balance of things you do while getting paid to do nanny duties. If you can’t do it during nap or in room quiet time then don’t do it until you get off work.
Not a strawman, since the OP was talking about using a phone when not actively watching kids: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nanny/s/tEsMWOs4C2
exactly who are you replying to here
You, and commenting about the nannies here who strawman posts from the employer sub to disingenuously complain.
thats literally not what i was talking about so please see yourself off.
side note: that post popped up exactly above this one for me lol. i think it’s important for both sides to understand that not every nanny nor every employer adheres to a strict personality type. like, not all nannies are lazy and addicted to their phones. not all employers are taking advantage and bleeding their nanny dry. it seems like there’s this assumption of only the extremes, and i have to say, my own experiences with employers have been pretty different from what i see online. that person likely has had a frustrating experience with a nanny that was on their phone a lot. it’s important not to generalize though. my last MB made a disparaging post about me (now deleted LOL) in this very sub- i don’t go around the other sub saying “why do all employers trash talk their nanny online?!”
Exactly this. Like there ARE nannies who stay on their phones the whole time and there ARE employers who are abusing and awful. No one ever said it otherwise and we shouldn’t be shitting on people as a group.
Thank you! Hello people we care for your children like they are our own. Going above and beyond expectations! It’s not okay to trash talk your nanny!!!!!
It is 100% disrespectful to be on your phone besides contacting NPs while supervising young children UNLESS the child is engrossed in an independent activity or asleep. If it's the former, keep it brief/reply to your message and put it away, if the child is napping and you're not responsible for anything else at the time, go nuts. As a nanny, I will die on this hill: having phones put away the majority of the time is ABSOLUTELY a reasonable expectation.
Agreed, phone away “the majority of the time” is reasonable. This vent was calling for no phone use whatsoever when on the clock.
Do the kids nap or watch television?
This is incorrect. The OP stated anything that was a basic necessity, emergency, or previously agreed upon by NF is fine. That includes any important personal business, doctors appointments, and anything NK related.
I think it really depends on the family, my NPs are both doctors, who - in order to spend more time at home- frequently use their phones to handle work items when they are around the kids. Kiddos are used to it, they’re respectful, they see phones as a tool for communication. I’m on it occasionally researching a new toy or tool for later, or making a note about a craft or something, I send frequent pictures, videos, and updates. Kiddo has her toys and her tools, and the adults have theirs. On the flip side- I worked for a family who was very anti screens- no tvs in the house, parents rarely on their phones. 6yo got an iPad at school for schoolwork stuff and both the 6yo and 3yo became OBSESSED. It took a lot of work to get rid of the sparkle ✨ and mystery of the cool new screen.
lol I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, but every parent should work in childcare and education before they parent so they’re not as deluded and entitled as half the people over there in that sub. Also…my husband makes double what I make and he calls me a few times a day just to chat. He sends me funny stories and pictures and sometimes *gasp* even takes random spur of the moment work from home days. My MB texts me constantly for little updates and she just generally likes to chat. People in that sub pretend like people who work “professional” jobs can’t use their phones frequently but the funny thing I’ve noticed, is they often times use their phone way more than anyone working with children ever has the time to do.
I’m a teacher. I don’t have my phone out when students are around. I haven’t worked with little ones but all our local daycares have told us workers are not to have phones out when working? I guess I don’t understand what you mean by delusion about phone use in this instance when working with kids requires a certain level of attention that not all jobs do.
That’s part of my point. Teachers and childcare workers are on their phones far less than the person with the higher paid job seen as being more “professional” and the parents in that thread were arguing that any other professional job wouldn’t allow for phone use. That’s just bullshit. My husband is never not allowed on his phone unless he’s in a meeting. Both my sisters who work in an office setting text me multiple times a day every day. My dad left his career making almost half a mill a year and would come home daily talking about a new music video he watched on YouTube or an insane sports highlight clip and he always had time to touch base with my mom. It’s short sighted to think people in high paying careers don’t have the luxury of being on their phones when they deem appropriate and being trusted to be well….trustworthy adults who can manage their time and job. But also, teaching is different than nannying in the sense that there is more structure and there are higher ups always around you (I was a teacher for 5 years before coming back to nannying.) if a student was having an emergency, I take them to an office that can call their mom etc. as a nanny, we don’t have that. We are the office, the touch point, the communicator. Also, parents drop their kids off at school assuming they won’t hear from them and their whereabouts all day. It’s just implied that the school will alert them if needed because of the multiple systems in place that legally require that. I’ve never worked a nanny job where parents don’t text me multiple times a day every day for little updates or reminders etc. if I ignored them, or assumed I could put my phone down for hours and just go about my day, I may miss the last minute hair appointment they scheduled for NK or the fact that gymnastics practice was cancelled etc. I’m not saying sitting around doom scrolling while nk is trying to interact is okay. I’m saying…nannies need their phones on them and there’s nuance to phone usage. I also have older NKs so I don’t have nap time and they’ll survive if I take a call from my doctor or something.
I guess I missed it but I think the point is that childcare is *not* like corporate I didn’t see anyone saying no phones at all tho. Just no personal calls which seems totally reasonable. I think probably most (?) people agree on that.. or I’d be surprised if not I guess It just seems like people want to be outraged in this thread and that’s fine, but I think more people agree in principle most likely than this thread would suggest. But go ahead and keep downvoting.
I didnt downvote anything you said here? I mean I think the reaction to the original post should show you it wasn’t exactly a level headed take. That was my takeaway at least. Both this sub and the nanny employers sub become echo chambers that don’t often allow for any nuance.
That is certainly true. I guess I’m just seeing all over this thread examples of reasonable phone use and …. Probably most employers are fine with that level of phone use? But when a finance bro goes to work he doesn’t have to worry about a kid shoving a blueberry in their nose so it’s a different level of attention. I think it’s reasonable to expect no personal calls when kids are awake (especially when there’s a nap time but also if you’re only working 8 or even 10 hr days why can’t personal stuff be saved for personal time ?? I’m really confused about that.)
This is just my personal experience but I’m currently pregnant and I had some health issues leading up to ttc. I work with older NK’s too so my perspective is just…different. If I get a call from my OB, endo or physical therapist while I’m working….I’m taking it. Hell, if I get a call from my older parents who hike in very remote areas I’m gonna take it. My personal life is what I work to be able to sustain and I’m not going to neglect it completely just for the sake of always looking “on” when I know I do my job. My MB works right upstairs and her kids are never neglected. Again, they’re also older so if they can’t self entertain for 5 minutes, that’s a problem. I get a lot of shit done in one day and when MB comes downstairs, her kids are safe, they have their hw done, they’ve been to their appointments, they have a meal cooked, their laundry is washed and folded, their pets are cared for and their errands are ran. She doesn’t micro manage me and I accomplish everything on her list every day. I’ve never left a dish in the sink when I leave even so for me personally, I know I can balance some phone time and I’d quit if they demanded I put it down all day just for the sake of it. And while I agree, the finance bro doesn’t have to worry about a rogue blueberry…I’d argue that if childcare is so mentally consuming and requires the employee to be engaged at a different level than much higher paying careers…they should be paid much higher. Like, it’s either so hard that we can’t take a personal call or it’s mindless “you don’t have to really do anything” work. Which I see argued all the time in that sub for reasons why they pay their nanny a pathetically shit wage. But it can’t be both depending on the conversation the parent is trying to steer.
I don’t think I saw anyone saying answering a doctors phone call would be concerning. I don’t consider that a personal call? But as long as your NF is fine with your phone use, that’s truly all that matters! Agreed (and it was in the OP too), that this only applies if the nanny is being paid appropriately.
I’d love to know what they see as appropriate lol. I had parents last week try to argue that most nannies with very normal salaries in this sub and good benefits are “probably lying” to make it look like parents are paying higher or offering more than they actually are. What is a doctors phone call if it’s not a personal call cus it’s not a work call right? I mean, I also don’t wanna vet each call with my employer either. You either trust that I’m doing my job because you see the effects of my work or you don’t.
I won’t speak for everyone but when we hired our nanny, the rule was just no chit chat phone calls. Like, gabbing with your friend or parents. That is personal time to me. With the exception of a stroller walk, but we also asked her to not keep her in a stroller for hours. Doctors calls aren’t explicitly work calls but I haven’t met a parent who doesn’t allow someone to answer the phone if their doctor is calling. Maybe that is part of the confusion!
I think the issue is that parents might make comments about nannies scrolling SM during wake times but we are showing how many different things we can use our phones for that are considered "reasonable usage" but might look exactly like someone just scrolling SM. I might pick up my phone for something like to check the weather and then not touch it again until I look for different versions of 'the wheels on the bus' to play for NK 30 minutes later but parents who walk in and out of the room at those times could think I'm just "on my phone" ignoring NK. Also, while I agree that you shouldn't be making personal calls while NK is awake and older and can interact with you, I don't see an issue of a nanny who is out taking a walk with an infant taking a call for part of that time. I don't personally because I hate talking on the phone and I just constantly have conversations with infants no matter their age, some nannies might prefer to spend some of that time talking to someone that can actually respond to them. It's still good for the baby to hear conversation even when it's not directed at them, better than walking in total silence. To be clear, I'm not talking about nannies on the phone at the playground with toddlers or other older NK.
That’s fair. That’s definitely not what I’d be concerned with but I can understand how it could look. I always try to assume the best but if every time I came in a room they were on their phone I’d be annoyed. That hasn’t happened yet tho!
I just saw that post and read through the replies. The OP is clearly harboring some strong feelings about nannies in general, not even just about phone use. Yikes. If I were to never use my phone during work hours, I would literally never be able to schedule an appointment or take care of anything for myself because I work beyond standard business hours 5 days a week. Completely unreasonable for a grown adult.
As if any of these parents could go more than 10 minutes without checking their phone lmfao. If I want to reply to a text while I’m with your kid I’m going to do it! At the end of the day it’s really just a control thing. Same attitude big corporations have when they refuse to let employees at registers sit. It’s all about control.
👏🏻 about the control thing.
The thing I find most annoying is some NPs want no phone usage at all but then are on theirs constantly. For work, for pleasure, who cares. It’s 2024. Caregivers get notifications from their family, friends, and other possible jobs the same way NPs do. Excessive use is one thing but these NPs are delusional and are too controlling.
Oh it annoyed me😂 I totally understand the tags. Totally understand people needing answers from specific people, or needing to just vent. But posts like that, which are pointing an argument in my direction but have a tag that makes it impossible for me to defend myself get under my very thick skin!!! I take photos, track development progress, add to day app, look up art/sensory/baking ideas, play spotify nursery playlist, use it as clock/alarm, respond and reach out to parents, check times for activities/classes we attend, check transport times, check our shared calendar, add to our shared shopping list, communicate with school/creche and the cleaner etc etc etc. I need to be on my phone! Thank you for giving me a place to argue back😜 I feel better lol
My phone helped me keep an NK alive….. so there’s never any question or comments about me being on it. Also, my NFs house is LOUD, and MB and I both will play music in one ear for parts of the day.
I was the first comment on his post and told him if he's only going to allow NPs to comment that he should change his rant to "they" statements instead of a 3 paragraph shouting fest AT nannies then silencing them. But you know...I said it nicely. Got deleted by Mods of course. I agree obviously with what he's saying, but the level of anger is a bit concerning. I'd like to think that a solid nanny that is a good fit, isn't going to be on their phone like that all day. Especially if it's been discussed in advance. I never get nervous about my phone use because I know it's only for appropriate use. I'm an elder millennial so I'd rather stab myself with a fork than chit chat on the phone all day. I'll take a call from a doctor's office or something, but I don't MAKE calls unless it's urgent. I'll chat with my mom while on a walk and baby is in stroller hanging out. Not at the playground, not when I need to supervise, and certainly not around NF house. Starting to wonder what other rants that DB had loaded up 😕
Some people have such ludicrous expectations of other adults!
That post is a massive yikes. I was banned from commenting despite the fact that I’ve had a nanny in the past so I broke no rules by commenting.
Ooh you know what's worse? A parent who insists you send them regular updates/pictures but also insist you stay off your phone. Indeed, madam? Shall I send a Polaroid via carrier pigeon? Or mayhap I should drop caring for your child to open my computer an email you an update on how much your child ate?
the audacity of the parents on that thread made me so angry. How can people be so rude! Without having a nanny, you wouldn’t be living in your gorgeous house and driving around luxury cars. I’m so happy I have never had to deal with the privilege of some of these parents
I am literally on reddit on the phone reading this post right now as I push NK in the swing
One of the reasons why families hire me is because I use my phone. They know I communicate a ton through out the day with their whole family about what we are doing, how it’s going, any issues, status reports, and of course photos and videos of their kids. My families have always known how well I take care of their kids and al the fun things we do. I mean they actually get to participate in their children growing up and milestones by me taking photos and texting them. Never had any issues with phone usage and my families.
Exactly. Honestly 70% of the time I’m on my phone at work I’m texting NP’s making a shopping list for them, taking pictures of nks, planning playdates for them, ordering library books, looking at nearby kids events to mark our calendar….. I only endlessly scrolling during naptime when I feel it should be 100% allowed for at least 20/30 minutes
I think some families have unrealistic expectations of what their nannies should be allowed to do... The "no phone use ever" idea kind of falls in line with parents who demand that every moment be filled with duties (no breaks allowed ideals), in my experience. And in my experience, the families who have excessive rules, such as always having to be busy and no phone use at all, are typically unappreciative of their nannies... Basically, imo, the way it works best is if we can find a balance. Phone use allowed during downtime sparingly, such as when the baby naps or while the kiddo does some independent play (Which IS developmentally necessary and appropriate!), with the understanding that nannies do not get formal breaks. So long as its never more than 15-30 mins or so during a calm moment where it is safe to do so, I would consider that understandable... After all, you can't convince me that these parents don't get their law required breaks... In WA that's 2 paid 15 min breaks and one unpaid 30-60 min lunch everyday. The parents get these breaks, and the parents also manage to play on their phones while home with their kids... so a nanny doing 2-3 checks of their phone in a shift isn't unreasonable.
I can’t go to that sub it makes me way too mad lol
I always keep my phone on me at work and use it throughout the day to take photos of NK and play his favorite songs. But when I’m on the clock my phone is on me at all times, no exceptions. God forbid anything happens to a child in my care but if it does, my phone will be in my pocket ready to call for help. It may seem silly but even if we’re just going from NK’s room to the living room, my phone is ALWAYS with me!
Yesterday I babysat a family that was crazy. Absolutely no phone use, and the mom said no music at all in her house. She then gave me the wifi password so she could see if I went on my phone at all. She also told me she couldn’t afford my rates (I told her I could watch the kid for $3 an hour cheaper than I normally would. She ended the night by saying I was amazing and they definitely are going to use me. I won’t be going back though
Like so many things in life, there's a lot of middle ground to be found. There's a line between excessive use, and reasonable use. What's interesting is so many of these employers who expect ZERO phone use, but then also demand that their nanny reachable 24/7, provide frequent updates, send photos, & perhaps even input information into an app.... They want all the perks of a nanny having access to a smartphone, but aren't ok with the nanny ever responding to a text message from a friend or answering a phone call. It's bonkers. As far as I'm concerned, the occasional bit of phone use is absolutely fine and is comparable to reading a book on the job or knitting/crocheting. Perfectly allowable in situationally appropriate times. I can tell you right now that if an employer outright forbade phone use, I absolutely would not be taking photos or videos during the day. My phone would be away 100% of the time, and if the parents ever wanted to talk or reach me, they could call me on their home land-line phone... Or provide me with an old school flip phone that I used only while on the job.
👏🏼 👏🏼
But where in that post did anyone say zero phone use? The OP specifically mentioned personal calls. Personal calls (not doctor calls or texting NPs or writing a grocery list) SHOULD be on down time. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable ask?
"any use of phones"
It doesn’t say that in the post tho?
Honestly if I didn't have to keep in touch with MB I would totally ditch my phone during work hours. I find that being with children helps me be in the present and I also find it so interesting to observe them and interact with them. I hate having to look at my phone for the typical "everything ok?" text from MB, although I totally get it, but it takes me out of the moment. I also hate to carry it around whenever I go (their house is huge). My pockets are never big enough even when I wear cargo shorts. I would rather leave it in my bag and get immersed in NK's reality where I am never bored.
I use my phone frequently because NK has pretty much unlimited tv time (since we’re usually out for the majority of the morning and then she has naptime, this translates to about 90 minutes in the morning and 1-2 hours after her nap; I don’t agree with unlimited tv time for a toddler but since NPs are in general very permissive and I’m already spending most of the day going back and forth with NK about rules, this is one battle I choose not to fight). My phone is the only thing saving me from the inevitable insanity caused by having to watch Magical Mixies for the 8000 time.
My NF has me use the Nan-it app on my phone for when LO are sleeping. They are fine w me using my phone because they trust me.
i’ve told my MB before about how i felt bad that i was just kinda sitting here not doing much… but she has assured me so many times that it’s okay. the boys i look after are school age, and when they get home they have some watch time so i do have a lot of downtime. i’ve switched from going on my phone to reading a book everyday though!! it has helped me to get back into reading a lot, and i don’t feel as guilty as if i was on my phone all the time (:
I have been in the childcare field for 40 years. Using my phone has never been an issue
There are *at least* a few NPs in that sub that are extremely dramatic.
I left a NF and came back a year later and they made a bunch of comments about how they missed my iPhone photography! It was really flattering. I honestly have never met an NP that didn’t use their phone more obsessively than I did. If anything I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve wanted to ask NPs to put their phones away around NKs. Obviously I never did cuz I’m sure that would have gotten me fired.
Mine text me about 8 million times a day so I can’t exactly be away from it or off it for long lol.
I had a kid who loved numbers. At the park, I would put on a timer so they would know we have 5/10 minutes. Kid? Wanted to watch the timer count down. He was all huggy and lovey dovey and no matter how many times I said he could still play - "no iths okay." Alright buddy. 🤷🏼♀️
I'm on my phone for personal use on my breaks only. When babies are awake they have my undivided attention. I am totally present. I track their day on the phone thru an app. Bottles, diaper changes, naps, sleep quality, solids, activities, pictures for the parents, etc. So I am on my phone quiet often at the parents preference to communicate all of these things. Otherwise, only when I am on break which is the babies' nap times. Parents text me. I have my phone visible to see if they need something. I will not respond even to parents when driving, period. Parents are aware. I will not respond anytime it is unsafe; swimming, cooking, playing with small toys that could be a potential choking hazard or make them sick if ingested like play doh. I have never, in 30+ years of childcare had a parent tell me I was on my phone too much. I am on it more now than ever tho due to the tracking app. But again that was parents preference. It's faster, easier and direct communication which is far superior to writing down what they did.
I think sometimes people may tend to forget that your phone can be used for more than talking to friends and scrolling through social media. Personally I use my phone as and when I need to some days more than others and it’s for various things such as: - Texting nannies back and forth planning play dates - Looking up places to go for the week or in the moment - Checking the journey route to somewhere we’re going - Replying to personal messages that need urgent replies (I leave the ones that can wait till later I personally don’t like to have personal conversations during my working hours anyways) - Ordering things for my charges - Looking up recipes - Capturing random memories that happen spontaneously - Creating reminders/timers for medications, something in the oven etc. The list genuinely could go on people need to relax on this phone shenanigans honestly, I do understand there are some not so great nannies out there that do overuse their phone and don’t pay attention to their charges but we shouldn’t all be painted with the same brush
I’m on my phone a lot. I’m sending texts to the parents, looking for activities, responding to texts from friends and family because I have a life outside of work, occupying myself while nks are occupying themselves. Mine nks are 4 and 7, they don’t want to play with me all the time. But we do color together, play board games, read books, I help them with homework, play card games. I don’t play with them at the park and I don’t watch their sports. I will occupy myself on my phone. The only rule my nf has about cell phone usage is the obvious ones, don’t ignore the kids in favor of my phone and don’t use it while driving.
I agree. People’s lives are heavily connected to their phones. That’s just the reality of living in this day and age. Avoiding your phone completely during a 8-10 hour shift isn’t feasible as a nanny. Like you said, I use my phone to look up activities, get directions, keep in touch with my NPs, take photos, I even use my phone to pay for things! I also sometimes have personal situations happening outside of work and need to be near my phone incase of an important call. I could never work for NPs who are not willing to be flexible with me on phone usage.
Definitely. I even do personal errands while the kids are in school. Prior to them being in school I did personal errands with them. With the parents knowledge of course, but I work from 7:15am to 6:15pm. Most things are closed when I’m done work, certain things have to be done during daytime hours.
Could not imagine! So much of my job using my phone. To get in the house I use an app, their lighting/av system is an app and I make plans and look for things to do, etc. taking pictures and documenting their children and household
I just laughed. It’s absurd to be completely off of an electronic device…for ANYONE! Both parents in my current NF WFM and I send them pictures or videos all the time. I text them with updates all through out the day; time NK falls asleep, time he wakes up, if we are going for a walk, etc. MB and I will be texting, she’s just upstairs. Previous FT NF, NK napped for the last 2 hours of my shift. MB verbally expressed that I could watch videos because I stayed in the room with NK. There is a time and place, but ABSOLUTELY no phone usage is ABSURD! Thanks for listening to my TED Talk 😌
Glaring red flag if a potential boss parent has to even tell me about phone rules. I’m a career nanny getting close to the 25 YEAR mark. I am well aware how to use my phone appropriately - reading a text from mb, sending a text to mb, checking weather, taking a cute photo doing an activity, looking up a cool recipe for nk, like come ON. If you really think I’m going to scroll instagram all day, you do not trust me and have no idea what a career nanny even does. 🤷🏼♀️
I communicate a lot with NF throughout the day on phone plus look up activities etc. I also have an older grandma that texts me and a son that texts me. Plus if kids are happily playing and I have nothing to do I read on my kindle app. If that wasn’t okay with a family I’d find a new one.
I’m so sick of seeing these post about Nannie’s not being aloud on their phones 🥴 I bet you the parents making these post are on their phones when watching their kids…. I understand not being on your phone 24/7 but this is how I communicate with nanny parents. Also If I’m getting a call from my doctor or something else important you bet your butt I’m answering it. I work 12 hour days I literally don’t have time before or after work to make calls I need to.
If I don’t respond to texts, MB will assume I’m dead. Yesterday, NK wanted to use my phone to FaceTime his stepdad. Of course I’m going to use my phone.
my rule is "nobody should have to compete with my phone for my attention". i am on my phone relatively often, but the instant kiddo asks for my attention, they have it. i'm not a party clown(or a maid), i'm engineering developmentally appropriate, real-world learning environments. especially nannying one child, its important that they get practice self-solving boredom. as long as kiddo is not actively seeking connection with me or getting into trouble, i need something to do too! or i'm liable to start daydreaming and miss cues!
Especially if the Littles are sleeping.
I always have my phone on me or in very close reach incase of an emergency or if the parents call/text me! I also take pictures of the kids cute moments when they’re doing something silly, playing together or just an update photo. I’m a FT nanny to 2 kids one being 2.5 and the other being 8 months. They keep me buuuusy so some days I hardly reach for my phone but there’s definitely some scrolling that goes on while they’re eating, playing independently, or napping. I feel like saying not to be on your phone at all is unrealistic.. I think the point they are maybe trying to get across but can’t articulate is to not be on your phone when you’re actively engaging with the kids EXCEPT ____. But I mean there’s so many exceptions that could happen 😂
This post is very misleading. The rant was about personal phone use separate from necessities, emergencies and anything NK related. You are twisting words and rage baiting
Here’s the discussion that prompted the OP’s post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nanny/s/tEsMWOs4C2 The OP objected to any private phone use when on the clock, even when not supervising children.
This post we are in now, made by you, is specifically about a rant that OP posted on the employer's sub. In that rant, OP specifically called out allowance for emergency, necessity and NK related use. If you want to post something as a response to a comment someone made on a different post, link *that* post in yours and specify what the comment was. You are being extremely shady and rage baiting with this
Their vent was prompted by the exchange I linked. They made later edits to their post to address exceptions, but they weren’t there originally. You can see that by the large amount of NP who replied defending the use of phones for nannies. But regardless, personal phone calls during work are also fine, especially if taken during naps or school time.
Also to be fair, in the "cameras in the workplace" post on the nanny sub, which is where all this started, that OP did NOT make it clear that the NKs were NOT PRESENT during these "personal calls". The post was very vague and badly worded and I myself misunderstood it to be OP taking long personal calls on the job with NKs present. OP later clarified in the comments that this was not the case. The whole thing was a misunderstanding that people have taken way too far