What are the Responsibilities of a Nanny?

Often families try and hire a nanny with the view that they will take on many different roles around the house.  Over and above taking care of the children, nannies are often asked to be the cook; gardener; personal shopper; housekeeper; chauffeur; maid, etc.

As a result, this is often the primary reason why the relationship between a nanny and their employer begins to go wrong.

When entering this type of employment relationship, families need to keep in mind that the nanny’s main focus / duty is to provide primary childcare attending to the physical, emotional, and social needs of the child or children being cared for.

In addition to that, nannies may also carry out duties related to housekeeping (e.g., laundry/ironing, cleaning washrooms, vacuuming, dusting, washing floors, spot cleaning walls, etc.), grocery shopping, meal planning, and meal preparation. Regarding meals, typically your nanny will prepare any meals that fall within her/his hours of work. Outdoor yard work such as gardening, mowing the lawn, and shoveling the snow and putting out the garbage are never included in a nanny’s duties unless otherwise agreed to during the hiring process.

Keep in mind that the amount of housework a nanny can realistically be expected to do will depend on the amount of care she/he needs to provide. The child or children being cared for will always come first. For example, if you have only one child, and he/she is five years old or older and goes to school, a nanny should have time to do a fair amount of housekeeping. However, if you have three small children, all under the age of five, a nanny may not have as much time, if any time, for housework.

The best way to enter in to a positive relationship with your nanny with the view of developing a long term relationship, is to sign an employment contract / agreement at the hiring stage which outlines for both parties what will be expected of each other.

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