what do you do if you have to go out late evening and leave your baby with nanny | ExpatWoman.com
 

what do you do if you have to go out late evening and leave your baby with nanny

184
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 November 2014 - 22:59

hi.
just need some advice here - i have a new nanny - there are some evenings (1-2 a week sometimes) either i get late at work or need to step out late evening.

my baby usually sleeps by 9 however lately he tends to wake up if he knows we are not around ( i dont know how)

my nanny doesnt have long hours and gets 1.5 day off too however i feel extremely guilty to ask her to baby sit at 9 or 10 at night. usually if im working late DH is around and he looks after our baby but recently he has been extremely busy at work too

how do you manage this? (she hasnt objected yet and we have only done it once so far)

any ideas/thoughts will be helpful. thanks in advance

1097
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 November 2014 - 09:40
Have some friends in your situation, some of them have opted to hire a 2nd nanny as they needed the flexibility on a regular basis, if it was once in a blue moon than your nanny could handle it, however 2x per week is quite regular. Another family hires an agency maid for the mornings, so their live in works a 'Late shift' but their kids are not babies. It's a tough one, especially that you need her available all day as well while you and your DH are at work.
2287
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 November 2014 - 08:14
OP is talking about stepping out late at night, 10pm. To have her ironing by that time, or asking her to put her bedding outside the children's room is not oké in my book. The fact your maids agree doesn't make it right.
1987
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 22 November 2014 - 21:46
Hi Saggi, I have gone down the route chosen by Fiat500 and AnonDubai with my live-in maid. I give her as much advance warning as I can, and ask that she bring in her bedding close to the kids room. Sometimes she will bring in the ironing board so she can continue with her ironing.She is instructed to call me if the child(ren) aren't easily consoled or health worsens. I have also asked my live-in maids to help clean up after children who have vomited or peed in their beds in the middle of the night, without extra hourly pay. I have done this with 3 different live-in maids, and haven't received any objections.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 21 November 2014 - 08:26
Hi Saggi! I wouldn't get into the habit of paying your maid by the hour for extra work. Her salary should be all-inclusive and a good maid should be devoted to the family. You can reward her devotion by giving her generous bonuses and gifts at various points of her contract. If you start giving her hourly pay for extra hours worked, she will start expecting that all the time. Imagine if you or your husband or another child had a medical emergency after hours and she expected babysitting money! It should be easy enough for her to babysit anyway since you live in the same house or apartment. She could just sit in the living room if it's not very late. If it gets too late and her room is far from the baby's room, then you could just have her put down a mattress outside the baby's room and sleep there until you get home.
331
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 21 November 2014 - 07:33
I have help in the home to allow me to work full time and pursue a career, which has been one of the benefits of living in the part of the world. This sometimes involved shift work and a husband that was also often away, therefore when the children were young our nanny's working hours were arranged around those requirements. However when my husband was at home he was certainly part of the child care team! I would not go down the route of paying by the hour for work outside "office hours" if that if how your family life is. I have always shown my appreciation of their flexibility with good pay and benefits along with nice amounts of extra money at Christmas and holidays. If there were any particularly demanding spells then I would give some extra money at that time. As long as you are giving days off and reasonable working hours as the OP is. Our first Nanny was with us 17 years before she retired and out current maid (children grown up) has been with us 12 years and this system has suited both parties well. As my maid said recently it is because of my job that she has her job! <em>edited by Fiat500 on 21/11/2014</em>
275
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 November 2014 - 07:10
You have to set expectations with her - let her know that 1-2 a week you need her to work late but you'll compensate her. I think going rate for babysitting is about 30dhs per hour, so as she is already working for you then I would pay that or slightly less. I know some people with nannies agree beforehand that they will need to babysit 1x a week for eg, this is part of contract at no extra pay, some give extra half day off in lieu, etc
2287
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 21 November 2014 - 01:16
I'd say 20 dhs/hr
184
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 November 2014 - 00:57
Late evenings should be your maids personal time, no matter how short her working days are, or how many days she gets off. You should pay her extra for babysitting, especially at the times you mention. Thanks Oopsiedaisy.. how much would it be per hour?
2287
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 20 November 2014 - 23:52
Late evenings should be your maids personal time, no matter how short her working days are, or how many days she gets off. You should pay her extra for babysitting, especially at the times you mention.
 
 

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