Would you leave a vomiting child with a nanny?

[lisalu100]

I am a nanny. I have a 14mo healthy DD, who I take to work with me. I have a great relationship with my work family. A is 2.5 years, and is having a tough time sleeping right now at night, as her dad has been deployed (2 weeks ago), and she misses her mom, who works/studies 50 hours a week. Mom mentioned not going to work today, as they had had a really rough night, she was exhausted, but she would only have to make the hours up later, and there really IS no later. She left before A got up.

A has been vomiting all day. I left a voicemail and text message for mom, but she hasn't called yet, so can't have got the message. Would you expect her to come home? As it is, I expect her to finish her day at work - A is fine with me, she's been enjoying watching tv, and seems too tired/sick to worry about her mom not being here, which is actually kind of unusual.

I'm having a tough time keeping my DD entertained, but that's my problem really, not my boss's. My DD might get sick, but I kinda signed up for that with the job, she'd probably get it anyway...

Thankfully they are both napping right now. Just curious what other mom think.

[mooshersmama]

I would stay with my child if at all possible. However, in this case it sounds like the mom has a lot on her plate (and an awesome nanny ) so I could understand if she couldn't get off work right away.

[oaktreemama]

Oh I think this is always such a hard choice for working Moms-especially working Moms who don't have a partner to help.

My ds is in daycare so we have no option-if he is sick or throwing up or feverish he has to stay home. I am lucky in that I WAH 100% so can keep him with me.

But, were I in the Mom's shoes and had a nanny I trusted and her responsiblities as a single parent right now? I would probably have made the same decision and gone to work.

[texmati]

I've thankfully never been in that situation. I probably would, if I felt that she was well taken care of, and had something going on at work that I couldn't miss.

[mooshersmama]

Originally Posted by oaktreemama

Oh I think this is always such a hard choice for working Moms-especially working Moms who don't have a partner to help.

My ds is in daycare so we have no option-if he is sick or throwing up or feverish he has to stay home. I am lucky in that I WAH 100% so can keep him with me.

But, were I in the Mom's shoes and had a nanny I trusted and her responsiblities as a single parent right now? I would probably have made the same decision and gone to work.

you said it better than i did.

[lisalu100]

Good job she didn't come home - the little one was up to her old tricks after her nap. Weird little 4 hour bug. I hope my DD stays ok...

[youngspiritmom]

In my personal opinion, it is rude to leave your puking child with a nanny and the nanny's child. This happened to me once and I was offended that the woman I nannied for would leave her child with me and mine knowing that her daughter was ill. While I do realize that working moms have to juggle a lot, your phone needs to be on so that you can receive the call about a puking child, and you need to do everything you can to try to be with them or have the other parent (if available) come be with them.

[Ellien C]

If I had a plain Nanny - yes, I might leave my kid with her if I had to. That's why I would have a nanny and not day care. On the other hand, if I had a "mommy-nanny" who was bringing her own child, I might talk to the Nanny and ask how she felt.

I did once have to leave a sick and feverish baby with a family friend for back-up care. I was really out of sick leave that first year. My friend was great and called to let me know she was doing OK. But it was heartbreaking to do.

[eclipse]

Well, if I was a WOHM and hired a nanny, it would be with the expectation that she would be providing sick child care. That's one of the advantages of having an in home nanny rather than using a child care center. If I had a nanny who brought her child along, I would be clear from the beginning that she would be expected to come anyway - however, I would also expect that the nanny could bring her sick child to work on days when her child was sick and mine was not. Anyhow, one of the hardest things for working parents to manage is how to care for their sick child without getting fired or getting poor performance reviews. When I was a WOHM, I was lucky in that dh and I alternated work hours and my mom helped out - but a lot of people don't have those options.

I'll also add - if my child was very, very sick and miserable and only mommy/daddy would do, of course one of us would come home. But if s/he was sick but otherwise doing alright, I'd try to finish out the day at work, checking in frequently.