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So, you’ve decided to set up a nanny share. You found a family to partner with and a qualified caregiver for your children. Now it’s time to plan ahead for every possible scenario. Kids will inevitably get sick. Have you thought about what you would do? This is where nanny share lines can get blurry. You want to keep everyone healthy, but does that mean you have to miss work every time your kid catches a cold?
Care.com asked a group of real parents what worked for them to help you navigate this tricky situation.
Need more help? Find a nanny share near you.
The Day Care Approach: Adopt a Day Care Sickness Policy
Interacting with new children inherently means more exposure to germs, so determine early on how sick is too sick. Viewpoints often differ, so many nanny share arrangements rely on traditional day care policies.
Stephanie, a San Francisco mom, said she has been in three nanny shares with the general rule of “vomit-, diarrhea-, and fever-free for 24 hours.”
“Families keep a sick kid home if it is on the more severe side, including high fever over 102 or unresponsive to Tylenol or Motrin, rash that is likely contagious, or just generally really unhappy,” she said.
You’re splitting the cost of a nanny, so expect there to be tradeoffs. That can mean missing work at times, according to one Tennessee mom.
“When it comes to sickness, a nanny share is not really any better or worse than day care,” she told Care.com.
The Sibling Approach: View Kids as Siblings Who Will Share Germs
Rather than relying on strict day care rules, families can instead take the more flexible “sibling approach.” This means missing less work to stay home with your child because both families acknowledge that sharing illness is part of the deal they entered into.
“If they were siblings, you wouldn’t send them to a different house,” said Dr. Kathryn Meier, a San Francisco-based pediatrician and former nanny share mom. “They’re going to be exposed to a little bit more than staying home — and that’s OK.”
“We stuck to a fever-free for 24 hours rule, but we still shared every single sickness,” explained the Tennessee mom. “Kids are just going to be contagious before they show signs.”
Ask the Right Questions
No matter the approach, be clear about expectations and include an illness policy in your nanny share contract. Choosing the right family and the right nanny are equally important, so be prepared to cover a lot up front, including:
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Views on Illness and Healthcare
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Would you consider yourself a “germophobe,” or are you more relaxed about germs?
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What are your views on traditional healthcare versus alternative medicine practices?
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Are both families and the nanny up to date on shots?
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Stay-Home Symptoms
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Will your share follow day care rules or treat kids more like siblings?
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How will you handle symptoms like vomit, diarrhea, fever, rash, cough, or runny nose? What if pink eye, lice, or cold sores are present in a family?
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What’s the approach if symptoms develop during the day?
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What’s the nanny’s comfort level and experience caring for a sick child?
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How long does a child have to be symptom-free?
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Nanny Pay and Other Logistics
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Who gets the nanny if a child is sick? Does the nanny care for the healthy child, while the sick child stays home with a parent? Are you OK switching homes if the host family’s child is sick?
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How will the nanny be compensated if a child gets sick? Will she still receive full pay from both families? Will the healthy kid’s family pay a single-child rate?
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Will you offer free sick days to both families and paid sick time to the nanny?
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What’s the backup child care plan if the nanny gets sick? Do you have another nanny lined up? Do families alternate staying home with the kids?
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Make a Game Plan
There are many factors to consider in a nanny share, but there are no rules until you set them. Meier said she recommends all parties come up with a combined family strategy to avoid surprises later on. But surprises do happen, so it’s important to stay in constant communication along the way.
“One of the best things about a nanny share is you have the flexibility to have those discussions,” Meier said. “Be a good partner and support one another, since the bigger picture is to keep both families healthy.”
Think a nanny share is right for you?
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The information contained in this article is provided only as a general guide and is not intended to be nor should it be construed to contain legal, medical or financial advice. The selection of a caregiver and terms of any caregiving arrangement are solely the responsibility of the individuals involved and not Care.com
