I was lucky to be able to stay at home with both my children for at least their first year of life. With my firstborn, it was more like her first two and a half years of her life. When time came for me to go back to work, I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of leaving them in a daycare center and so I looked desperately for a nanny that would take care of them in our home. I lucked out and got a recommendation from a mom friend I trust and we ended up hiring an amazing nanny who took care of my children for about a year.
Although I trusted her completely–she was a mom of three and grandmother of two–there were several things I didn't let her do.
Read more in ¿Qué más?: I'm a actually a pretty bad mom and I'm okay with it
Other moms may think I'm crazy, but I just feel much more comfortable doing the following things rather than letting the nanny or babysitter do them:
- Bathing: My son was almost nine months when our nanny started taking care of him and even though she obviously had tons of experience with children, I worried about her getting distracted with my 3-year-old daughter. Plus, I also felt like bath time was a way for me to connect with my children after being all day at work.
- Trimming nails: Along the same lines as bathing, trimming nails is something that pretty much only I've done in our home. In fact, I think my husband just started trimming our 3-year-old son's nails a few months ago. Both my kids are a pain in the butt when it comes to getting their nails trimmed and I really just wanted to avoid any kind of accident.
- Dispensing medicine: My daughter was diagnosed with asthma (and several allergies) when she was 3 years old. We've been lucky that she's never had a real attack, but she has had to get nebulizer treatments many times in the last six years and I much rather take care of those myself. Again, it's not an issue of trust, but more of prevention one.
- Swimming: Both my children are great swimmers and they love the water, but they only get to go in the pool with mom, dad or abuelita. As you probably know, accidents in the water can happen in a second and I truly wouldn't want to put that responsibility upon my babysitter's shoulders.
- Potty training: I know this one is ridiculous because many kids get potty trained in daycare, but–as much as I hated doing it–the two times I've had to potty train, I felt it was my responsibility as a mom to do so. Our new nanny offered to help with my son last year after he turned two and I kept on brushing her off until I eventually got around to doing it a few months ago.
- Praying: Especially if the nanny practices a different religion than we do. This is another area where I feel what I teach my children regarding religion is my sole responsibility and prerogative.
Want to connect with other moms? Like us on Facebook!
What are some things you don't let the babysitter do? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment below.
Image via Joe Schlabotnik/flickr
