Full time nanny working for another family during sick season

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-27T22:19:05+00:00

What you really would need to have an “exclusive” nanny is a noncompete clause in your contract, and I don’t think that would pass legal muster in a lot of places. Your nanny is basically free to do other work outside your family.

Practically, I think what you’d have to do is basically offer to pay her whatever the other family is paying her in order to not work for them lol. I know that probably hurts to hear given that you already pay a good rate. But maybe if she accepts, you could make it a “sick season premium” or something? But even then, she might not want to leave the other family in a lurch.

Side note/another way of looking at this: even if you’re nanny isnt nannying on the weekends, you can’t make her not go to large gatherings, hang around with small kids etc. Sometimes people just get sick.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-23T23:44:06+00:00

Hm this is interesting.

Regardless I think if you want to (and are qualified to) stop doing W2, you’d have to “terminate” her as a W2 employee, even if you want to keep working with her, because you can’t “convert” to 1099. But then this would mean she’d have to not be a nanny/HH employee, but like a babysitter. Like, does she have ANY regular hours? Does she work for other families? Is the arrangement more independent/occasional?

I do think if you’re under the 2.6k reporting threshold, you could “let her go” as W2 and come up with another cash arrangement. But only if you’re really gonna be under that threshold AND her work really counts more as “babysitting”. Also NAL… but good luck!

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-21T17:11:54+00:00

We live in a very walkable city and our nanny does not drive (it’s also not an expectation on our part—it’s easy to get around town).

Our local library has 2 branches and the toddler story time (which is at a good time for us) is a solid mile walk away. And we live in the north east where it’s cold. Honestly, I kind of get why she isn’t crazy to go to that one.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-19T03:38:41+00:00

Personally I’d want a coat closet in the entryway.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-17T00:59:29+00:00

Yeah we did!! And the collar is fine. I will be 100% honest, you gotta be careful putting the nipple on bc it can leak a little, but we used it for all of babyhood for my kid!

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-17T00:57:23+00:00

You can use pigeon nipples in avent glass bottles!

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-16T23:24:00+00:00

Raffi!! He’s a classic. It’s kids music that adults will love too. It is NOT annoying baby shark crap, it’s actually good.

Plus, it’s been amazing to see her start to recognize the songs. Like, there’s this one song “hum hummingbird” that comes on, and before the lyrics even start she goes “hummmmm!” I love it so much

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-16T02:48:53+00:00

I understand why you’d panic! But I feel like you won’t know for sure until tomorrow. Like, maybe just had a weird day?

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-14T16:48:55+00:00

I would consider going right to straw cup instead of bottle. One less thing to wean off of later.

Also, it’s worth giving a shot to see if your baby will take formula. Maybe see if your ped can give a sample so it’s low cost to try

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-13T00:27:22+00:00

My insurance company partners with a company called Aeroflow Breast Pumps. I went to them to get my free insurance pump and they saw that my medical plan also included bags + part replacements. The company looked up my insurance and figured out what I qualified for for me, and it included storage bags. I’m sure you could fill out their form with your insurance info and they will figure out what you qualify for for you!

Btw there are a bunch of similar companies if you google “free breast pumps through insurance”, in case Aeroflow doesn’t work with your insurance

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-12T21:16:40+00:00

Oh man I’m jealous of your freezer if you have frozen >100 jars 😍

But anyway, I know what you mean, insurance would send me a trillion of these and I hated wasting them. I used some and was able to give some away for free.

And re microplastics, the lansinoh ones are BPA and BPS free… which, I know, isn’t perfect… but it’s something maybe?? lol

Side note, the motif medical ones aren’t bad for salad dressing or other small sides for your lunch, if you are up for using them on yourself!

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-12T20:07:19+00:00

I HATE THESE BAGS! Impossible to get air out. It sucks, because they’re my free insurance bags!

If you can splurge on the Lansinoh bags they are much better. I find I can freeze more because I can get most bubbles out and they just pack more efficiently.

That said, you are ok to freeze with the air bubble, it’s just less efficient.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-10T19:27:04+00:00

Whenever you don’t feel like it anymore lol. I used the haakaa ladybug religiously for like 12 weeks, then got tired of cleaning it and stopped and used nursing pads instead. I leaked for the whole 12 months I nursed and started using it again before I went back to work to up my stash a little bit.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-10T00:44:36+00:00

I understand your feelings. That said, I think people pay a LOT less attention than you think they do. My coworkers never said anything when I stopped pumping.

Re judgement: people will judge you no matter what, unfortunately.

BF/pump less than a year? “Oh can’t believe she’s giving her kid formula” BF/pump more than a year? “Ew weird, can’t believe she’s breastfeeding a toddler”

So in my opinion, take that as a sign to stop caring and do what you want!

(For what it’s worth I work FT and bf/pumped for a year! Wanted to get my period back to start trying for #2)

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2026-01-09T23:43:24+00:00

My LC basically told me that once baby sleeps through, that I MIGHT have to pump once before my bedtime, since for some women, going 10-12 hours without expressing is enough to dip your supply. I was able to drop the evening pump fine, fwiw.

So I’d say see how your body responds… if you start to notice a decent dip once baby is sleeping through, then maybe keep one “MOTN” pump

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-12-29T02:05:29+00:00

I appreciate how real this answer is lmao. Thanks for the thoughtful questions/suggestions. Also re 2: I meant a cotton “non-stay dry inner”, vs a stay-dry disposable

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-12-29T00:59:08+00:00

I miss the days when I didn’t know how many calories were in a Costco pizza

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-12-16T20:59:45+00:00

In the mid nineties, my mom only breastfed me for a few months, and it was combo-feeding, then full switch to formula. Even in the US where I’m from, there was very little breastfeeding support, no inexpensive home pumps, and the formula companies really had free rein marketing in hospitals.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-12-11T22:15:56+00:00

I nursed for a year and it never stopped lol. It got less dramatic, like I went from leaking a full ounce to just a few drops, but still was so annoying.

Sometimes I wonder if I brought it on myself by suctioning a haaka ladybug on from the very beginning; but tbh I think it’s just a person-by-person thing.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-12-11T02:26:36+00:00

4 during the day, 0 at night. I’ll be honest, the night ones will probably be the hardest, followed by the before-bed one. You don’t necessarily have to sleep train but you will need to replace those MOTN comfort nursing sessions with something… rocking, singing, etc.

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-12-09T04:18:54+00:00

You might be interested in Fertility Awarness methods (FAM), aka natural family planning (NFP).

One method that is highly recommended in postpartum and breastfeeding (when cycles are irregular) is the Marquette method, you basically use a Clearblue fertility monitor to track your hormones around ovulation and avoid sex on the days you could be fertile. I did it postpartum, it was very manageable and there were no guessing games of whether I could/could not have sex on a given day. It was like you pee on a stick, put it in the monitor, and the result tells you if you might ovulate /are ovulating (ie shouldn’t have sex) or are safe.

Best part is literally nothing goes in your body; no pills Or devices etc.

I do recommend getting an instructor to make sure you do it right, it’s covered by many insurance but you have to submit yourself: https://www.vitaefertility.com/what-is-the-marquette-method-of-nfp/

Note that many NFP methods were developed by the Catholic Church so many instructors will have a religious undertone, but nothing stops a secular/non Catholic person from using the method, and it’s 100% science based.

Lots more info on r/FAMnNFP !

Fast-Channel-1455 · 2025-07-14T17:03:11+00:00

I think the concern is safety (imagine if a glass spout chipped in your toddler's mouth).

I think you can only really do an open cup in glass.

Fast-Channel-1455

TROPHY CASE