Bad experience
We recently hired Molly as our Nanny unfortunately it was a bad experience.
I’m writing this review as I feel Molly’s explanation for her behaviour whilst caring for our child contains several inaccuracies and misrepresentations of the situation.
As the toddler's father, I believe it is important to address each point and present a clear picture of what actually transpired during your time Molly, as a nanny for our daughter.
Firstly, it is crucial to mention that we were understanding of your scheduling conflicts and accommodated your requests regarding interview times and the need to start an hour later for the first three weeks. We were flexible and patient, taking into consideration your other nanny positions and appointments, as well as your upcoming holiday. We even welcomed your child, allowed you to bring a puppy, and provided access to food and a cot in our daughter's bedroom.
Regarding the food provided to our daughter, we left a detailed list of the foods she typically eats, but we discovered that you only fed her veggie straws upon arrival and a cheese sandwich towards the end of the five-hour shift. This was not in line with our expectations or the guidelines we had discussed. We had hoped for a more balanced and nutritious meal plan for our 2-year-old, and it is unfortunate that you did not make more effort in this regard.
Furthermore, we have evidence that you left our daughter unsupervised outside the house, where there were potential hazards such as bikes, weights, toolboxes, and washing detergents. Simultaneously, you left your own 1-year-old son unsupervised on multiple occasions. When we addressed this concern with you, your response questioning if we watched our daughter while she slept was not only evasive but deeply concerning. Neglecting the safety and well-being of our child is unacceptable.
We also have clear audio recordings from the baby monitors of you speaking to our daughter in a hurtful and belittling manner. You repeatedly told her to stop crying, using phrases like "stop that silly crying now" and "are you a big girl or a baby?" This goes against our parenting philosophy, which encourages the healthy expression of emotions and acknowledges the importance of validating our daughter's feelings. Your approach contradicted our values and caused distress to our daughter during her first time being away from her mother. The behaviour you expressed towards our daughter was the polar opposite to the techniques and morals you claimed to have in the interviews.
You took responsibility for not changing our daughters nappy during the 5 hours until you were asked to do so, as you were preparing to leave early. Her nappy was wet and you also took responsibility for not using wet wipes when changing our daughters nappy justifying that you don’t always use them on your son.
Regarding payment, we had agreed during the second interview that you would complete the trial week and be paid for the trial week and any other hours you completed at the end of each month. Yet, after receiving feedback, you suddenly demanded immediate payment on July 4th, despite the agreed-upon date being July 31st. You insisted on cash in hand and refused to provide us with the necessary details for payment. Your behavior during this discussion, including swearing at my wife and becoming irate, was highly unprofessional and unacceptable.
Additionally, we attempted to verify your OFSTED registration and discovered that you are on the voluntary register, which does not apply to nannies or children under the age of 8, unless it involves fewer than 14 days per year or less than 4 hours a day at a crèche. It would have been more transparent of you to communicate this properly.
Lastly, I would like to emphasize that we monitored the baby monitors, as they were clearly visible and prominently placed. We did so because you mentioned our daughter becoming "very upset." Contrary to your claims, the hugs you offered were coupled with phrases like "if you don't stop your silly crying now, I won't give you a cuddle" and "stop now, or I won't pick you up." We witnessed over 20 minutes of our daughter crying while you continuously told her to stop crying because you didn't like it. You even chastised her for "scaring your son" due to her crying, neglecting her distress and favoring attention to your own child. This behavior is deeply concerning and not in line with our expectations or the principles we discussed during the interview.
In conclusion, Molly, your review contains several misleading statements and omits crucial details about your actions and conduct during your time as our nanny. We had high hopes and provided you with flexibility, trust, and access to our home allowing you to eat what you want- which you did, allowing you to use our daughters bedroom and equipment for your son, we gave you gifts and were very flexible and understanding with the requests you made but unfortunately, you failed to meet our expectations in multiple aspects of caregiving, including safety, hygiene, nutrition, and emotional support for our daughter. Your unprofessional behavior during payment discussions, as well as your inappropriate language and neglectful actions, further solidify our decision not to continue our working relationship.
We feel it is important to share our experiences with other families seeking childcare services, as transparency and honesty are paramount when it comes to the well-being of our children. We wish you the best in your future endeavors, but we cannot recommend your services based on our personal experience.
If any families require references regarding our account of the events, we are more than willing to provide them upon request.
Sincerely,
Ramon (Toddler's Father)