How to Handle Babysitting Appointments and Child Illnesses Like a Proactive Parent
As the Fall/Winter season begins, we are reminded that the flu season is also approaching. So we’re sharing tips and reminders about how to handle illnesses when you have a Nannies on Call nanny scheduled to work in your home.
What happens when a Nanny is sick?
By the sheer nature of the work they do, occasional nannies work with many different families and they are therefore more exposed to illnesses, particularly if the little ones in their care are also sick.
For this reason, if an occasional Nanny is sick, they will cancel a confirmed babysitting appointment to protect themselves and the health and safety of the families they work with.
Do Nannies care for sick children?
Everyone’s comfort level around illnesses varies. Some nannies are comfortable caring for children with mild illnesses (e.g. a light cold or an earache), while others prefer to not work with sick children altogether.
Since occasional nannies work with various families in a given month, they typically prioritize their own health and the health of the other families they work with.
Whatever the situation, as a rule, you should always inform the Nanny of any illnesses in your home so they can decide if they’re comfortable with the scenario.
Nannies on Call TIP: If you’re booking a Nannies on Call nanny to care for your sick child, we ask that you please state the nature of the illness when you set up your online appointment so the nanny is fully aware in advance. You can enter this information in the appointment's INSTRUCTIONS section.
What happens if my child is suddenly ill and a Nanny is scheduled to come?
Here are 3 possible scenarios:
1. If your child has fallen ill suddenly, we recommend cancelling your babysitting appointment with the Nanny. Out of fairness to the nanny, you may want to consider paying her for at least part of the day.
If you’ve booked a Nannies on Call nanny, you can log into the booking platform and cancel your appointment right away, preferably before your nanny arrives. When cancelling with less than 24 hours’ notice, the cancellation fee applies and your credit card will automatically be charged for 4 hours of the nanny’s time. This fee is then passed on to the nanny.
2. If your child has a minor illness and you would like the nanny to care for them regardless, we recommend contacting the Nanny right away to let them know of the situation so they can decide if they’re comfortable caring for your child or not.
If you’ve booked a Nannies on Call nanny, you can use the CALL/TEXT feature in the Nannies on Call platform starting 3 hours before your appointment to contact the nanny and ask if they’d be comfortable caring for your sick child.
3. If the nanny is NOT comfortable caring for your sick child after you’ve contacted them or when they arrive at your home, then the nanny will need to cancel the appointment on the platform. In this case, no cancellation fee applies.
Bottom line: If you wish to cancel your babysitting appointment due to illness, we recommend doing so sooner rather than later out of consideration and courtesy to the nanny.
Nannies on Call Appointment Reminder
Cancelling a confirmed babysitting appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice carries an automatic cancellation fee equivalent to 4 hours of the nanny’s time, which is charged to your credit card on file.
We send families an email reminder 48 hours before every babysitting appointment to give you the opportunity to cancel the nanny without penalty if anyone in your household is sick or your plans have changed.
What we offer: Our by-appointment babysitting service is a subscription-based membership that gives you access to our pool of expertly pre-screened occasional nannies for in-home babysitting appointments in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa.
You can learn more about our service here. Visit the Babysitting Help Centre.