I think that's fair, you're the employer so as long as you're paying them and they know what's expected of them, it's your prerogative. They're free to work elsewhere if they disagree.

As a nanny who works full time , it's not that hard to do my shopping on my time . Unless you're giving her errands , there's no reason why she should be running errands . Maybe it wasn't clarified that you don't want her leaving , so she assumed it was. Many nannies run errands with / for the children. Park, store, lunches etc.

People who work outside of the home can usually use their lunch breaks, personal days, or sick days for dr. appointments and other errands. A nanny in someone else's home doesn't have that same flexibility. It's typically 8-6 M-F to cover the parent's work hours. Sometimes running personal errands during the work day really is unavoidable.

I don't think someone getting paid to take care of your children should use that time for personal errands. It's a job that they are being paid to do and can do those things on their own time just like everyone else who works.

If they are taking them out to children's activities then that makes sense.

I always see nannies with other nannies at the library with the kids they are watching.

I babysat for many years and the only time I ever took any of the kids anywhere was if we went to the neighborhood park, and that was if (and only if) I had permission from the parents ahead of time.

I feel like maybe if your babysitter is taking your kids out to run their own personal errands, that's not really appropriate and you should have a conversation with sitter.

However, if it's a family member or someone really close, that may be a different situation entirely.

But, no, it's not unreasonable for a paying employer to ask their babysitter to stay at home with the child.

If you're not comfortable with the person watching your child leaving with your child it's not ridiculous. It's your child.

I agree with Anna. I used to babysit and the baby would always come with me if I went to the store, park, dr appointments, ect. I never asked permission I just did it because I knew my friend didn't expect me to stay in the house all day while I watched her son. If you are not comfortable with it I would suggest a daycare where the child will stay put and not go anywhere.

"You can't expect your babysitter to be stuck at home watching your child.".....? yup just read that.....babysitter.....someone who watches children.....

Yes. Your child your rules. ?

Depends. I would stay put if I only watched them for up to 5 hours a day. I have a child I babysit from 7am till 8pm 5-6 days a week. I take them everywhere I need to go. I have doctors appt as well as my daughter. I have things I also have to get done during the week such as grocery shopping or bank. I couldn't imagine being stuck to a house all day everyday without going to the park, or library, or other activities. Children thrive with social interactions and I'm sure they like getting out of the house too. So it all depends on time limits. I personally could not take a FULL TIME babysitting/nanny position and not be able to take the child anywhere.

I really think it depends on if it's a nanny position or a babysitter. If it's a full time M-F position then I would expect more errands to be run like dr appointments or car maintenance. However, these kinds of expectations should be discussed before hiring someone so that the position is well defined and issues don't come up later on.

When I started as a nanny I signed a contract with the family I was working for that detailed their expectations and restrictions. I personally was trusted to take the children out without question. I took them to friends houses for playdates, to the children's museum, to Gymboree classes, to the mall, to storytime, even to have lunch with my dad. I love the freedom I had with the kiddos. Some of our best times were while we were out and about. But, every family is different. So you need to decide what is ok for you. My priority was always the children and giving them meaningful experiences, even if it was reading books together while I waited for an oil change.

If I'm paying someone to watch my children then I expect them to do just that. Not visiting their friends, paying their bills or getting their hair done. And quite frankly if my children did go out while they were with the sitter unless it was an absolute emergency I'd be seeking alternative child care. I get nervous driving with my babies in the car myself let alone them in a car with someone else driving.

What type of errands would be acceptable to you? Paying bills? Doctors appointments?

What about friends houses that live miles away? Hair appointments? And shopping at thrift stores and the D.I.?

I don't see why a babysitter would take a baby anywhere unless it was an emergency. A child over the age of 4, then maybe movies or park but not a baby

Exactly what yaya said.

Whenever I've been a full time nanny, the parents not only allowed me to take the kids out, but they insisted.

Whenever I was hired hourly to step in as a babysitter, I stayed at the house unless instructed otherwise or an emergency.

Any time I've ever watched someones kids I always stayed there. If I already had plans that day I would tell them first and let them decide if it was ok to take them or not. Now if there was an emergency I needed to do something during watching them I always called the parents first and let them decide if they wanted me to take the kids or let them pick them up. I always assume the parents don't want me to take them somewhere unless they straight out told me I could.

I think like yaya said it depends on what kind of babysitter. If it's a nanny/ in home daycare type person who watches your kid every day of the week, I couldn't imagine telling them not to leave the house. A babysitter for a few hours? Absolutely! They can stay put

Pp it absolutely is fair to expect a babysitter to stay in the house while watching a child. I do not allow anyone to drive my child anywhere. I am extremely particular about car seat safety and I can only think of one person who can live up to my standards in that regard. Driving a child is essentially risking their safety. I don't trust other people to drive my son around.

Now going somewhere within walking distance is another thing. That would be fine with me as long as ds was in his stroller.

Is it an occasional babysitter or a nanny? As a nanny I would not have taken a job where I wasn't allowed to leave the house. In my opinion, social interaction is necessary for children of all ages. I took the children I cared for to the park, library, moms groups, and other activities around town. As a babysitter I never expected to leave the house for anything other than an emergency.

I don't think it's right you can't expect the babysitter to be stuck at home watching your child. If that's what you want you should look at daycare instead. My mom used to babysit my niece and her mom didn't like her taking her out but my mom told her if she needed to go somewhere she was going to specially since she would watch her 6 days a week for 12 hours and sometimes a few hours on her only day off. My cousins mom doesn't like anyone besides her and my uncle taking my cousin out so now he can't find anyone to babysit her. People have lifes and you cant expect them to put them on hold because of your child.

I was just telling my coworkers that when my siblings and I were little my babysitter used to take us to her part time job as a school crossing gaurd. My mom flipped out when she found out.

I say your baby your rules. You are paying for a service and should expect it to be done your way.

Completely. You are paying her of her time and you make the rules during that time. If she doesnt like she can refuse the work.

You're the parent/employer. It's absolutely your right. If the babysitter isn't trustworthy, find a new one.

Is it fair? It's your baby you lay down the law what does and does not happen.

Your baby your rules,its very reasonable to ask that...

Personally I wouldn't want ANY one ( except my husband) taking my son out of the house

Ugh that would make me nervous! I text my SO to make sure he never leaves dd in the car because I'm a paranoid freak! I also only trust dd in the car with me, SO, or my mom and dad because I don't trust others driving. Luckily my mom watches dd while we're at work. If she was at a babysitters I would be paranoid if I knew she had her in and out of the car. Not to mention I'm crazy about car seat safety!