parenting then gradually introducing housework into the nanny child schedule may be a way for the child to be okay on his or her own, while the nanny is still in earshot and visibility range.

If your child is exhausting to the nanny – and this will depend on what kind of shape the nanny is in – then when the child naps, you may do well to give the nanny some relaxation time so she can rejuvenate for when the child wakes up and is ready to go again.

A nanny who is too tired to take care of your child is a safety hazard. Too easily children toddle out and fall into swimming pools or ingest cleaning fluids, among other things. Keeping your nanny in good health is partly her responsibility, and partly yours by providing realistic and reasonable demands on her time while she is in your employ.

On the other hand, a lot of whether or not your nanny should be doing housework while she is in your employ depends on the nanny, too.

If she is the kind of person who multi-tasks easily, then doing dishes, making lunch for your child, and supervising an art project will come naturally to her. She may not just be able to do several things at once she may be the kind of person who does better when they have more to do. What you want to avoid is overloading the nanny with more than she can do, so that she isn’t paying proper attention to your child, and the child’s safety is compromised.

But there is a middle ground – in fact there are many of them. It is not unreasonable to have a nanny responsible for cleaning up after any mess she and the child have made during the day while you are out, in fact, if the child is old enough (two and up), it is great for them to start learning about clean up. And it is not unreasonable to want any of the possibilities listed above.

Many times nannies who do not have a lot of experience with children will want to secure their employment by “wow-ing” you with their cleaning expertise, and have no problem plopping a child in front of the television so that they can clean. If you are okay with this, you will have a lot of people to choose from. If you are not okay with this, then be specific about it, and be suspicious of anyone who promises to wax the floor, the car, do the windows, wash, dry and iron your clothes and make dinner for you between the hours of noon and five p.m. You won’t be getting much childcare with this person – but you will be getting a sharp housecleaner who can probably keep an eye on your child.