Let's start with a question for parents:
Would you hire a house cleaner and expect them to change your baby's diaper? Take your child to the park? Prepare and serve their lunch? Pick them up from school? Help with homework? Take them to a doctor's appointment? Research age-appropriate developmental activities? Organize playdates? Or help sleep-train your baby?
Probably not.
Why? Because those responsibilities fall outside the scope of a house cleaner's job. You hire a house cleaner to clean your home, not to provide childcare.
So, why do so many families expect the reverse from their nanny?
One of the most common misunderstandings we encounter in the nanny industry is the assumption that hiring a nanny means getting both a childcare professional and a housekeeper for the price of one. While some nannies are happy to take on additional household responsibilities, it's important for families to understand that childcare and housekeeping are two distinct professions, each requiring time, effort, and appropriate compensation.
At Starz Staffing Agency, we believe that setting clear expectations from the beginning is essential to creating successful, long-lasting relationships between families and their nannies.
A Nanny's Primary Responsibility Is Your Children
A nanny is a childcare professional. Their primary responsibility is the safety, well-being, development, and daily care of the children entrusted to them.
Most people who pursue a career in nannying do so because they genuinely love working with children. They enjoy watching children grow, supporting developmental milestones, creating meaningful experiences, and becoming a trusted and consistent presence in a child's life.
Their work goes far beyond simply supervising children.
A professional nanny may spend their day:
Preparing nutritious meals and snacks.
Planning age-appropriate activities that encourage learning and development.
Organizing outdoor adventures and educational outings.
Coordinating playdates and social opportunities.
Supporting emotional development and positive behavior.
Monitoring developmental milestones.
Maintaining children's schedules and routines.
Communicating with parents about their child's day.
Managing school pickups, extracurricular activities, and appointments.
Providing attentive, hands-on care throughout the day.
These responsibilities require organization, patience, creativity, flexibility, and an enormous amount of energy.
When families add extensive household cleaning responsibilities to this list, it can take time and attention away from what should always come first: the children.
Does This Mean Nannies Should Never Clean?
Absolutely not!
There is a very important distinction between child-related housekeeping and general household cleaning.
Most professional nanny positions include reasonable housekeeping duties directly related to the children. After all, caring for children naturally involves cleaning up after them.
These responsibilities may include:
Cleaning up after children's meals and snacks.
Washing bottles and children's dishes.
Loading and unloading the dishwasher with items used throughout the day.
Wiping down highchairs, countertops, and children's eating areas.
Washing and folding children's laundry.
Changing children's bed linens.
Tidying playrooms and children's bedrooms.
Organizing toys, books, and play areas.
Sanitizing children's toys and frequently used equipment.
Emptying diaper pails and disposing of diaper trash.
Keeping diaper bags and children's supplies organized and stocked.
Cleaning up spills and messes created by the children during the workday.
These tasks are a natural extension of caring for children and maintaining a clean, safe, and organized environment for them.
However, there is a difference between cleaning up after the children and cleaning the entire household.
Unless specifically included in the employment agreement and compensated accordingly, general household cleaning should not automatically become part of a nanny's job.
For example, the following responsibilities generally fall outside a standard nanny position:
Cleaning bathrooms.
Vacuuming and mopping the entire house.
Dusting furniture and household surfaces.
Cleaning windows and baseboards.
Scrubbing kitchen cabinets and appliances.
Cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry.
Making parents' beds or changing adult bed linens.
Doing laundry for the entire family.
Washing dishes that accumulated before the nanny's shift.
Cleaning up after adult dinner parties or gatherings.
Tidying spaces unrelated to the children's activities.
General deep cleaning and household maintenance.
There is nothing inherently wrong with hiring someone to perform these duties. The issue is assuming that they are automatically included in the cost of childcare.
Childcare Is a Full-Time Job, Even When the Children Are Sleeping
One thing families sometimes overlook is just how much work goes into managing a child's daily routine.
A nanny's responsibilities don't begin and end with the moments when a child is actively playing or asking for attention. Behind the scenes, nannies are constantly preparing, organizing, planning, and anticipating the children's needs.
Even when children are napping, a nanny may be using that time to prepare for the remainder of the day, clean up after lunch, wash bottles, organize activities, or complete other child-related responsibilities.
And let's be honest: children don't always follow predictable schedules.
A child who normally naps for two hours may wake up after 30 minutes. A teething baby may need extra comfort. A toddler may have a particularly challenging day. A school-aged child may need additional homework support. Nannies need the flexibility to respond to these changing needs.
A child's nap time should not automatically be viewed as an opportunity for parents to assign unrelated household cleaning projects.
If a family expects a nanny to perform substantial housekeeping during the children's downtime, those expectations should be discussed and reflected in the position's compensation.
What About Common Areas Used by the Children?
This is another area where expectations can become blurred. Some families believe that because their children use nearly every room in the house, their nanny should be responsible for cleaning those spaces.
But there is a difference between maintaining an area after the children have used it and being responsible for its general upkeep.
For example:
If the children have a snack in the living room and leave crumbs on the floor, the nanny should clean up that mess.
If the children spill something in the refrigerator while helping prepare lunch, the nanny should address it.
If the children bring toys into the family room, the nanny should help put those toys away.
However, that does not mean the nanny is responsible for routinely vacuuming the entire living room, mopping every hallway, cleaning the refrigerator, or maintaining the household's common areas.
A nanny is responsible for the children's messes, not automatically every mess in a home that children happen to occupy.
Clear boundaries help prevent misunderstandings and allow everyone in the household to understand their responsibilities.
Families and Nannies Should Work as a Team
Another important consideration is when household messes occur.
If a nanny is responsible for cleaning up child-related messes during their scheduled working hours, parents should also take responsibility for messes that occur outside those hours.
For example, if the playroom becomes a disaster zone after the nanny leaves for the day, parents should make an effort to tidy it up before the next morning.
If the diaper pail is full after a weekend, parents should empty it rather than leaving it for the nanny.
If an entire weekend's worth of children's laundry has accumulated, families should understand that this is not automatically something their nanny should be expected to tackle on Monday morning.
Hiring a nanny does not mean parents are relieved of all parenting-related household responsibilities.
A successful nanny-family relationship is built on teamwork, communication, and mutual respect. Everyone should contribute to maintaining a functional household.
And here's something worth remembering: nannies often go above and beyond because they genuinely care about the families they work for. They may voluntarily help with an extra task, organize something special, or take a little additional time to make the day easier for everyone.
That generosity should be appreciated, not gradually transformed into another job requirement.
Why Clear Job Descriptions Matter
At Starz Staffing Agency, we believe one of the most important steps in creating a successful placement is establishing clear expectations before a nanny begins working with a family.
A well-written job description should outline:
The children's ages and daily care requirements.
Expected childcare responsibilities.
Child-related housekeeping duties.
Any additional household management responsibilities.
Working hours and scheduling expectations.
Compensation that reflects the position's responsibilities.
Any special requirements or expectations.
When these details are discussed upfront, families and nannies are much more likely to begin their working relationship with a shared understanding.
This also helps prevent one of the biggest sources of frustration in nanny placements: a position that gradually evolves into something completely different from what was originally agreed upon.
A nanny who accepts a childcare position should not discover several weeks later that the family expects them to manage the entire household.
Likewise, families should have the opportunity to find a professional who genuinely enjoys and is qualified for the combination of responsibilities they need.
The goal is not to discourage families from requesting additional help. It's to make sure those expectations are fair, transparent, and mutually agreed upon.
A Little Respect Goes a Long Way
Being a nanny is meaningful, demanding work. It requires patience, dedication, responsibility, and a genuine commitment to the well-being of another person's children.
Nannies are entrusted with something incredibly precious: your children.
They are helping shape routines, encourage development, build confidence, support learning, and create a safe and loving environment while parents are away.
That deserves recognition. Families should feel comfortable communicating their household needs, and nannies should feel comfortable establishing professional boundaries around their responsibilities.
Neither party should feel taken advantage of. When families respect the distinction between childcare and housekeeping, nannies are better able to focus on providing quality care. When nannies feel valued and appreciated, the entire household benefits.
The bottom line? A nanny is not automatically a housekeeper, and hiring a nanny does not mean hiring an all-purpose household employee.
If you need both services, that's perfectly fine. Just make sure the position, expectations, and compensation reflect the work involved.
At Starz Staffing Agency, we believe the best nanny-family relationships are built on mutual respect, realistic expectations, and an appreciation for the important work that happens behind the scenes.
Because at the end of the day, your nanny's most important job should be caring for your children — not worrying about whether the bathroom has been scrubbed.