Right from the time of conceiving through the course of a pregnancy, mothers are expected to make some changes to adapt to the new state of their bodies and ensure their baby's maximum health.
Because of the weak state of babies’ immune systems, adults and childcare providers who regularly come in contact with a child not only need to observe basic hygienic protocols but may also need to take the extra step to ensure that they are not a health hazard to the child. One such way is getting vaccinated for certain contagious diseases like the flu.
Are you a concerned parent wondering how to ensure the maximum healthcare for your kids?
Yes?
Then this is for you.
What Vaccines Should Your Nanny Get?
Vaccines prevent people from getting a particular disease or virus. While vaccination is a personal choice, we have rounded up five key vaccines that may be necessary for your nanny to get. However, this list is not exhaustive. Whooping Cough According to the CDC, half of the children infected with whooping cough get hospitalized, and about 1 in 4 kids end up with pneumonia – which could lead to death in very serious cases. This means that your kids are susceptible to contracting whooping cough if exposed. This is more so if your child is below 6 months, as babies within that age range are considered medically too young to receive flu shots.
Tdap – Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis – (DTap for children) is the vaccine for whooping cough that your nanny and any other adults, teens, and preteens who will be around your baby should get. It is recommended that they get the shots two weeks before meeting your little one, as it takes the vaccine two weeks to get to work.
Influenza
Influenza shots protect you against the flu. While it might not be critical in adults, it is potent enough to pin a child to a hospital bed. We recommend that adults get the flu shot every year.
Measles
Measles is quite a deadly disease and can cause death to unborn children and those below the age of 5. Your nanny should get vaccinated if your kids fall within this grade (and even above).
Chickenpox
Varicella vaccine is the vaccine for chickenpox (Varicella). If your nanny has never received Varicella shots either as a child or adult, chances are that they are likely to pass on chickenpox to your child. Encourage your nanny to get the shot to eradicate the probability of this happening.
COVID-19
The issue of COVID-19 vaccination has met strict opposition from many, while others have welcomed the idea. Most people are scared that getting vaccinated is tantamount to getting infected if they had none before the vaccination. While the virus is known to be more potent in adults, children can also get the virus, hence the need for children's caregivers to consider getting vaccinated.
Currently, three types of COVID-19 vaccinations are approved and recommended by the CDC – Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. Your nanny should consult their doctor or health care provider before getting vaccines.
What You Should Not Do
While your children's caregivers must do all they can to ensure the well-being and safety of your kids, there are certain things you should not do regarding your nannies getting vaccinated. One such is really important: do not force your nanny to get vaccinated, and more so if that person is your already employed nanny.
Getting vaccinated is a personal choice that some support and others refute. While you may request that your nannies get vaccinated before being employed or as a condition to return to work, it’s always unwise to force them or threaten them to get vaccinated.
The ideal solution when there is a conflict of interest is to discuss your demands and your nanny’s options with your nanny. Ask about their reservations about vaccinations and see if their concerns are legitimate and valid (some may have allergic reactions to vaccines).
You could also discuss other alternatives if getting vaccinated will cause genuine hardship to your nanny.
You reserve the right to ask your nanny to get tested for various contagious illnesses, decline to hire an un-vaccinated nanny, or fire an existing caregiver if they refuse to get vaccinated, but keep in mind that such decisions may limit your access to many nannies that may otherwise be willing and available to work for you. TAKE AWAY
After getting vaccinated, it doesn’t stop there. Some vaccinations require that you are vaccinated occasionally – keeping your vaccinations updated.
Depending on the duration of your nanny's employment with you, you could discuss with your nanny or the nanny agency that found you such a nanny about keeping their vaccines up to date and the associated risks involved.
As a pacesetter in the business of making healthy and competent nannies available for families, The Elite Nanny Team nanny agency handles the issue of vaccination seamlessly and effectively.
They do a great job of getting your kids the best care while keeping the risk of any family member contracting a disease from their nannies almost non-existent.
CITATION “Can You Require Your Nanny to Get a COVID-19 Vaccination?” Gtm.com. Jan 12, 2021 https://gtm.com/household/require-nanny-covid19-vaccination/ Heidi, Murkoff. “Whooping Cough and Babysitters.” Whattoexpect.com. April 1, 2020 https://www.whattoexpect.com/ask-heidi/whooping-cough-babysitters.aspx https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pregnancy/family-caregivers.html https://nanny.org/covid-vaccine-resources/ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html