How to prepare your Nanny for her first day!

You may have spoken to your nanny briefly and loved her work ethic and passion! Now it’s the real deal! Her/His first day! But how do you be prepared for this day? You might not think that you need to be prepared, but it is such an important job. Try not to make yourself busy with other arrangements, ie, travelling or work issues. Just remember in every job, a handover is needed. Usually handovers take 1/2 weeks for optimised results-and this isn’t just a business-it is your family, so spend as much time as necessary with your nanny, showing them the ropes and getting them accustomed to their surroundings. This way you can feel comfortable and confident that you can leave them to do the job independently, after you get back to your normal routine.

Some things to go through with your nanny could be:

1. Your kids’

  • Favourite books toys, superheroes, characters

  • Comforter for babies/toddlers

  • Allergies- how and when to administer

  • Religious needs-When to pray

  • Food - what are their favourite dishes and what do you prefer them to eat/ what they do not like to eat

  • People closest to them - grandparents, cousins, aunties, uncles and friends

2. Preparation for:

  • Routines (learning, waking up and sleeping, playing, etc)

  • Opinions on child’s behaviour and when and how it is okay to discipline them

  • Television programmes and when and how long they can watch it

  • Answering the door/ phone

  • Dealing with people who come to the door

  • Petty cash/expenses

  • Nanny diary - how will you correspond with each other at the start and end of the day. take a look at this link for more information on nanny diaries: https://www.busykiddies.co.uk/for-parents/#templates-for-parents.

3. Introductions:

 Introduce your nanny to your:

  • Neighbours (if you are friendly with them of course)

  • Out of school class leaders and parents

  • Children's teachers

  • Children's friends and their parents

  • Family members, eg: grandparent, aunty, cousin etc.

  • What’s near? -Let your nanny know of any areas that they can take the children to such as: parks, libraries, museums, shops, playgroups etc.

4. Phone lists

Prepare a contact list:

  • All of the people as seen above would be essential numbers for you nanny to have in case of emergency, as well as doctors, hospitals and their children’s school telephone number.

  • Can your nanny contact you at work? If so provide a work number or your contact details are a given!

5. House check!

  • Car seats - Are they going in her/his car as well? Do you need to show them how to fit it properly?

  • Pushchair and buggies - collapsing and putting back up instructions.

  • Kitchen - how does the microwave/oven/grill/washing machine/dryer work? Is there anything you would not like them to use?

  • Where their cleaning products are (ie: mop/hoover/broom)

  • Where is your first aid kit and medicine if necessary.

  • Sewing box for items of clothing.

  • Locking up-Do they need a key/alarm code?

  • If the nanny is live in - Where is her/his room? What room can she use out of hours? Where can she store her food items?

Hopefully this article is helpful to you as it has been for our other Busy Parents! Good Luck with your new Nanny and don’t forget to share any more tips you might have :)

Lyra BenjaminComment