How to manage the first week with your new nanny?
things to consider to help a nanny to settle into a new role,
the importance of training,
the use of a guidebook,
a communication log and more.
Employing a new nanny can be a stressful experience if you haven’t considered how to help her settle into a new role. In fact, it is not much different from a company employer starting a new job.
In this article, we would like to offer you our top tips to highlight areas you should consider before starting this adventure.
TRAINING
First of all, we recommend that you spend the time training your nanny. The importance of training is a key to success like in any other job. It doesn’t matter if she has been a nanny for many years, she hasn’t been a nanny in your home. If you don’t show her your way of doing things, she will do it her own way, or the way she did in her previous family.
The amount of time and effort you put into showing her everything will strengthen her knowledge and skills and will reduce her chances of making mistakes. On the job training will help her to understand your ways of doing things so that she can continue in the same style when you are not there providing and achieving a consistency of care and meeting all your child’s needs.
You should also consider spending quality time together to get better acquainted. For example you can take her out for a coffee and find out more about her. This will help you establish a good relationship and make her feel like family. Your child may transition to a new nanny more easily when the relationship between both of you is strong.
GUIDEBOOK
Another great resource you can prepare for her to refer to when you are not present is a guidebook. When a nanny has all the instructions written down in front of her she is less likely to be confused and more likely to complete all the tasks as expected to a high standard.
The type of information you can include are information about your child, medical, school & activity information, routines and schedules, emergency numbers, house information and so on. Think about writing down a checklist with the things you want your kids to be self-sufficient at and also measure, monitor and report e.g. daily reading, self-dressing, being polite and using good manners, brushing their teeth, tidying up their bedroom, etc.
Finally, you can also create a DON’T list for the nanny and your kids to ensure your house rules are enforced and followed i.e: no sweets or junk food, no ipads before homework, don’t play in the office, don’t play video games, go to bed by 8 pm etc.
Introduce your house & key family members. It is imperative that when a new nanny joins your family she knows really well how the house operates and whom to contact in case of a problem or an emergency
Also, even more importantly, you should introduce and explain to your children what is the role of the nanny and what treatment she expects from them.
COMMUNICATION LOG
Going forward, make sure that you schedule regular checkups. Communication and respect is a key. As you can imagine this is the base of any successful relationship between a manager and an employee. During the first few weeks, ensure you ask daily about how the nanny is getting on and encourage them to share any challenges or concerns. That will help you address it or look for solutions. Encourage your kids to respect and listen to the nanny who will enforce the house rules and if you have children with behavioural challenges or who are sensitive ensure you follow up with them to encourage them to work as a team.
Finally, remember that a nanny can be someone whose personality is the opposite of your own and embrace that fully.
We hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, if you have any questions or if you would like us to help you find your perfect candidate then do not hesitate to contact us. We’d love to help you.