First time with a nanny

[Ifyoubuildit]

Would really appreciate some advice, our first nanny is due to start in a few weeks and I don't know where to start with settling her and the children into their routine. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also, I'm going from being a SAHM to working full time and am feeling rather Any advice for me too would be great.

Thank you.

How experienced is the nanny?

If they have nannied quite a bit before then I would let them get on with it, find a routine that works.

Have a form of communication that works for both of you. Photos, text messages, email can all be useful to keep you updated with what your children do during the day (how well baby has fed). After a while you will have built up trust and you won't want frequent updates and having a few photos a week will be sufficient.

Try to focus on your job, let nanny focus on their job. Spend time with your children each day such as early morning, bedtime. Lots of time with them on non work days.

Have a daily diary (I have an a4 page per day one) which they and I can jot down what happened that day (food/sleep/medicine) and plans for the week/holidays/things that are needed/babysitting nights/tasks for the week/questions etc. I can never remember everything in the melee of getting home so it is a useful place to put everything.

I also did a set of "house rules" - they were all things that I have discussed in some shape or form before nanny joined but it was a useful exercise to put it all on paper - so it dealt with expectations for sleep/food/cooking/rules for babysitting/kitty/activities/how visits from family members will work etc. All the more informal information that helps you understand how things run day to day - you can't expect people to grasp all that through osmosis and it can be hard to point out on Day Two that you like clothes turned the right way out before putting them back in the drawers without seeming like a pyschopath!

do a medical consent form - was very useful when my DTS was ill and needed a same day visit to the doctor (and eventually trip to A&E)

list of activities in local area (if they are new to the area) - library/classes that you want to keep up/good parks/council run playgroups and surestart centres.

She's very experienced (20 years). How do you recommend transitioning her in? Shadowing for a few days/ a week?

Ask your nanny. For a full time post I would expect to shadow for at least one day.
free has super advice to take too. On shadow day you can show how you like things done.
Hope all goes smoothly

Oh re the transition- if your nanny has all of that experience I would say the less shadowing the better! As I mentioned your kiddies and nanny need time to get to know each other without mum 'hovering' around.

Sticking around makes it confusing for the children- who is in charge here? And also difficult for the nanny (it's amazing how nervous you feel putting a wee one to bed with mum hovering in the house- it's almost always easier when the parents just aren't around, which = better for the children).

With Hannah we spent a couple of days working together with her shadowing me- which meant I was putting Amelia down, giving her bottle etc. Hannah was able to watch how I did things and we spent the time chatting and getting to know each other which was great fun.

After that I spend half a day away from home and left her to it. They were FINE! And I didn't go far just in case- more for my sake than theirs!