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How old is your baby? A nanny or au pair is likely a full time job and should be treated as such. Do you have a contract? If not, I would highly recommend having one. There is a nanny subreddit that has really fantastic best practices. All that said, I handled each nanny’s first day for my (then) 13 week old differently than a babysitter for my (now) 22 month old. I documented everything and shared it with her before her start day, so she could read through some of our routines and have a reference, just like I would expect in the first day of my job. When I was a nanny myself back in the day, I wrote down a lot of what was told me to me even for older kids. It was easier to reference something as you learned a new house, routines, preferences, etc. For an infant, I’d say documenting your expectations sets everyone up for success. For the first few days of the nanny, I was home and available and she worked reduced hours, started with 4 - 6 hour days. I could check in, show her things baby likes, help her with bottles, and make recommendations for the preferences for our home. I transitioned to being hands off over the first couple of days and worked on house projects in other parts of the house before I went back to work full time. We transitioned into a really great routine. I communicated changes in the morning when she arrived and updated the documents as needed, so she’d always have a reference. I don’t think she used that much after the first week or two. She did an awesome job. I still update and use a lot of what I documented with subsequent nannies and babysitters, including my in laws 😂 it has helped keep other caretakers aligned with his schedule and eating goals. I just personally really can’t stand someone expecting me to do something effectively without giving me complete information to do so, so I really didn’t want to do that to my childcare. Hope this helps!
Wow, this is an excellent explanation, thank you very much!! She’s only 8 months so she’s pretty young. I’ll look into the nanny subreddit and jot down some things. Would you be willing to share your document for your 13 week old for me to use as an example? That said, thanks again for all the info and good idea about sharing all these ground rules for in-laws and family too. Would definitely help reduce potential for family conflicts
Take 1-2 days off or WFH especially if it’s their first full time experience caring for an infant. Show her how to prepare bottles, how/when to change diaper, how to safely give baby a bath, explain baby has to be placed on back to sleep, how long should baby nap for, how to open/fold stroller etc. Should have info on fridge with your address and how nanny can reach you when you’re at work. Show her how the washer & dryer work so that she can do baby’s laundry. Let your neighbors know you have someone watching baby while you’re away.
Thank you so much for your advice!
Mentor
I use au pairs - I spend a minimum of 3 days with them so they get used to how we do things and can see me in action. We give a binder of expectations routines safety everything before she starts so she can read, then we review everything together. She shadows me for a few days as I said and then she takes over. We review / have checkins consistently.
I wrote a word document and emailed it to her but it’s a good idea to have the caretaker shadow for a few days. It’s my first time having a caregiver come over so really nervous. Glad to learn from your experience!