Our nanny just started with us and I want to make sure she feels welcomed and comfortable! Looking for some ideas or things in your experience that have stood out to you. We had donuts and a fun breakfast for her first day and gave her a kitchen cabinet/pantry space to store some snacks she likes. |
Buy the stuff you see her eating so she doesn't have to buy/bring it. |
Offer the wifi password |
Is this your first time with a nanny, OP? |
Focus on being a fair employer.
Pay her on time. Pay unemployment insurance, paid family leave contribution, workers compensation insurance. Pay overtime when it’s due. Don’t switch her hours around with little notice. Don’t be late. Don’t have her “make up” vacation or sick leave. Give her paid holidays, vacation time, and sick leave. Guarantee her hours - ie, when you don’t need her, you still pay her. Don’t worry about being “fun.” She works for you for money. |
+1. DON’T BE LATE and don’t leave your kitchen a mess or your dirty clothes on the floor. Just have respect for her. |
+2 Don’t push the boundaries. |
If you're going to be late (it will happen), please give whatever notice you can. If you're supposed to be home at 5, don't call at 5 asking "is it okay if I'm late?" Well, it has to be. I'm not going to leave Susie and Johnny home alone. |
Seriously, don’t be late. It’s so disrespectful and breeds resentment. |
My nanny family has always had coffee waiting for me. They know I love it and I so appreciate it. |
Habitual lateness, even by five or ten minutes, is so disrespectful. And regardless of what the nanny says, it’s definitely registering with her that you have no respect for her time. Same with leaving a mess for the nanny to deal with. |
Clean after yourself in the morning. No dirty dishes in the sink. Don't be late and arrive at least 15 min early if you want to hear how was everything with your kids. Don't ask "How was everything with them today?" exactly on her time to leave or 5 min early. Respect her schedule. |
Nanny here.
My employer being late makes me late to visit my elderly mom or to pick my own kids from daycare or miss the 5:15 bus and then I have to wait for the 5:45 bus. To be safe, instead of 5pm tell me my shift ends 5:15 or 5:30. Traffic /metro is always an issue. Then we have 15 mins or so to discuss the day and any special plans for the next day. Discussions like that are part of my shift day. After the 3rd time of employer being lare, we would need a serious conversation. I always give myself an extra 15 mins to arrive -- even if it means sitting in the McD's parking lot 4 blocks away for a few minutes. I expect the same courtesy. We all have busy lives. |
late not lare |
I think you get the point that your lateness will always cause issues.
Best advice: respect your child’s nanny. Your home is her workplace. Her life/plans/schedule matters. |