Rules on how to treat and keep your nanny...

nan·ny

ˈnanē

noun

1. 1.

   a person, typically a woman, employed to care for a child in its own home.

   synonyms:

   caregiver, caretaker, babysitter, au pair, governess;

I've been nannying for about 8 months now. When you are a nanny, you discover that there is something like "the nanny secret society." When everyone else is settling into their cubicles at their smug high paying desk jobs, there are a group of people who take care of their families for them. Welcome to what I like to call "NANNY-dom."

During the hours of 8am - 4pm, if you happen to stumble onto a playground or find yourself wandering through a zoo, museum, or library, you may notice that there are small children with women that look nothing like them. Yes. Who knew? They are all nannies.

Now being a nanny is somewhat of an undercover lifestyle. It's rarely talked about, but in larger cities if you count up the collective population of the people in this working field, they could storm their own small city.

Now during my  time as a nanny, I've come in contact with many other nannies/ Au pairs. This is were I learned the unspoken rules of keeping your nanny happy. Why would we want to keep our nannies happy you ask? Happy nanny, makes for happy kids and happy kids make for happy parents.

Here are the rules:

5. Set realistic expectations for your nanny. 
Don't be too picky when it comes to rules. It's understandable that kids have dietary restrictions and schedules, but there should be flexibility within that. No nanny wants to feel like they'll get fired if they get stuck in a traffic jam with your kid and they were supposed to have them home ten minutes ago. It's important to be understanding.

4. Pay her what she deserves.
Your nanny should only do as much work as you pay her for.  If you want your nanny to take care of the kids and their belongings that is fine. Once the nanny has to go outside of the traditional outside duties such as taking the kids places, keeping them entertained, and cleaning up after the kids. When the task list starts to expand and shopping, running errands, cleaning house,  after the whole family, cooking etc. come into the picture, it's time we start thinking about higher pay.

3. Realize that this is her career
Most regular fulltime jobs offer sick pay and paid vacation time.  If a nanny is putting 32-40 hrs in a week with your kid, it's her primary job. She's got bills to pay too, so don't make her stress. If your family goes on vacation she should be paid half or all of her weekly wages because the fact that her "clients" are out of town is something she can't control.
Gas is always a big factor as well. Nannies spend a great deal of time driving kids around. Pay them for their gas or designate one of the family cars for her and fill that with gas.

2. Conduct reviews or meetings every couple of months. 
Nannies are not mind readers. They have no idea if you're happy with the work they are doing or if you feel their needs to be improvement. Communication is always key. Conducting "controlled talk time" will help you see eye to eye with you nanny. It is in your child's best interest that she knows what you want from her.

1. Treat your nanny like a member of the family
This person spends a great deal of time with your children and in your house. They need to feel at home to do their best work. No one likes to feel like a servant, so be engaged. Make them feel at home.  Ask her how her morning is going or about her plans for the weekend. Besides, you should want to know who the person taking care of your child is. Getting to know your nanny  will provide a level of comfort for the both of you.

That's about it for now, but that's my nanny #101