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A
good family-nanny relationship is a lot like a good marriage:
both require good communication in order to work.
This
analogy may surprise you. After all, you are only accepting
a job position - you have had other supervisors before and
you certainly wouldn't characterize those relationships as
being like a good marriage. Why is this employer/employee
relationship all that different?
The
biggest difference is that with other positions, chances are
you did not live with your employers or coworkers. Even if
you will be going home at night, you will be spending on average,
8-12 hours, five days per week in their home.
In
short, the family/nanny relationship, by definition, is not
an ordinary employer/employee relationship. With this in mind,
we make the following suggestions:
Plan
regular discussion times from the beginning of the relationship.
Don't wait for the need to arise. These meetings work much
better when they are treated as preventative medicine and
not as a cure. Ideally, these meetings will create a regular
opportunity for each party to raise any concerns they have
- primarily childcare related, but also personal issues as
the need arises. Plan on having these meetings with the children
are not within hearing distance and are preferably otherwise
occupied, perhaps with friends, etc.
These
meetings should be held often enough (weekly for the first
month and if everything is running smoothly, then perhaps
biweekly, with the understanding that you both are available
to discuss something which comes up between meetings on an
as necessary basis) that they become a relaxed method of communication
which occurs in a receptive environment. Scheduling one more
thing after a hectic day with the children may seem overwhelming,
but the results can be worth the effort.
Be
Receptive to Feedback
It is common to feel nervous whenever reviewing your work
performance. This anxiety is often heightened by the fact
that your relationship with your employers will most likely
be more intimate than with other employers in the past. It
is easy to take things more personally than one normally would.
Keeping an open mind to what is being said is essential to
a good relationship. It is oftentimes very difficult for the
parents to point out an area of concern, being afraid that
the nanny might get angry and either take out the anger on
the children or decide to terminate the relationship. As with
any profession you should expect to be reviewed by your employer
and try to take the feedback and use it to become a better
childcare professional.
The
Nanny Log
The nanny log is nothing more that a summary of a day's events.
It requires no special equipment, a composition book works
fine. The purpose of the log is to record information of importance
to the child's welfare, as well as provide the parents with
some narrative information about the day and its activities.
The log should not be used to communicate bad news - i.e.,"You
need to get home more promptly" or issues of that sort. These
are always best handled face to face.
Each
log entry should be dated. At a minimum it should contain
the following:
- Medication
information, including what medication given, the time(s),
and dosage
- Information
on meals and nap times
- Activities
engaged in during the day
- Child's
overall mood
- Any
problems/challenges faced and how resolved
For
infants, the log will be more structured, and will include:
- Diaper
changes (times) and bowel movements
- Feeding
times and amounts consumed
- Milestones,
such as rolling over
- Temperament
(fussy, tired, pulling at ear, alert and engaged, etc.)
A
nanny log entry may look like the following:
"Monday
June 5
Susie woke at 8:25, had Cheerios for breakfast with half a
banana. We practiced colors and shapes with the laundry -
she matched 3 pairs of socks by herself!
Teletubbies
from 10-11 and then we went to the park. Susie met up with
Mark and they played nicely on the tot lot for about an hour.
Mark's mom would like to talk to you about setting up some
play dates.
Half
a grilled cheese sandwich and mug of Chicken Stars soup for
lunch. Susie napped from 1 - 2:30. She woke up real slow,
we worked on puzzles for a while and looked through that catalog
you got in the mail for ideas for a flower garden. Peanut
butter crackers and apple juice for snack. She helped me make
her bed and scrub the carrots and potatoes for dinner, then
flopped on the couch for Sesame Street at 5. She dozed off
in the middle.
Grandma
Anna called, said she would get you tonight.
We
had a great day."
See Sample Nanny Log Page
Why
keep this log you may be asking? Primarily the log is a communication
tool, an important documentation of the child's health, development
and activities, to help the parents stay connected with the
daily routines. It is the responsibility of the nanny to keep
the parents informed of the child's activities, development,
and health concerns. If the child becomes ill during the night,
the parents may refer to the day's log for clues (teething,
ear infection, food allergy). Many parents begin the day's
log with a comment of their own before they leave for work.
You too would want to know that the child slept poorly (so
that's why he is grumpy today) or ate a huge breakfast (not
interested in that morning snack).
In
addition to the above uses, many families also use the log
as a payroll record for the live out (come and go) nanny ...
what day's she worked, when started and when relieved. Nannies
can put the log to double duty as an expense tracker ... when
you picked up the loaf of bread or carton of milk, or paid
for the preschool field trip you can note on the log for reimbursement
by the employer.
4nannies.com
would argue additionally that a log is an outward sign of
the seriousness with which you take your responsibilities
as well as a tool to prevent serious parent/nanny misunderstandings.
A parent who knows that the child had a picnic in the park
today with her best friend will not get concerned by a laundry
hamper that didn't get attended to.
Related Pages
Sample Nanny Log Page
Emergency
Contacts Page
Authorization to Obtain Emergency Medical Treatment
© 1998-2003, 4nannies.com Inc. All Rights Reserved
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