Archive for July, 2010

Our nanny’s birthday is coming up and we want to show her our appreciation for her nanny work. What’s an appropriate gift?

Friday, July 16th, 2010

By, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor

Your nanny cares for your child with love and sensitivity on a daily basis. Her birthday is the perfect opportunity to show her how much you care about her and appreciate how much nanny work she does for your family. Unfortunately, so many families don’t take notice of this special day in the life of their nanny and miss out on an opportunity to let her know she is important. Here are some quick tips for celebrating your nanny’s birthday:

1)   Take note of when her birthday is and plan ahead of time to celebrate it!

2)   Get your children involved. Ask them to create a drawing for her or art project. Let your children know why you are doing something for your nanny and how much you love and appreciate them. Encourage your children to talk about why they love her so much and what she means to them. Write their words down on the back of the artwork in quotes for the nanny to read.

3)   Are your children too young for artwork? Send flowers to your nanny on her birthday from your baby with a note about how much you appreciate her!

4)   As far as gifts go, there is quite a range of what is acceptable. The bottom line is you should do what is comfortable and feels right for your family. While some families are able to give huge cash gifts, other families may be able to give a nanny $100 or $50. You may also choose to give her a paid day off – which can be great because it doesn’t affect your budget. You can also think outside of the box – think about your friends…do they own their own businesses? Perhaps you know a friend who is a massage therapist and you can get a deal on a massage and pass on a gift certificate to your nanny.

5)   Try to avoid buying something extravagant. What may be beautiful or special to you may not be useful for your nanny. Instead of a designer scarf, get her a gift card from a local grocery store or a gift card for a restaurant. These kinds of gifts can go a long ways and also extend to your nanny’s family which can be an extremely valuable gift. Offer to purchase her bus pass for a year, listen to her, has she been complaining about a dishwasher that keeps breaking down? If it’s within your budget, these are the kind of gifts that can be really appreciated by your nanny.

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We have a new baby coming and our nanny is a little bit rusty with newborns, how can we make sure she’s ready for the new baby?

Monday, July 12th, 2010

by, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor

It’s so great to have a nanny whom you trust and who has already been a part of your family for sometime when a new baby arrives, but your nanny hasn’t worked with newborns for some time. For more information on newborn nanny care click on the link. Maintaining the same nanny for your family for as long as possible is a great gift to your children. It will help them to build and maintain solid relationships throughout there lives. That said, it is completely worth doing everything possible to keep your nanny even when your needs change.

The first thing you will want to do is to think about what resources are available to new moms in your community. These resources can often be utilized for nannies as well. For example, your local hospital may have a baby care class that your nanny can attend as a way of “freshening up” her skills. Additionally, this may be a great time to update both your Infant/CPR first aid certification as well as have your nanny get recertified.

In addition to some classes, make sure you have a conversation with your nanny about how you expect a new baby to change your lives and more importantly to your nanny, how it will change her job description. Here’s some good tips on training your nanny for newborn care. Make sure you discuss nanny pay changes, any new responsibilities, and schedule changes. Encourage her to discuss any concerns or questions she may have about this transition. Be honest. If there are some questions you can’t answer yet because you are unsure of how a new baby may change your life, be honest and say that.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to express to your nanny how much she means to you and your family. If you are willing to do what it takes to keep your nanny with a new baby on the way, make sure she knows how much you value her!

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Time to review your nanny’s job description and nanny contract?

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

by, Dr. Lindsay Heller  www.thenannydoctor.com

Maybe you had on your list of New Year’s resolutions to review your nanny’s nanny job description, work agreement and more. Now, it’s time to think about your nanny and your household management.

 1) Review your Nanny Job Description
When was the last time you updated your nanny’s job description? As your life goes on and your children develop, your needs will change over time. As a result, you will need to update your job description accordingly.

 2) Update your Work Agreement or Nanny Contract
Didn’t develop a work agreement or nanny contract when you first hired your nanny? Well, it’s not too late! eNannySource has a complete nanny contract as part of their Nanny Success Kit. Develop a work agreement that includes a start date to the agreement and an end date. Include a 6 month review date and an annual review date. Include your nannies duties, agreed payment and payment schedule, rules and expectations of the household, how you expect your nanny to handle differences or any questions she may have regarding raising your child. Be sure to include the hours and days your nanny has agreed to work. Include also what days off your nanny has throughout the year as well as how sick/personal days will work in your household.

 3) Have your Annual Meeting with your nanny.
You should have an annual meeting with your nanny every year. Ideally this meeting should take place on the same predetermined date every year. At this meeting you and your nanny should sit down, formally discuss your nanny’s current job description and her nanny work, discuss what has been working and what hasn’t been working. This meeting should be a collaborative dialogue. Listen to your nanny and her ideas and make sure you do your best to help her to feel comfortable to discuss her thoughts and concerns.

 4) Show your nanny appreciation! The nanny salary .
At this time, it is also a good time to discuss a raise for your nanny. When giving her a raise, you should pair it with why you are giving her a raise and address all of the wonderful things that she has done for your family. This is a time to express your appreciation! A raise should be anywhere from 2-4%.

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