By, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor

As a professional nanny consultant, I hear from nannies and families all over the world about their struggles and daily challenges. The topic of a nanny not being a “self-starter” tends to be quite a common issue, however this topic is a bit more complex than it may seem on the surface. As with all nanny-family relationship issues, we need to look at both parties’ potential part in the problem. Take a look at this article on evaluating nanny success.

Examine how you are communicating your expectations and needs to your nanny. It is not enough sometimes to just tell your nanny to do something.

There are many factors that could affect communication. Ask yourself is there a language barrier issue? Is there a cultural misunderstanding? Are you not being clear in setting the expectations? Are you assuming that they “should know this because they are a nanny”? 

These are common contributing factors to the problem of your nanny not following through on one of your requests. The best way to communicate your expectations to your nanny is in a thorough, purposeful manner. This may mean:

1)   Demonstrating how you expect a task to be completed

2)   Writing out directions regarding your expectations

3)   Sitting down and setting aside some time to discuss why it didn’t work, or why it wasn’t exactly how you had requested.

If you troubleshoot and determine that there isn’t a language problem, it isn’t a cultural misunderstanding, you have set clear expectations, not made any assumptions, then it may be an employee behavioral problem. Your nanny may have an idea of how they are going to do something and have rigid beliefs that they have a better way of doing something. This is when you need to sit down and have a talk and explain to her that things cannot continue this way. Assess the current situation. State that you have requested she do xyz, and ask why she hasn’t been able to do xyz. Listen to your nanny, there may be a real reason why xyz is not happening. However, if there isn’t really an answer probe a little further and ask her what you can do to ensure that xyz happens. In other words, find out how you can set her up for success!

     by, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor

        So you’ve decided that you need a nanny. The first thing you need to do is identify your family’s nanny needs. For more information on identifying your family’s nanny needs please see this Nanny Doctor video. Think about all of the practical needs like days, times, number of children, ages of children, etc. Additionally, think about the temperaments of your children, their activities. Do you need a nanny who drives? What will the nanny job duties be? Do you need someone who is an “all-things child” nanny? Or someone who also helps with housekeeping what we call a nanny-housekeeper?

        Here are some quick and easy steps to get you started:

        1) Identify your family’s specific needs

        2) Write up a nanny job description.

        3) Go to enannysource.com and begin to look at the nanny profiles. Consult your job description and begin to look at what nanny seems as though they would fit your family’s needs.

        4) It’s best to start this nanny search around 3 weeks before you actually need a nanny. Sometimes this process may seem overwhelming, allow enannysource to guide you through this process. For more support check out our Nanny Success Kit for details and tips about finding and maintaining the right nanny.

        5) Narrow down your search! Put your favorites on the My Top Picks list

        6) After you narrow down your search, e-mail the nanny using the enannysource mail system. Inquire about any questions or concerns you may have prior to setting up a phone interview.

        7) After you have found a couple of candidates, set up a phone interview.

        8) The next step is to check references and conduct a nanny background check. This is an essential step. Do not skip this step. Conducting a background check through enannysource.com is simple and easy.

        9) Interview your nanny in person and make a decision.

        10) Have a try-out period for your potential new nanny!

 This is just a quick list of how to get started. Go to the enannysource library for more information and details!