{"id":1584,"date":"2014-04-30T05:05:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/?p=1584"},"modified":"2014-04-30T05:05:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-30T12:05:00","slug":"breaking-the-ice-ways-nannies-can-introduce-themselves-to-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2014\/04\/30\/breaking-the-ice-ways-nannies-can-introduce-themselves-to-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the Ice: Ways Nannies Can Introduce Themselves to Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"nannymeet\"<\/a>It can be daunting for a child to meet his or her nanny for the first time. He may be hesitant to trust him or her. She may be shy and scared about being away from mommy and daddy at times. On the other hand, children can be very flexible and resilient when change occurs in the household.<\/p>\n

In order to make a smooth transition into a new family\u2019s home, it\u2019s important for nannies to proceed slowly, get creative with introductions and build a trusting relationship through nurturing.<\/p>\n

The First Meeting<\/b><\/p>\n

According to Robert Nickell<\/a>, parenting expert and founder of Daddy & Co.<\/a>, a gift and apparel company dedicated to celebrating fatherhood, nannies are an essential part of a family, but it takes time to acclimate the children to a new care provider.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we bring a new nanny into our home, we start with a two to four hour day and have either mom or dad at the house,\u201d says Nickell. \u201cWe start with a slow acclimation, but our little ones are used to having nannies around and instantly warm up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most children, though, need some time to warm up to a new nanny. \u201cWhenever you bring a new nanny into the home, a child is going to see that person as a stranger,\u201d says Nickell. \u201cThey\u2019ll need some time to get to know the new nanny, figure out what they can get away with and generally adjust to having a new parental figure in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your children may each react differently, too. \u201cSome might feel anxious, confused or even angry, while others might express feelings of excitement and joy,\u201d says Nickell. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say a child will react in one specific way to the new experience as every child is different.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the father of seven children and a regular employer of nannies, Nickell has seen this first hand. \u201cI have seven children who are all as different as can be,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen bringing a new nanny into our home, we want to see a natural bond being formed and we like to see a playful, insightful, helpful, confident individual. The kids will pick up on this immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

If everyone passes the first day, Nickell recommends extending the time period to gradually build the bond between the children and the nanny.<\/p>\n

Meet and Greet<\/b><\/p>\n

Before the first meet and greet with a new nanny, it\u2019s crucial to prepare your child for the encounter. \u201cLet them know who the person is, why they\u2019re going to be part of your child\u2019s life and how your child will be expected to treat the new nanny,\u201d says Nickell.<\/p>\n

Parents should also give the nanny tips about the children beforehand as well. \u201cTell the nanny about your child so he or she knows what to expect and then make the meeting positive and fun,\u201d recommends Nickell.<\/p>\n

If possible, nannies can also shadow parents during the first meeting. \u201cI\u2019ve had success having nannies meet my children at my own home while \u2018shadowing\u2019 me to learn the routine and get to know the children,\u201d says Nickell. \u201cI\u2019ve also had success meeting a new nanny at the park where they can show their playful side and make a fun first impression with my children.\u201d<\/p>\n

When introducing yourself to the new family, nannies can offer reassurance to both the children and the parents by expressing interest in the children\u2019s likes and dislikes, passions, activities and typical play patterns.<\/p>\n

For instance, host a game of questions and answers so the children can find out more about you and you can learn how they communicate. Also, consider bringing activities that will help them explore your role in the household, such as a story making kit or video camera to act out scenarios or play games that you all enjoy so you can be playful with each other from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like when the nanny gets down onto the child\u2019s level, which means sitting on the floor, playing, asking the kids questions and listening to the answers,\u201d says Nickell.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, show the children your true personality and let them see your fun side while communicating how you would like to care for them on a regular basis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It can be daunting for a child to meet his or her nanny for the first time. He may be hesitant to trust him or her. She may be shy and scared about being away from mommy and daddy at … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1584"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1586,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1584\/revisions\/1586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}