Meet with Your Nanny by Hannah Anderson (Guest Blogger)

The following was written and submitted to us by Hannah Anderson of Fulltimenanny.com. More about her and this company at the bottom:

Let’s face it; nanny employers are busy. And so are their nannies. When things are going well in the employment relationship, it’s easy to skip regular nanny/family meetings. You talk to your nanny at end of her workday and she fills you in on what’s happening with your child, so what else is really needed? Actually, there are lots of good reasons to have regular meetings with your nanny. Here are a few.

Only the basics really get covered in the daily check in. It’s essential that you and your nanny check in with each other at the end of each day. This is when your nanny can let you know what happened during the day, including any issues or problems that you should be aware of. However this limited time doesn’t allow for discussion about more serious or more complex issues. And those will come up. When you have regular family meetings scheduled, your nanny has the opportunity to talk with you about concerns she has about your child, plans she has for handling a behavior challenge or making an ages and stages transition, questions she has about your expectations, along with anything else that needs your attention. Without these family meetings, these bigger issues may get overlooked or rushed through. This can be harmful to your child and keep your nanny from doing the best job possible.

Family meetings ensure you and your nanny continue to be on the same page. Things with your nanny can change fairly quickly as your child grows and develops. What you need from her may change as your child moves from one stage to the next. What your expectations are may change as the needs of your child change. What your nanny needs from you may change the longer she stays in the position. Family meetings give you and your nanny the opportunity to check in with each other and make sure that you both continue to be on the same page. If either side has changed their ideas, perspectives, needs or approach, this is the perfect time to talk about it.

Meetings give you and your nanny the chance to talk about problems. Sometimes there are big problems in the employment relationship, and either you or your nanny will call an immediate meeting to discuss them. More often, there are small but bothersome issues that come up. They don’t require an emergency meeting; however, they do require conversation and action. But when? Neither you nor your nanny are likely to call a special meeting to talk about these non-critical issues. If you did that, you’d be spending a lot of time in family meetings. However, when you have regularly scheduled meetings, both sides know they can add their issue to the agenda and they’ll have the chance to talk about what’s happening and come up with a plan of action. This built-in opportunity means small problems won’t grow into big problems because they were never addressed. It means things that might otherwise get swept under the rug and cause real damage to the long term success of the relationship will be dealt with as they come up. This type of regular attention to potential stumbling blocks can be the difference between the nanny leaving after her contract is up and her staying in the job over the long haul.

You have the chance to have input into your child’s daily environment. Your nanny is responsible for planning a well-rounded day for your child. She’s also responsible for supporting his physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. What exactly does all that mean? Family meetings are a great time to talk with your nanny about her goals and plans for your child. It also allows you the chance to give real input into what you want her to be doing. Do you want your child to have more opportunities to play with neighboring kids? Are you concerned that he’s having a hard time transitioning into a one nap per day schedule? Would you like a more detailed plan on how she’s going to help him get ready to enter kindergarten in the fall? Regular family meetings are your opportunities to ask questions, outline and update your expectations, share resources and get input from your nanny. All of that information can help your nanny do a great job for you and make sure that she’s providing the type and level of care that you’re happy with.

It is hard to find the time to sit down and meet with your nanny regularly. However, the benefits to your family far outweigh the effort involved.

Hannah is a frequent contributor to “fulltimenanny.com” & you can check out her recent submission http://www.fulltimenanny.com/blog/why-you-shouldnt-skip-regular-meetings-with-your-nanny/http://www.fulltimenanny.com/blog/why-you-shouldnt-skip-regular-meetings-with-your-nanny/. You can get in touch at her e.mail at “hannah.anderson355ATgmail.com”.