Nanny Emergency Toolkit: Preparing Your Nanny

You’ve done all of your homework. You’ve hired your nanny after a hearty search. For a successful launch to her transition into your household, here are some things that you should equip her with to make her job easier and set your mind at ease.

Emergency action plan: If your house is large enough to warrant a house map, provide her one. Let your nanny know where everything is, including the first aid kit. Discuss a meeting place with your nanny in case she had to leave the house or neighborhood with the children and couldn’t reach you.

Have emergency contacts posted in a central location: These contacts should include an emergency contact list, in order of who to call first. Also on this list should be the pediatrician’s phone number and address. If your nanny is responsible for driving the children to doctor’s visits, make sure to authorize her as a caregiver at your pediatrician’s office. Other emergency numbers should include poison control, the police, and fire departments. If a neighbor has offered, make sure the nanny has their number, as well. Sarah, a Phoenix Nanny, said “when I started working with my current family, I had brought a contact sheet with me and had the family fill in all of the important information such as cell phone numbers and doctor’s contact information. I have it all on hand when needed”.

Leave a schedule: Your children will adopt the new nanny with much more ease if the transition is made smoother. You can ensure this happens by leaving her a schedule that details what time the kids eat, nap, study, and have free time. If your kids take medication, make sure your nanny knows the dosage and times of days the medication is to be administered. If your child has allergies, make this known to the nanny, as well.

Navigate for your nanny: If you are asking your nanny to drive the children to and from activities, appointments, and school, either provide a GPS for her or route the way for her. Leave a schedule for these activities and take time out to introduce your nanny to the scout leader, dance teacher, soccer coach, etc., or that you provide these people with a letter indicating who your child is to be released to.

Roadside assistance: If you are asking your nanny to drive your children places, make sure she has your roadside assistance information, in case she is in need of it. It is also a good idea to have a first-aid kit on-hand in the car, as well as extra blankets in case you live in a cold climate.

Post rules or guidelines for discipline: If your children are younger, you may want to post these rules somewhere visible in the home. Otherwise, just make sure that you have communicated to your nanny what the expectations for behavior are as well as the consequences for deviant behavior. Maria, a nanny in Austin, wrote “I made up a rules chart that we hang up in the kitchen to remind the kids and me of what is expected. We make it fun – sometimes I ask the kids if they remember all the rules and give them little treats when they do!”.

Communicate with your nanny: Especially when your nanny is new to your household, but continuously throughout her employment, you should prioritize communication with her to touch base and ensure that she has what she needs in her tool kit. Sometimes your tool kit may need refilling with new ideas from the nanny, or maybe a technique that worked for you is falling short when the nanny attempts to execute it. Try to make the relationship work by working together and making the nanny feel prepared, at ease, and happy to be caring for your children.