Tips For Nannies Working With Parents At Home During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Modern Minders understands that Covid-19 has affected families across the world in many different ways. One of the biggest challenges has been finding quality childcare. Telework and working remotely has become the norm with many companies not only allowing their employees to work remotely, some even extending this option indefinitely. Nannies are finding themselves faced with a different type of challenge then they’re used to.
We asked our qualified professional nannies in Los Angeles and New York City to weigh in on their top tips for working with stay at home parents.
Set Healthy Boundaries & Have a Plan.
This is such a new uncharted territory for many nannies, proximity to parents is something that definitely needs to be discussed for both the parent and the nanny to provide a successful working environment. This is a really wide topic and every family is unique and different, however making it a point to sit down and hash out how the day to day is going to look in this new normal moving forward, will save a lot of frustration on both ends. Having a solid plan and designated “kid” and “parent” zones is paramount. This helps create clear boundaries for kids so they know where they need to be and where they shouldn’t be.
Even though you’re in a private home, it’s really great idea to come up with a workspace or area for you and your nanny kids. As a nanny, sit down with your nanny family and come up with a plan. Maybe the kids are on the first floor and the parents are on the second floor doing work if the family is living in a two story home. This leads us to our next two tips about communication and scheduling.
Some other helpful topics you may want to cover in your plan:
What activities is your nanny family comfortable with you doing inside the home while they are working
Which rooms are allowed to be in and which are off-limits
Food available for lunchtime or snacks
Does your nanny parents want the children to do any chores? How would you like to handle nap times with the children?
Homeschooling that needs to be completed for older kids
When/why the parents can be interrupted
Communication
Any successful relationship only works if there’s clear communication across the board. Especially for nanny relationships. Instead of getting frustrated in tight quarters, take the time to be present and mindful of what’s happening in the home. Definitely carve out and make an effort to sit down and engage your nanny family in a healthy conversation about any concerns, suggestions and observations that could make a working relationship better before a problem arises. Only you can advocate for yourself. Piggy backing off of setting up healthy boundaries, we want to suggest setting up “house rules”. Another technique we like to use is signaling when it comes to setting up boundaries. Signaling by definition is when you are suggesting someone to do something by using signs or gestures. Sometimes this can even be a visual response that is taught to your nanny kids. For example, mom or dad has a baseball hat on equals, “mom or dad is working and shouldn’t be interrupted”, or if they have a home office, a simple “do not disturb sign” or hanging something from the door knob means that parents are working and they cannot be disturbed. If you’re not super creative, don’t worry we got you! Here’s a link to a printable that will help you if needed.
Set Up a Schedule
OK guys we know this one can be really hard sometimes and difficult especially with kids who aren’t used to having a schedule outside of school. We can’t stress to you how important a schedule is. Make one! Stick to it! This way there is zero confusion on how the day is going to go. Obviously, there needs to a be a little bit of flexibility and exceptions. Some spontaneity should be allowed and welcomed. Go over the schedule with mom and dad and make sure that your planned activities are in line with mom or dad’s schedule giving time for uninterrupted work and play time for both the family and the children. Our personal suggestion to make your day flow smoothly during this pandemic is planning activities that start in the morning and naturally flow into the afternoon. Try incorporates long walks outside (check with parent preference on outside time). Change of scenery will give parents a little free time without worrying about their kids and give kids needed fresh air. Make it fun, plan a nature walk! Examples: incorporate a morning coming up with a creative wilderness scavenger hunt, and then in the afternoon you have something already planned to execute. Not creative? No worries, we have you covered! Check out these great lists that will make any scavenger hunt magical!
Appreciation | Gratitude
Showing appreciation and having gratitude for the working relationship between a nanny and a parent is super important. For parents, we say resist the urge to step in while working from home, and for the nanny be as flexible as you possibly can with parent changes in your day. Remember, this is new for everyone and dynamics for families during this time are ever changing. We know it’s really easy for parents to micromanage however if you set up yourself for success with open communication, working out a schedule, understanding space in the home, and setting positive healthy boundaries working parents will appreciate you and your time.
Anyone that needs more tips on how to navigate their new normal, shoot us an email with any questions contact us! .
Let us know if you have any additional tips for your fellow nannies Let us know! Looking for a new position? Check out our job board or check in with us if you are already registered.
