Communication between the family and Nanny is so important for the relationship to work and you should have this from the start. A good way to have this is to plan meetings or discussions regularly for you and the parents/guardians to sit down and discuss issues, personal subjects or child related subjects relating to their child/children. In doing this, it will create a strong relationship, gain trust in each other and everyone is then aware and on the same page.
It is important that families and Nannies go over all of their expectations and requirements from the beginning, that way all parties are aware of what is expected and a lot of problems will be avoided. When issues do arise, it is usually over little things and would be avoided if discussed upfront. When dealing with confrontation use ‘I’ instead of ‘you’. For example, ‘When you tell me I’m not doing something right in front of the children you make me feel embarrassed.’ Instead, you could say ‘I feel embarrassed when you discuss the things I do wrong in front of the children.’ This way you take away the blame off someone and make it personal and the opposing party will respect that making it an easier way to fix things.
As a parent, it is important to check in with your Nanny on a regular basis to make sure she is doing okay and is happy. In most cases Nannies leave their home country to come to work in your country to take care of your children. That Nanny has left family, friends, loved ones and has come alone and so making sure she feels welcome and you showing a caring nature towards her will make her feel more settled. When you get home from work ask ‘How are you?’ ‘How is it going?’ Usually 9 times out of 10 the Nanny will immediately tell you exactly how she feels because they will know then that is a good time to talk about anything they need/want to talk about.
In turn, when the parents and Nanny have excellent communication this will ultimately benefit the child/children.
