The ability to arrange your life in a way that fits everyone’s needs is not easy. Parents and nannies need to be able to work a well-balanced dynamic together, while staying in tune with themselves. What’s more, scheduling is critical for the sake of their family. Kids are a beautiful and big part of our lives, but it’s how we balance out a proper schedule that works best. There is a significant difference between nannies and parents. For nannies, the question is “how will I fit myself into a child’s life?” How can a nanny arrange their schedule, their time, their care for a family’s child? For parents, it’s a completely different story. “How will a child fit into MY life?”

Checking In…

According to nanny.org, family meetings are recommended. We encourage parents to ask their nannies to be involved as well. Whether on a weekly or monthly basis, it is incredibly beneficial to check-in with one another. For example, what are some changes that a nanny or parent would wish to see? Perhaps there is a new way to organize the toys or a new kid’s recipe the nanny wants to try. Another example could be discussing scheduling conflicts that may arise. For example, your nanny may want to attend a wedding later this year, and she may be away for a few weeks. Can the parent and nanny work together to find a worthy substitute if so? The ability to openly discuss goals and intentions of the family leaves us without mystery. With honest, open communication, we will find what we want and need.

You Need a Calendar:

Although it may be obvious, calendars are extremely helpful in visualizing how we see our day-to-day. We recommend sharing one calendar for your family schedule. You can start by breaking it down into 3 categories: kids’ extracurriculars, vacations and appointments. Each category could be in a different color. For example, we will write extracurricular activities in red. Extracurriculars could include school events, playdates, sport practices/games, music lessons, etc. Another example are vacations, which we will write in yellow. Vacations will include school breaks, family road trips, day outings together, etc. Appointments will be written in blue and could include doctor and dentist visits, etc.

Control What You Can:

Sticking to a stable routine is not only useful for adults, it is especially encouraged for their kids. Most parent-child schedules work in harmony, with work and school. Let’s use that to our advantage! Keeping kids active during the day promotes overall health and well-being. Additionally, it makes bed time a breeze. On days with more lax, laid-back routine, we recommend “active rest”. This could be a picnic in the park, a local play or sports practice. Or, you could be actively resting indoors. Try playing games like scavenger hunts, fort-building, arts & crafts and much more!

Stay tuned for part 7 of our “NANNYING 101” series which will dive into the do’s and don’ts of technology use for your kids. The Cradle Boss Baby is the #1 resource for new and current parents to help break down the best practices for pregnancy, parenting and beyond. Our team is composed of highly-skilled childcare specialists, nannies and caregivers (some who are parents themselves!) to best support and understand your needs as a new parent.

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