https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 07:23:18 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2429693 Wed, 20 Jan 2016 15:03:34 +0000 sooz 2429693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't provide food for our nanny and typically she brings food from home or buys stuff when she's out and about with the kids. I agree with the other posters and don't think you need to provide food. We do, however, give her extra money or gift cards to the supermarkets b/c she usually buys her food there and then many times shares it with the kids b/c, of course, they want to eat what she's eating.</p> <p>We've had our nanny for 3.5 years and she's become part of the family. She's a professional nanny, so we never really had to ask her to do things/not do things. She loads/unloads the dishwasher, cleans up after the kids and when the kids were younger, kept a log of their meals/naptimes/diapers. Otherwise, we always have a morning and evening debrief on the kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2429671 Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:53:54 +0000 shellio 2429671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Just wanted to commiserate. My DH is home with our PT nanny and he definitely was not as thorough as I would have wished with his orientation. Her second or third day here, I heard her looking for DS's diapers. (eyeroll) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2429570 Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:03:22 +0000 shellio 2429570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsADS: Hope it went well! Just wanted to chime in for you and others that setting ground rules early on is key. I had this tip and it really helped with our current PT nanny. We don't have a contract but I basically just sent her an email laying out our expectations in an informal way and told her if she wants a more formal agreement we are open to that too.</p> <p>I was torn about food and considered just buying her some freezer meals and asking what she likes, but our older kids would of course want whatever she has. So I just told her she can eat whatever we have, she is welcome to bring her own food but if she eats something different from what the boys have, to please "sneak" it so they don't see it and want it. Then I described some of the things we usually make for meals (sandwiches, leftovers, etc) to get her started. She's been coming about 4 weeks and it has worked out so far. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2421361 Thu, 14 Jan 2016 09:05:30 +0000 Anagram 2421361@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>oh and last week, everyone suggested that I write specific things in the daily notebook, like "Please add Vitamin D to 1 bottle and please take out the diaper trash today", and I've been doing that this week and everything I've asked for has been done. So that was a great tip! Before, I was telling her verbally at the end of one day for the next day and she was just forgetting a lot of stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2421356 Thu, 14 Jan 2016 09:03:05 +0000 LBee 2421356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Good luck! </p> <p>We do not feed her, but say that anything at the house is open to her. There was a post recently about this and it seems I was sort of the outlander in not feeding her. I pay her a good salary and kind of thought it was a little weird for me to also buy her lunch?</p> <p>Honestly, we just keep the communication open and there are constantly things I'm remembering to tell her. I just texted the nanny this morning. We probably text at least once during the day while she's there. </p> <p>One thing is I would set ground rules in terms of expectations early. I never told my 2 day a week nanny that I would like the dishes put in the dishwasher and not the sink - we are a year in and it's too late at this point to mention it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2421354 Thu, 14 Jan 2016 09:02:24 +0000 Anagram 2421354@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsADS: our nanny just started last week so I can answer some of this. It's great that you are staying home in the morning with her--I didn't get a chance to do that because my job is super inflexible. My husband did take the morning off, but he only stayed home for about 1 hour and then went to work and I don't think he did a great job walking the new nanny through all the directions I left for her. So it took us all of last week to really adjust to each other and I posted about some issues here. </p> <p>However, I had a end-of-week review with her last Friday, and things have been much better this week. If you are there, you can just show her all the little things you do--how you put LO down for naps (do you use white noise, anything special, etc), what clothes you like for LO to wear so she can eventually put clothes on herself or so she knows what clothes can be used if the first outfit is pooped on or something.</p> <p>Our nanny brings food from home and keeps it in our pantry/fridge. I did ask her if she likes anything in particular for the Kuerig and she said she likes coffee but it doesn't seem like she's ever used it. I definitely wouldn't make sandwiches or anything because the whole point of a nanny to me is taking jobs off my plate, not adding them on. I told her she's welcome to any snacks we have, but we don't really have a wide variety of snacking foods anyway and it seems like she's never eaten anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2421344 Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:56:06 +0000 lamariniere 2421344@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always tell babysitters to help themselves to whatever, but I think you need to lay the ground rules the first day, either she can eat/drink what she wants, or make food off limits. You could also ask her what types of things she likes to eat so you that you always have something on hand. </p> <p>Is she allowed to leave the house with baby? Take a walk with the stroller around the block or to a nearby park, especially when the weather gets nice?</p> <p>I would maybe set some rules about cleaning (or not, if you don't need it). Especially for when the baby is older, do you expect her to put away all toys at the end of the day? Do any laundry? Clean up the kitchen? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2421342 Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:55:32 +0000 regberadaisy 2421342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found this free printable from the blog reassuring to have when we used our first non family sitter:<br /> <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2011/09/20/printable-emergency-form/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2011/09/20/printable-emergency-form/</a></p> <p>I would leave the car seat at home, just in case, make sure she knows how to properly install it, rear facing, where the chest clip should be, no thick jacket, etc.</p> <p>What the baby's feeding/nap schedule is currently.</p> <p>Do you expect her to do anything while the baby is napping? What is the baby's nap time routine like?</p> <p>I don't think it hurts to have some snacks in the house for her. Obviously let her know she's welcomed to them. I'd imagine with a 12pm start she would eat lunch before coming. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/part-time-sitternanny-starts-tomorrowquestions#post-2421329 Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:47:18 +0000 MrsADS 2421329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our babysitter/nanny will be watching our 4.5 month old 2 days per week, starting tomorrow. I am writing up a list of all the pertinent things to know, instructions, etc. and I'll be here in the morning with her to show her everything. She'll be solo with the baby from about 12 to 4:30. She has a lot of baby experience and watches my friend's 6 month old (and they love her), so I feel pretty confident.</p> <p>THAT BEING SAID... what are things that you found important to tell your sitter/nanny about your baby? Am I forgetting anything important? Anything you realized later you should have addressed at the beginning? </p> <p>Also, do I need to get food for her? Ask her what she likes? I have no idea what's expected or normal. I think I'll tell her she can help herself to what we have (which isn't a ton, but we have stuff like fruit, granola bars, waters, pretzels, etc) - but wonder if I need to have like stuff to make sandwiches or something? </p>