3 Things to Do With Your Nanny on Day One

Congratulations! Welcome to the world of being a household employer.

Now, there’s only one thing left to do: wait for your nanny’s first day of work to arrive.

When the big day comes, there are three specific things you should do with your nanny:

1. Collect and Review All Applicable Paperwork

You might not associate having paperwork with a nanny, but now that you’re a household employer it’s something that you’ll want to stay on top of. Additionally, you are likely thinking something along the lines of “I’m paying my nanny under the table, what paperwork would I need?” Paying household employees under the table can negatively impact both your nanny, and you as a household employer because chances are you won’t be paying the nanny tax if you pay under the table, and that can cost you up to $25,000 in fines. Your new nanny will need to fill out Form W-4 since they are considered an employee, and will receive a W-2 at the end of the calendar year for tax purposes. In addition to Form W-4, you should have your nanny fill out a form for direct deposit, and provide them with information about the payroll schedule you will be following.

Other documents to consider going over are an employee handbook or contract. With any job, there are going to be rules and expectations for performance. While you have a nanny, compared to another type of employee, it’s still worth having guidelines in place to make sure that you and your nanny are on the same page. If you have certain house rules, requirements for if they can’t come to work, or other important information, laying that out early in the form of a handbook or contract can be extremely helpful.

2. Introduce Your Nanny to Your Children (Again)

There’s a good chance you’ve already taken this step, typically before making a formal offer, but it never hurts to introduce your nanny and children again, especially if you interviewed multiple candidates.  

The last thing you want to do is run out of the house the second your nanny arrives. Not only does this put your children in an awkward position, but your nanny may feel uncomfortable jumping straight into the action. Having this introductory time would be good to go over what you expect to happen between your children and your nanny. You want to make sure your children know what to expect from this new relationship as well.

If you have had nanny’s in the past, the transition to a new nanny could be difficult for your children. The New York Times has an article about how you can ease the transition between nannies. 

3. Show Your Nanny Around Your Home

Does your nanny know where your children spend most of their time? Does your nanny know where to look for essential supplies, such as diapers?

Similar to the previous point, you may have already given your nanny a brief tour of your home, but make sure you spend some time going through things a bit more thoroughly. Give your nanny a tour of your home, making sure to show them exactly where they can find anything they’ll need.

It won’t take long for your nanny to catch on, but until then you should provide as much assistance as necessary. You don’t want to put your nanny in a bad situation, such as needing something important like a child’s allergy medication, but not being able to find it.

Do you have any experience with hiring a nanny? Did you take these steps on day one? Did you do anything else to kick off the relationship on the right foot?