As parents we all worry about our children's health, happiness and future well-being, and hiring a nanny involves placing a lot of trust in them. Children are fragile, they need some freedom to make their own mistakes but they also need guidance and protection from things that could harm them.
One of a nanny's main duties is looking after your children, they are their caregiver when you're not able to look after them yourself. Here are the top ten things a nanny shouldn't do, and if you notice any of these, a polite chat with nanny might be in order.
1. Let children have too many minor accidents - the nanny is supposed to be your child's carer, repetitive accidents or bruising might lead to the thought that your nanny is careless and not paying enough attention to your children.
2. Your child is scared of the nanny - children have an instinctive ability to sense when something is not quite right. If your child is scared or uncomfortable with your nanny then you need to find out why straight away. Unfortunately there is no beating around the bush on this one, take time off work, postpone trips, whatever it takes to make the time to meet with Nanny.
3. Your children look dirty and uncared for - children who look unclean and uncared for generally have a greater chance of contracting infections or behavioural problems. Nanny needs to make sure their hair is washed, teeth brushed, that they have daily baths, their clothes are clean etc.
4. She takes your children on unexplained excursions and doesn't give a satisfactory answer as to where she has been, and the children seem reluctant to speak of it - if your nanny can't explain where she has been with your children then there is a good chance your children are being exposed to unfavorable conditions.
5. She leaves your children in the car while shopping for groceries - children should never be left alone in the car. Children are naturally inquisitive and will play with horns, hand-brakes, cigarette lighters, or worse, open the door and put themselves in harms way.
6. Your nanny is a liar - you think your nanny is a well balanced person until one day you realize she is lying to you. Her lies turn into an everyday event, and the lies and the truth become a blur. Lying can be a very dangerous matter, especially when children are involved.
7. She uses foul or abusive language around the children - children are impressionable and often parrot phrase their parents or other role model.
8. Your start to distrust your nanny - the trust you have with your nanny is one of the most important aspects of the relationship. Why don't you trust nanny, what needs to be done to make the situation better?
9. Your nanny makes her own rules and procedures and doesn't follow your instructions - some nannies do like to tweak the rules and procedures a little which is fine if the parents agree on it. On the other hand, a nanny who disregards your requirements doesn't respect you and your needs.
10. Your nanny turns up to work late constantly - an unreliable nanny can cause unwanted stress in the home and at work. You're paying nanny to be there and to be reliable. Her job is no different to any other.
These reasons that you and your nanny need to talk have been compiled from discussions with parents based on personal experiences. Most of the time these problems don't occur but when they do it is important to speak with nanny immediately. Neither party wants unpleasantness, and letting the situation continue only puts the parents in a difficult position.
Disciplinary action is the last resort, parents should not simply give warnings for every infraction, and termination of contract is an extreme solution unless all other avenues have been exhausted. We recommend seeking the advice of a parenting group, or lawyer if you're unsure of the action to take.