Having a nanny when you work from home might sound like the dream. Your child is close by, you skip the commute, and you can sneak in a hug (or maybe a nursing session) between meetings. The reality is a little less rosy than what you imagine. Many parents who work from home struggle with blurred boundaries to unexpected interruptions.
The good news is that working from home with a nanny is totally doable, provided you have a realistic game plan that you and your nanny agree on, which is based on clear communication and trust. Whether you’re a newly remote parent or looking for tips for working from home with kids (and a nanny), this guide will walk you through how to create a respectful, productive dynamic for everyone involved: your nanny, your child, and you.
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Tips for Working From Home with Kids and a Nanny
1. Create a routine
Routines are safe and reliable, and children thrive on them. Nannying when parents are home can be a challenging task, especially when there are no set expectations or guardrails in place. But creating a consistent routine is really helpful and will help everyone succeed. Often, parents already have routines with their children like specific times they get up each morning and eat breakfast, take their naps, eat lunch and more. They may play outside in the morning and read books in the afternoon.
Parents and nannies should work together to create a routine that works best for everyone. The best place to start is to piggyback off of the routine the family already has in place and then go from there. As the parent, if you always take calls at a certain time in the day and need peace and quiet, consider having your nanny take the kids outside, to the library, or to a playdate at that time each day.
Including certain times in the routine to see your children each day is a good idea, too. This way, everyone knows what to expect.
Related: 11 Standard Nanny Benefits You Didn’t Know
2. Set boundaries and establish guidelines
As a work-from-home parent, it’s easy for the lines to get blurred on responsibilities and boundaries. For instance, is your child is having a tough time and you hear it from the other room, do you think it might be easier for you to intervene. Or, you know it’s lunchtime—do you as the parent pop in to have lunch with your child and nanny? The reality is that the right answer to these scenarios depends on each family and the boundaries you and your nanny set when you’re working from home.
Nannying when parents are home is a difficult task when parents don’t respect the guidelines in place. There must be clear guidelines defining what’s expected of the parents and the nanny. As a work-from-home parent ask yourself:
Do you need quiet to do your job?
Do you have set hours each day?
Do you need the kids to stay out of your office?
Do you want the kids running to you every time they get hurt or to show you their newest creation?
Your preferences must be clearly outlined.
As a nanny, there must be boundaries, as well. In order to do their job effectively, your nanny has to know you’re not going to pop in unexpectedly every few minutes. While some children are excited to see their parents, others may have a meltdown every time they see you and then have to say goodbye again. This interrupts the flow of the day and makes your nanny’s job much harder.
Your nanny must know what to expect from you.
Do they need to keep the kids in a certain part of the house?
Will they receive a text from you before you come to see the kids?
Should they text you if a child is inconsolable?
Are you going to join them for lunch each day?
Guidelines that work for the parents and nanny must be discussed beforehand. It’s also a good idea to include them in a work agreement with periodic check-ins to see if this boundaries are working or if they need to be adapted.
If in the hiring phase for a nanny, you should discuss what’s expected during the interview. Some nannies may not be comfortable in a situation with work-from-home parents.
Related: Nanny Responsibilities: A Comprehensive Overview for Parents
3. Designate a working area
Nannying when parents are home goes a lot smoother when parents work in a designated, private area, ideally, with a door that closes.
Imagine working at the kitchen table while your nanny tends to your children. You’re trying to focus and your kids are being noisy. Your nanny feels the stress of trying to keep them quiet, and feels pressure to come up with all sorts of activities to keep them occupied and out of your way.
It’s even worse if you’re working from home with a baby. Every time they see you, they cry and reach for you. Your nanny has to console them over and over again, and try to keep them distracted and away from you.
Can you see how difficult this scenario is for your nanny?
Having a private space for your work is imperative for everyone involved. If you don’t have an office space in your home, maybe you can work in a bedroom or the basement. Wherever your “office” is, make sure it’s a place where the door can be shut and your children don’t have free access to it.
4. Trust and respect your nanny to do their job
As a work-from-home parent, you end up hearing everything happening in your home. You hear if your child isn’t listening, if they fall and get hurt, or if your kids are fighting and won’t calm down. It’s tempting to want to intervene.
Yet, you’ve hired a nanny for a reason. And as a professional, your nanny knows how to do their job. They can handle any of the above scenarios. When you choose to intervene, you’re undermining the authority you’ve given to your nanny. You aren’t allowing them to perform the duties you’ve hired them for.
Not only is this disrespectful and frustrating for your nanny, but it’s also doing a disservice to your children. Every time you step in, your kids see that your nanny isn’t an authority. It also makes it harder for your nanny to bond with your children.
Even though you hear your baby fall and bump their head, resist the urge to run and comfort them. If you don’t allow your nanny to console them, they won’t ever form the bond with your nanny that is imperative to a successful working relationship.
Respect your nanny’s role and trust them to do the job they’ve been hired to do. You’ll avoid putting extra stress and frustration on your nanny, and they will appreciate you holding to this boundary.
5. Communicate consistently
Parents and nannies need to be in consistent communication about how things are going. Nannies need the opportunity to discuss what may not be working, and parents need the chance to calm any fears or anxiety.
Nannies and parents can make a plan to meet weekly or monthly to discuss the arrangement. During this chat, your nanny may need to address the number of times you’re popping in unannounced. You might need to mention how noisy the kids are during your work day.
Your nanny needs to feel like they can come to you about anything. They need to know that if there’s an issue, you’re open to hearing about it.
Related: Nanny Contracts: Everything You Need to Know
Having a Nanny When You Work From Home: Doable with a Plan
Nannying when parents are home can be a tough job. And trying to work from home with kids can be a feat. But when parents and nannies work together to create a smooth, consistent routine with open communication, it’s beneficial for everyone and can lead to a long-lasting partnership.
Are you actively hiring, but struggling to find quality candidates? Our Job Advertisement Service will help you tap into our extensive network of experienced candidates to find support that fits your needs. List your job with us today.
