First days are rough for any job. If you are a nanny, take that statement and multiply it by a million. Being a nanny is a challenging job. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. I just experienced my first day with my new family and all I can say is, “Wow, that was terrible!”. I know that first days are always rough but how do I know it will get better?

You have to remember that it isn’t like you are coming in to work for a huge company. You are a nanny. You are an essential part in maintaining normalcy in the household when the parents are at work. It is not just YOUR first day… it’s the kid’s first day too. You don’t think they aren’t going to act-out seeing there is a new authority figure in their house? You need to prepare for that kindof stuff. You also need to know what their normal day-to-day schedule is. If you come into the house expecting you can change everything you are surely mistaken. Kids need a transition period too. Don’t make too many changes the first week. Take the first week as a trial period. Figure out what the kids like to do and try to cut out TV as much as possible. I am not a nanny who enjoys watching 8 straight hours of Noggin, sorry. I prefer playing with toys, going to the park, drawing pictures. I don’t even like to have the TV on in the background. I prefer to listen to music. I know that everyone has different ways of being a nanny but I prefer to be active in a child’s life rather than just observe it.

Here are the things you should look to do on your first day with a new family–>

1. Depending on the age of the children (my family is 1 and 4) you need to figure out what time they wake up and go to bed. You need to build a sleeping schedule so the children will nap and go to sleep at night. Don’t let them sleep too long during the day because they will not sleep at night. This is a trial and error process and it took me about a month to figure this out for my last family.

2. Eating habits is a BIG thing. Are your children small, tall, big? You need to know what they like to eat and when they eat. This is a definite thing the parents should tell you before your first day. Ask the family what the kid’s favorite foods are and when they eat.

3. Favorite toys and activities will give you an outlet to start talking to the children. If you are watching babies this doesn’t pertain to you. However, if you are watching children ages 18 mo and up… Talk to them! find out what their favorite toys are and play with the kids. don’t just sit there and watch TV all day! Your day will go so much faster if you just play with the kids. Also, ask them what they like to play outside. If they like soccer… take a soccer ball to the park. It’s as simple as that!

4. Maintaining your sanity is a key component to surviving your first day with your new family. It is very difficult to come into a person’s home and basically become “mommy” for 8hrs out of the day. You need to remember that you are an authority figure and if the kids are out of line you need to call them out on it. Don’t let the kids walk all over you on the first day because then they will never respect you. You can be their friend but you are an authority figure first. You are responsible for these children. A responsibility that should not be take lightly.

5. Knowledge that the first day is going to be rough no matter what. This is the best thing to remember. You need to know that any first day sucks. My luck today the baby was sick with a terrible fever and the boy just wanted to watch Noggin all day. I can’t stand Noggin anymore after today. haha. You need to know that if it doesn’t get any better after a month or so you need to look for a new family.