Category: Blog

Ten Things Parents Want In A Babysitter – From Babysitter to Nanny Series – Ep. 2

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Breaking into the nanny world often starts with babysitting, and the sitters who stand out are the ones who understand exactly what parents are hoping to find. Whether you don’t have any childcare experience yet or you’re already working as a sitter, part-time camp counselor, or daycare worker and need guidance on your next steps, knowing what families value most will give you a real advantage.

Once you’ve built a foundation with the basics of babysitting, from training and certifications to finding gigs and setting up easy ways for parents to pay you, the next step is learning how to exceed a family’s expectations. Below, we share the top ten things parents are looking for in a babysitter.

These are the top ten suggestions for what parents want from a sitter, including…

– First Aid/CPR certification

– Meal prep experience

– Activity bins

– Communication with families

….and many other tips that will give you an advantage as you begin to offer your sitter services.

Pro Tip: Send a brief text message a few hours after your sitting gig ends to let the parents know that you appreciate their business and enjoyed your time with their kids. This is a surefire way to get hired by that family again!

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How To Become A Babysitter – From Babysitter to Nanny Series – Ep. 1

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In the last couple of months, we have noticed a huge uptick in the number of people deciding to enter the nanny world. Many of these people are looking to switch careers and do something more rewarding than their current job. Some are daycare employees or camp counselors who are looking to earn a higher hourly rate.

But how do you get started? If you don’t have any childcare experience (or maybe just light experience watching a family member’s child or working part-time at a camp), you will need to get some experience under your belt. We recommend starting out with babysitting, as it lets you gather experience and begin to better explore and understand the sitter/nanny childcare world.

In this guide, we walk you through eight steps to becoming a babysitter, from training through babysitter classes and finding babysitting gigs all the way through setting up a digital business card and online payments to make it easier for parents to pay you.

Pro Tip: Start with pre-school-aged and older children. Most kids these ages are potty-trained (yeah for no diapers!) and can communicate. These age groups are easier to start with.

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Watch This Before Filing Your Taxes! Nanny Tax Breaks (2021 and 2022)

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With the federal tax filing deadline just a few days away, don’t miss out on these money-saving tax breaks if you worked with a nanny in 2021 or are currently with a nanny in 2022!

To help your family save money on your 2021 taxes and understand what changes might affect you for the 2022 tax year, we sat down with Tom Breedlove, Senior Director of Homepay.

Below, we cover:

– Child Tax Credit

– Child Care Tax Credit

– Build Back Better Act

– Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

– Who qualifies for these tax breaks

Did you know you can get a tax break if your kids attend summer camp (i.e. sports, Lego, Minecraft camps)? There are several tax breaks many families don’t realize could help them save money on their 2021 taxes.

If you would like to talk to the HomePay team or sign up for their highly rated payroll services, click here. Sign up today and your first month is FREE!

Nannies – the HomePay team can answer any questions that you have as well.

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How To Part Ways With Your Nanny (My Eight Tips) – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.15

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There may come a time when you have to part ways with your nanny. It may be because your kids are heading to daycare, the contract with your nanny is almost over, or things are just not working out for your family, your nanny, or maybe for both of you!

Parting ways with your nanny can be difficult for everyone. Many nannies and parents experience feelings of anger, frustration, confusion, and disappointment during the process. The kids can sometimes feel that it was their fault.

In this guide, we walk you through how to part ways with your nanny (or with your family if you are a nanny) in a way that helps prevent some of these negative feelings. Below, we share our eight top tips for how to end the relationship, tie up loose ends, and (hopefully) maintain some sort of relationship with your nanny moving forward. Most importantly, never hold back payment from your nanny due to a conflict. It can quickly lead to legal action and paying some seriously large fees to attorneys!

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Annual Review Tutorial for Nannies

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Are you concerned that you aren’t being paid appropriately? Worried that your family isn’t following legal labor standards (i.e. paying overtime)? Are more and more job duties being piled on you by the parents?

If so, it’s time for an Annual Review!

In this guide, we cover why an annual review is important, how to request a review (if your nanny family hasn’t), how to provide and receive feedback, how to discuss job duty “creep” and how to ask for a raise.

Don’t forget that an annual review is important no matter how you are being paid (over the table vs. under the table in cash).

Nannies who use these tips often find that the annual review process becomes much less scary and creates a stronger bond between the parents and themselves. We hope you find these tips useful as well!

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The Annual Review (My Top Seven Tips) – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.14

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Parents – are you sitting down with your nanny on an annual or quarterly basis to compare notes on how the relationship is going?

If not, make sure that you do! One of the keys to a strong, long-lasting relationship with your nanny is communication – what’s working, what’s not working, and what does the future look like for both your family AND your nanny.

Annual reviews are an important part of working with a nanny, and approaching them thoughtfully helps both you and your nanny feel clear and positive about the relationship. Below, we walk you through why annual reviews matter and how best to approach them.

Don’t forget to pay your nanny for the time it takes to conduct the annual review!

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The First Week: 10 Conversations You Need To Have – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.12

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Hiring a nanny is exciting, but the first week sets the tone for everything that follows. There are ten conversations we recommend you have with your newly hired nanny during that first week with your family.

Why have these conversations the first week? Because, if these topics aren’t covered early in the working relationship, they can get weird and awkward.

A good example is “saliva sharing”….are you okay with your nanny sharing a spoon or fork with your child? Or kissing your child? Most parents are not and it can feel a bit awkward to bring it up. That’s why you should discuss it before it gets weird!

Below, we walk you through ten important conversations to have with your nanny during their first week of employment, so everyone starts on the same page.

These are the topics we recommend covering with your nanny during their first week on the job, such as:

  • Food in your home. What can the nanny eat or not eat?
  • Cell phone use. What’s okay and not okay?
  • Meal and rest breaks. How will your nanny handle taking breaks during the day?
  • Inclement weather policy. What happens if there is a snowstorm or flooding?

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How To Handle Problems With Your Nanny – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.13

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Sitting down with your nanny to address a problem can feel awkward and uncomfortable for many parents. If you aren’t sure how to bring up an issue with your nanny, don’t stress—you’re not alone! In this article, we walk you through how to handle problems with your nanny so that both the parent and nanny feel heard and there are no hurt feelings.

A common message we hear from parents is, “I need some advice as I’m not sure how to handle this issue. I’m noticing that….” Handling these situations well starts with a plan, and below we share our five top tips for working through a problem with your nanny.

Below, we discuss the common problems we hear from parents and go over five top tips for handling an issue with your nanny so that both the parent and nanny feel heard and there are no hurt feelings.

Nannies—what tips do you have for other nannies that might be experiencing a problem with their nanny family? We’d love to hear from you.

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Twelve Tips To Be The Best Nanny Employer – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.11

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Being a great nanny employer is one of the most important things you can do to build a strong, lasting relationship with your nanny. In this article, we share our 12 tips to be the best nanny employer, covering everything from pay and guaranteed hours to communication, reimbursements, and showing appreciation.

Whether you’re brand new to employing a nanny or you’ve worked with one for years, these practical tips will help you create a positive working partnership where your nanny feels valued and your family runs smoothly.

Striving to be a great nanny employer goes a long way toward a healthy nanny-family working relationship. Below, we cover our top tips to help your nanny enjoy coming to work every day and to support a smooth working partnership. A few of the highlights include:

– Stay away from “banking” hours but do “guarantee” hours

– Make sure you pay your nanny on time

– Don’t be late to relieve your nanny at the end of the day

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How To Successfully Onboard Your Nanny – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.10

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Bringing a new nanny into your home is an exciting step, and how you welcome them in those first days sets the tone for everything that follows. A thoughtful onboarding process helps your nanny feel supported, prepared, and confident as they begin caring for your family. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to successfully onboard your nanny for a stress-free start to childcare.

Onboarding doesn’t have to be complicated, but a little intention goes a long way. Below, we cover the three areas we recommend focusing on: the house tour, the information binder, and the car and neighborhood tour.

A strong onboarding process is all about helping your new nanny feel supported and prepared as they begin working with your family. Specifically, it should cover:

– House Tour (how the nanny should enter your home, parking, cleaning supplies, WIFI, whether they can have snacks, etc.)

– Information Binder (daily schedule, a copy of the nanny contract, emergency contact info, medical release, child’s routines, allergy considerations, etc.)

– Car/Neighborhood Tour (showing the nanny local parks/activities, asking your nanny to drive to get a sense of their style, etc.)

If you aren’t currently a member of our community, we’d love to have you join. Nannies can join our community totally FREE and our Family/Parent memberships start at only $8.99/month!

Click Here To Join Today!

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