6 Ways To Promote Bonding Between Your Nanny And Your Children

A strong bond between a nanny and a child will provide immeasurable benefits to your child’s well-being that will last for a lifetime. It is important to take a proactive approach and encourage this bond as much as possible.

1. Get Child Excited About Nanny’s Arrival. When transitioning a nanny into your home environment, it is important to not only take the time to express your enthusiasm but to also generate excitement. Get your child involved in the arrival of the nanny. For example, having the child make a ‘welcome to our home’ card allows him or her to feel invested in the nanny’s arrival and can promote excitement.
2. Encourage Outings and Adventures. Encouraging adventures or trips outside the home, like a trip to the zoo or a museum, can be especially memorable for children. These trips often bring up pleasant memories for the child, which in turn, facilitates bonding.
3. Minimize Nanny’s Extra Responsibilities. In order to maximize trust and a healthy relationship between a nanny and a child, it is important that the nanny spends as much quality time with the child as possible. This is only possible if the nanny’s responsibilities, such as cleaning or cooking, are minimal. This is especially important when the nanny is first being integrated into the home.
4. Include Nanny in Milestones. Although some nannies will turn down invitations to birthday parties or graduations, some will want to be present during these special times in a child’s life. To the child, this shows that the nanny is part of the family and cares and is invested in him or her outside of the nanny’s regular scheduled hours.
5. Respect Your Nanny. Children often pick up on any tension that parents might have toward their nanny. Make it a point not to criticize your nanny in front of your child as this will decrease the respect that your child has for him or her (and can ultimately ruin their bond). Ensure that your child is taught to respect your nanny as well. Even better, model warm behaviour in front of the nanny – your child is likely to emulate this.
6. Commit to your Nanny. If a child knows that a nanny is not likely to last long before being replaced, this automatically sets the relationship up for failure because the child will inherently understand that investing time is not worth his or her time. Avoid this at all costs. Afterall, bonding can only occur in time.

If you are in search of an excellent nanny or are looking for additional ways to promote child-nanny bonding, contact our agency today. We have been Canada’s best nanny agency since 1989.