Living in the unprecedented period of COVID-19 can present new challenges in working with your nanny. We all want to keep our families safe and cared for, and a nanny can be an essential part of that environment. However, making sure that your home is a virus-free space can be difficult when you have multiple individuals in and out of the house. While there are many things to consider in managing home life during a pandemic, it’s essential to view all of your options to ensure that your child can receive all of the care they need in a safe and productive home environment.
Masks in the Home
Depending on your living situation, some families may prefer that their nanny and family members wear masks when interacting. In establishing household mask rules it can be important to consider things such as who will wear masks and in what situations masks will be worn. For example, will only the nanny wear a mask, or will the children and family members wear masks as well? Is a nanny required to wear a mask at all times, or only when in direct contact with the children?
Live-in Nannies
Having a live-in nanny can have the added benefit of giving you peace of mind knowing when members of your household come and go, and what outside environments they may be exposed to. However, it may also be helpful to sit down with your nanny and have a conversation about the measures they are taking to stay safe when they go out, or if there are any specific risks the family should be aware of.
Live-out Nannies
Although we trust our nannies with our children and many other important aspects of our life, having a live-out nanny during a pandemic can still feel stressful. It may also feel harder to control the amount of indirect exposure your family has to other people, as you are not always aware of your nanny’s life outside of their position. However, good communication with your nanny about safe practices can help alleviate some of this stress and ensure that you are both taking the necessary measures to maintain a healthy environment.
Setting Ground Rules
While a nanny may feel like a family member, at the end of the day, they are still an employed individual, and you do not have absolute control over their lives. Instead, start a conversation about ways to assess the risk factors for the health of your nanny and the health of your household, and emphasize the measures that you would like your family to take to stay safe. Similarly, make sure that you take all of your nanny’s concerns into account as well, and try to establish a written list of measures that both you and your nanny agree to.
Overall, there is no proper method of interacting with your nanny during a pandemic, as we are all still learning how to care for our families in this compromised health environment. What is really important is making sure that you openly communicate with your nanny about potential exposures and methods for staying safe and come to a mutual agreement on what is best for your family and your nanny.
AyiConnect is a platform to connect families with helpers who have a language specialty in addition to care. You can engage with them directly through self service or concierge service. Our concierge service can help busy families who don’t have time to search or need language assistance. Schedule a free consultation here for our concierge service, or download our app.