Important information for you to print out and have at home, for when you have to leave your child with the nanny, babysitter, grandparent or care giver. A full guide to your home and how to care for your child(ren) when you are at work for the day or just out of the house for a few hours, to provide peace of mind for all.
In an emergency, people can get distracted or panic and forget basic info, like your address or other important info. Having everything printed and on the fridge or in plain sight, makes it easily accessible, if needed.
Also, having info like how to use the thermostat, or where the thermometer is kept, is always helpful, so they don't have to try and reach you for every little thing that comes up.
This is just a guide that I used at my home. (edit, add, delete and fill out the below as needed)
Nanny Guide
In an emergency call to 9-1-1, give them the following info:
2. Address:
3. Apartment # (if applicable):
4. BUZZ xxxx to enter building (if applicable):
- Fire extinguisher is located <___________>
- Stairs in case of emergency (if you live in a building with an elevator) <___________>
- Flashlight is located <___________>
- Closest Drugstore is located <___________>
- Medications (baby & adult) are located <___________>
Thermometer is located <___________>. Temporal Artery Thermometer: Hold down as you swipe across the forehead or behind ear for a few seconds, let go to read temperature. 100.4’F and above is a fever, 97’F-100.3’F is normal for infants. Call Mom if there is a fever. Do not give tylenol without calling Mom first.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS:
You can ALWAYS call or text me for anything. My phone will always be on me!
Mom Cell:
Mom Work:
Dad Cell:
- <Grandparent/Other Full Name and Relationship> (ex: Jane Doe, Grandmother/Lindsay's Mom) Cell: <Phone number>
- <Grandparent/Other Full Name and Relationship>: <Phone number>
- <Grandparent/Other Full Name and Relationship> : <Phone number>
- Pediatrician <Name of Dr., Company>: <Phone number>
- (if applicable) Apartment property manager, <Name>: <Phone number>
- Non-Emergency Police, <City>: <Phone number>
- Poison control: 800-222-1222
- Hospital: <Name of Hospital>, <Phone number / address>
ALLERGIES:
<list of allergies if applicable, potential reactions and action plan/what to do>
Call mom if baby gets any allergic reactions:
Allergic reactions usually occur quickly, within minutes, while other reactions to foods may be delayed, even a few hrs later. Look out for:
Minor Rash around the mouth or on the face or body
Stuffy or runny nose with itchy watery eyes
Itching
Vomiting and/or diarrhea
Call 9-1-1 if signs of a severe allergic reaction occur and then call me immediately:
Swollen lips, mouth, tongue or face
Hives that are spreading
difficult/noisy breathing
difficulty swallowing
hoarse voice or cry
repetitive coughing
wheezing
Pale or blue color of the face or lips
Faintness
Floppy/limp
weakness or passing out
NOTES:
Bottle warmer: (instruction manual in bottle cabinet if needed) Take bottle from the fridge, swirl it around and put it in warmer. Heat bottle. Do not remove the bottle until the timer has clicked and is finished. Remove bottle and swirl to mix milk. Test a few drops on your inner wrist, over the sink, to make sure it is not too hot. Keep swirling around to cool milk, if it feels too warm and re test until it is blood temperature, so you can’t feel the heat on your inner wrist. Wipe water on outside of bottle off on towel next to warmer when it’s ready.
Bottle feeding: Put on bib, and hold bottle for her in your arm or lay her on the Boppy lounger <edit this part as needed>.
- Burp if she swallow too much air or seem uncomfortable. Always burp after bottle!
You can try and heat the bottle ~5-10min before she wakes up. If she is up and crying, bring her with you to heat the bottle, milk good for 1hr after heated
Once heated, milk is good for 1 hour and then has to be thrown out. Do not reuse for next feeding
Extra milk in freezer for emergencies/if needed. Run closed bag under warm water to thaw milk. Pour into a clean bottle and warm milk in bottle warmer.
Baby food purees (“solids”)
- Breastmilk is still the #1 source of nutrition, so finishing the bottle is more important than finishing the solids. (milk/food is good for 1hr after it is heated, then throw away any leftovers.)
- Heat food bottle in warmer, stir with her silicone feeding spoon and test temperature on clean finger to lip or hand/wrist. Doesn’t need to be warm, just take the chill off.
Bring food and a damp washcloth over to the highchair for when she is finished.
Buckle her into highchair and push tray towards her until it snaps in place (make sure her legs aren’t trapped and don’t put her in high chair before it’s time to eat)
Put on bib, or have her in just a diaper, for easier cleanup.
Put a tiny bit on tip of spoon in front of her mouth and let her grab the spoon or open her mouth to eat, suck the spoon or chew on it. She likes to grab the spoon with her right hand and put it in her mouth herself, while you hold the end. Don’t ever force spoon into her mouth or force her to finish. It’s ok if she just plays with it in her hands or mouth. It’s ok if she gets cranky and doesn’t want to finish. We just want to make sure it is enjoyable and for practice.
Throw away any leftover- do not put back in the fridge. Wipe her down with a wet washcloth. Use baby foam soap and water by the sink, if needed on her hands/body/face. It is ok to let her get messy.
Wake Time: 2 hours. Wait at least an hour after eating to do tummy time.
current favorites when cranky: _____
Nap routine:
change diaper
put on sleep sack
close shade & turn on the sound machine
lay her down in crib on her back- (Put her down on her back)
say good night, leave room and turn on baby monitor
1hr-2hr naps typically
No blankets, stuffed animals, toys, etc in crib
she can sleep without her sleep sack if it’s wet/dirty- just put on a long footed sleeper (2nd drawer on right) instead for her nap, then you can take it off after, if hot)
If she cries: give her 5 minutes to see if she falls asleep, if she is still crying, go in and (flip her to her back if she is on her stomach), shush her, gently rub her head or chest. Say good night again, walk out. Wait 7-10 mins until you go in and do it again. Repeat until she falls asleep. (She has never cried no more than 15mins total, after you put her down with this method, but normally doesn’t cry at all or only for a minute. She usually does better if you just put her down and let her cry for a minute or two, rather than trying to rock her to sleep, which usually makes her cry more/longer.)
Try and let her lay in her crib if she wakes up earlier than the scheduled time, so she can at least rest or try and go back to sleep or just talk to herself (if she is crying, then you can go get her- usually means she is hungry). Sometimes she wakes up early and squirms around for 10-20mins, then falls back asleep, so if she is not really crying loud, wait and see what she does.
- Don’t wake her from any nap, unless she has been asleep for 2 1/2hrs, (which never happens, so let me know because it may mean she is not feeling well, overheated, etc).
Baby monitor: hold down button on top to turn on/off. Short press button on top to put screen to sleep/turn back on. Use arrows to move camera if needed. Press Menu for everything else. Charge if needed. Camera is in closet on the left side, so keep the closet door open on that side.
Diapers: We just use water wipes, no ointment unless otherwise noted. Blue line on diaper means wet. Her poop should be all yellow like mustard. If there is any color other than yellow, let me know! Put her in the play yard or crib while you wash your hands in the bathroom, after changing her.
Blowouts: if she wets her clothes or has a poop blowout, wipe her down with the water wipes and new clothes are in the top right drawer of her nursery dresser. You can just rinse the soiled clothes in the bathroom sink and spray stain remover (under the sink) on the poop stain and leave it in the hamper behind the door.
Put on fresh clothes- top drawer on right
Spit up: she doesn’t “spit up” milk typically. If she vomits milk or spits up a lot, let me know
Bibs and burp cloths in second drawer on left.
Fresh crib sheet with pink flowers on it, in the bottom left of closet in a plastic bag.
Please no strong perfume/lotion
Bathroom: If she is awake when you need to use the bathroom, you can put her in the play yard next to the changing station, or put her in the stroller and bring her in with you, if you need.
Bandaids, toilet paper, under the sink in the bathroom
AC/heat using the Nest Thermostat: “hey google, turn the temperature down/up 1 degree”, she will say “cooling down/heating up the living room” OR twist the silver ring on the outside of the thermostat left or right. If you want to switch from AC to heat, vice versa, push the thermostat screen in towards the wall, Turn the ring to select an option, Press the ring again to confirm your selection.
Wifi: <name of wifi>, password: <______>
Music: “hey google, play ____ (song name, artist name, genre, etc.)”
TV: we don’t watch tv during her awake times, but feel free during her naps. We also don’t let her have any screen time (tv, phone, computer)
Kitchen: You can put her in the stroller/swing/baby seat, and bring her in there with you, when she is awake. Yellow soap/white scrub brush for baby stuff on the right, blue soap/blue sponge for regular dishes on the left. Extra dish towels above sink. Broom on side of fridge.
Walks: Don’t forget your keys and cell phone. Buckle her in the stroller. Use blanket on top of the stroller to shield her if the sun is in her eyes or too bright, and blanket underneath stroller can go over her legs/feet if needed. hat and sunglasses underneath stroller if needed (more hats in the second drawer on left in her room).
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