Nanny Log

I want to do a Nanny Log / chart / anal checklist sheet thingy for Rose and Beauty to complete for when I go back to work.  Something I can use so that when I come home from work I can see at a glance what kind of day they had, how much they ate, what they did, how many spankings they got, any cuss words they said etc.  And that’s just for Beauty and Rose.

Only joking.

But seriously, do any of you have a Nanny Log I can copy or at least get ideas from?  What should I include in the Log?

Here is a (bad) picture of what I have done so far.  It looks better in Word but I can’t do the copy and paste thing properly.  Which is really improving my mood, as you can well imagine.  Oh, how I love life at the moment.

Comments

[Val]

So far your chart looks good. I would add a line for diaper changes. You'll want to know what time they were changed and if it was W or BM.

[Rayne of Terror]

How anal are you? I would only include diapers for days they are not feeling well or something unusual is going on in the nappies.

[Miss W]

Honestly, while you do want to know when major milestones are hit...do you really want to know that they took their first steps with the nannies days before you see them do it?

My mom cared for my brother's son from the time he was about 6 weeks old (or whenever SIL went back to work--I know it was rather quick). They gave my mom a baby book to put all that information in that they DID NOT want to see. Then, they had their own at home. This way, they got the excitement of being there for his "firsts" but had documentation of them later on to know when they definitely happened.

However, you may not want to do that if you are experiencing any developmental delays so that when you go to the ped's you know for sure...I guess that sort of depends on your own stability.

For me, I'd just want to know when they did *not* do something they should have (ex.: should have taken 3 bottles, would only take 2; did not have a BM all day; etc.). Things that should happen would not require a special note for me if they are happening. Just me.

[ann]

when my oldest was a babe and we had a nanny, we kept a notebook (spiral bound) w/the date at the top of the page. she/we would write the time, amount eaten /type of diaper change / length of nap. we also wrote in it to lessen the "nanny vs. parents" mentality. the notebook made it easier to track and now, 6 years later, it's still fun to look back on.
:)

[Ally]

Medications given and I'd just track bm's at this stage.

[Jessica]

My mother was always interested in the contents of my diapers. My nanny obliged. I saw one of those, er, journals once. Gross. But it did make her feel better to know absolutely everything/

[elizabeth]

Keeping track of diaper (nappy?) changes is useful when starting new foods; diaper rash can be a sign of an intolerance. A friend of mine did hers in a simple day planner/appointment book from an office supply store. Rather than listing foods, naps, etc. the caregiver just made brief notes in the blocked out time squares when something happened. It was easier for her to do and easier for my friend to skim quickly when she got home. In the beginning you will surely want a very detailed account; once you are all settled into a routine you may only want to know about deviations from "normal."

Unsolicited assvice: You may want to consider a dry run of your morning routine one day before Tuesday. I was nearly late to my first day back to work because it was much harder to get out of the house than it used be!

[RainbowW]

my kids sometimes suffer from constipation, my older son especially. i never thought i'd be so wrapped up in anybody elses bowel movements. "did he poop today?" my god.

[Cory]

RainbowW, I am laughing at your comment, because I too am one who is obsessed with my son's butt. Or rather, what comes out of it! Keeping track of their digestive activities can be a full-time job in itself!

And Tertia, wanting to know what your kids do all day isn't being anal, it's being a GOOD MOM! Have Rose and Beauty detail anything you want them to, and they will happily do it, I'm sure. And it'll make you feel that much better, esp. in the beginning.

I'll be thinking of you...going back to work ripped my heart out, it was so difficult. I wish you the best.

[Em]

Because I am just that anal with my kids, I would want hour columns so I could see how long they slept and when they woke up, what time of day they were fussy, when the last BM was down to the hour (only important I guess if they are having trouble there), maybe what time they did certain activities so that I don't put them in the swings as soon as I got home if they had just spent 1/2 hour in them.

Good Luck!

[bj]

It's not at all anal to want to know what happened during the day. We used (for our nanny, who was also my daughter's aunt) a whiteboard (one of those eraseable boards) and she would jot down the info on that board.

bj

[MomSquared]

Our nanny keeps a log that looks like this:

Baby's name
Woke up at 8:10
Changed diaper at 8:15 (BM)
8 ounces at 8:45
nap 10-10:45
Etc.

She will also make a note (orally) if she notices them acting differently (like they might be sick).

If you trust Beauty and Rose to play with the babies (rather than just ignoring them) then I wouldn't make them write down the activities they do with the babies.
Wouldn't you rather they spend time with the babies than spending time writing stuff down?
I personally want my nanny to feel respected and like she is "the boss" when I am gone. If I didn't trust her to do right with the babies, I wouldn't have hired her.
Just my humble opinion!
Good luck!

[Gina]

What you have looks good, but I would also add diapers. I am a nanny to a 14 month old and a 3 year old and I use a similar one to what you have, you can email me if you'd like a copy all filled in. I think tracking down all the little details is the best way to do it, because when things do go wrong (diaper rash, cranky, etc) it's easier to spot the cause. And it can be very comforting to see what happened at what time every day. Let me know if you think you need anything, or a nanny's point of view. ; )

[Momsquared again]

As far as milestones - I have found that our nanny is as excited about them as we are. She never forgets to tell us.
And you will not forget how old your babies were when they rolled over/sat/etc.

[Judy]

I watched several kids from my home for a while, and I kept a notebook for each child...a journal of sorts. During naptime, I would write down our activities from the day - what they ate, diapers, etc. The parents were always grateful for this info - don't feed Johnny chicken nuggets for dinner because he had them for lunch!

I think your chart is looking great!

[sweetisu]

I have a logsheet that we are still using, even though now that I'm staying home with him. It lets me know in a glance what went on - how much food, naps, poops, etc. It's very helpful. And especially so when others are caring for your child/ren, so you don't have to ask them the same damn questions everyday.

I don't do the activities/milestone thing. That I do in a separate format, like a website. :-)

I'll send the logsheet to you later when I'm on the other computer, if you'd like.

[Tracey Dixon]

I think a log is a great idea - what a neat thing for Adam and Kate to see someday.

Just make sure that the nannies are spending more time with the babes than they are spending filling out papers... and make sure that if you truly trust them, that they feel trusted with your babies. That's the most important thing, I think!

[Stefanie]

I agree with noting the diaper changes. My daycare does changes every 2 hours and documents what was in the diaper.

[Katie]

Do you ever read Trixie Update (www.trixieupdate.com)? Ben's "Trixie Tracker" seems perfect! At first I thought it was ridiculously anal and weird, but know I think it's a fantastic invention. You should check it out. I don't know if he's released it yet (see http://www.trixietracker.com/), but it looks awesome.

[j]

I never had a chart. I just had a notebook, and my nanny would write down when and how long my son napped, what he ate (solid food, not bottles), and whatever she thought was noteworthy. It was more like a little journal that way, and I still have it. It is fun to look at. When he was older, she would write down if they went to the park, or had a playdate, or went to the museum. After a while, we stopped using the notebook. We just got more comfortable chatting in the morning and the evening about the day. And my son could tell me what went on, too.

I wouldn't make it too onerous. Does it really matter how many diapers they have, or what kind? Unless something unusual happens in that department. When we had the girls, since they were preemies, and because sometimes we forgot who we fed last, etc. we tried using a chart to try and keep track of how much they ate, and poops, naps, etc. But it gets hard to keep track of after a while. Once they were big enough, and I wasn't so worried about exactly how many ounces they had eaten, we stopped being so detailed. Now, I just get an oral report when I get home. How much the kids napped, did they eat well, did they have a good day, who hit who, and were there any serious injuries, or just the usual.

[Melanie]

For both of my children, the daycare we go to does a daily sheet with meals/bottles, naps, etc. There is a separate diaper page on the wall we can check, they note if they are wet or poopy, and if they have an odd day, lots of bms, they will note it on the daily sheet.

The thing I really like is that if they did anything different, or cute, or funny, they put that on the sheet. I have some saved from when they were little with silly things like "watched rain falling in window, tried to catch it with fingers", or "Played with dishpan of water today - Loved it! (notice complete change of clothes.)" It made me feel like even if I couldn't be with them all day, I had a glimpse into their days.

I also leave a disposable camera at the daycare about every other month and ask that they take pictures of my children. It has given me peace of mind to see that they are happy and playing and having fun, or sleeping on one of the teachers, or rubbing peas in their hair!

[Kel]

Agreed with everyone else about the nappies (and contents), it just helps to know as you take over when you get home what's up (or out as the case might be..."Of course he/she's cranky, she hasn't pooped in two days...).

Let both Beauty and Rose know you are asking them to do this so you can be calm and let them do their jobs. I like the camera idea too.

I know how hard these next few days are going to be for you, hang in there. Remember the "ladies room" at work is not just for peeing, its for crying too. We are all sending you good thoughts.

Kel

[Aitch]

Awesome idea, same things they do normally at a day care, all very important things.

I am starting to get real sad because I have been missing out on the little things my baby does while I am away at work, like her teeth coming in, her first ride on a swing, her first feeling of grass on her feet. Working sucks but we have to do it! DAMN!

[Carolyn]

Our in-home day care provider (in her home, not ours) does sheets just for the infants.

She has them pre-printed up and three-ring binder punched. When she did this for our (now 4yr. old) daughter years ago, we saved a bunch of them in her baby book. Y'know, when there was a funny comment or something notable about the day.
The pre-printed sheets say:

Meals:

Diapers:

Naps:

Today I was:

I get things like this each day:

Meals:
peaches + rice cereal 8am
peas w/ rice crackers 11:30
4 oz 10am
6 oz noon
2.5 oz. 3:30pm

Diapers:
messy* 8:45
wet noon
wet 2:45
wet 4pm

Naps:
7 to 8:15
12:30 to 2
3:45 to ...

Today I was: mostly happy. I loved jumping in the Jumperoo best of all! I crawled over to Savannah and "kissed" her all by myself!

Note: Had Tylenol for teething just before 12:30pm nap.
____________________

Then, if she needs to remind us to bring diapers or she's running low on Baby Tylenol, she'll jot it down there. Usually when we pick up, she'll end up telling us most of what is on the sheet.. but it's nice to be able to go back and see what time they had their BM or the last time they had a dose of Tylenol.

*Our day care provider likes to say "Messy" diaper instead of BM. I think it's funny she doesn't say poopy or poop or BM.

[LizM]

I really think it is a good idea. When I had to start bring Riley to daycare I wanted to know what kind of day he had. It made me feel more involved. It also helped to know what to expect when I brought him home after work.
Generally they write:
nap times and how long
diaper change time and W or BM
food times and what and how much
general info on what he did (i.e. exersaucer, walk outside, bouncy chair, floor time etc.)
It helps me so that I know what he might want to eat or do once I get him home. Plus, I like to know about his diapers so I can be prepared for any major messes.
I understand that it's not that you don't trust Rose or Beauty to play with your kids but as their mom you want to know what they did that day. I always makes me feel better to get a little report.
You can also use the logs to give Rose and Beauty info on things the kids may need such as medicine.
It's wonderful how much thought you've put into the impact of going back to work. I know exactly how you feel.

[Heather]

As someone who has nannied, I would suggest doing exactly what you feel comfortable with. When I nannied for twins, their schedule varied in the beginning, while they were getting used to momma being going.

An example of our chart:
Baby A:
Woke up @
Diaper (BM or W) @
Took 6 oz @
Had tummy time, sat in swing, took a bath,

and so on, and went on and on. I agree with someon else's suggestion--You will want Rose and Beauty to put down when the babies were in the swing, ect..Because you aren't going to want to put them in there, if they have just recently been in there! Keeping a chart of the diapers, feedings, ect, really is the best way to go. That way, if the babes are fussy when you get home, you'll know if it's a.) a dirty diaper, b.) they are hungry or c.) they just feel like being fussy, or if they've felt bad, or had a different feeding/diaper pattern all day, kwim?

I hope this helps, I might have copies of my schedules with the girls, if you'd like me to email them to you, I'd be more than happy to!

[Gigi]

Being from a third world country myself, my opinion is slightly different. If nannies in my country and yours are similar, they're not really nannies at all, I mean they have no formal education whatsoever. They usually started out as maids and were promoted to nannies at some point in the past, most didn't even graduated high school and those who did received a much lower quality education than we did. If any of that rings true, I would make the Log more like a checklist so it's easier to fill and leave a space open for comments if they need to add anything special for a day. Hope this helps.

[groovyjen]

I would suggest time on the left (or x axis) by hours. At the top or bottom (or y axis) put your different categories, diapers, food, naps, activities. Then Rose and/or Beauty can just fill in the appropriate thing during the time it takes place. My daycare does this and it is helpful.

The going back to work thing probably won't be as hard as you think. It will be hard, don't get me wrong, but you'll make it. Pack tissues, and no mascara the first day! Call home a lot and just take it easy. Is your work letting you ease back in? I worked partial days for about a week and a half before ramping up to 40 hours. It really helped my transition. Good luck!

[MollieBee]

We called ours the "poop log". I still have the little notebook in her keepsake box so I can embarass her later.

[andrea]

My kids get a creche (daycare) log. It has nappy changes, sleep, feeds solids and comments on it. It is a good idea so I know what they've been up to all day.

[Brandy]

Here is a sample Nanny Log:

http://www.nannynetwork.com/forms/Nanny%20Log.pdf

I believe it includes everything everyone has said!

[Mete]

Everyone else has great comments!

My favorites are the nap times (was it the usual, 1-3, or only 1-2?), whether or not they ... pooped, and what they had at each meal, once they are on solids. Nothing like feeding a baby the same food twice in the same day because you didn't know they already had it for breakfast / lunch!

[Debi]

been diagnosed with a new illness so I was only able to read a few postings. I am going to say with total conviction as far as I am concerned, if it were me, I would make more room so they don't "not" add stuff due to space. Let them keep track of everything that way when your home and your wee ones do something totally abnormal to you, if its in the nanny book for a week or so that it isn't really abnormal just something you haven't witnessed. And if you do record everything, I am sure more than one person would love to get their hands on that. It would be wonderful if you eventually share it with the world. Ok. Hope this made sense. And enjoy the nanny log, I know it will make you feel better.

[Joie]

I was going to recommend the trixietracker, but I saw Katie beat me to it. So, I will second that. Check it out.

[Sue]

I asked Ryan's daycare providers (combo of in-home carer at her house and my mum at our house) to jot down notes in an A4 diary each day - it really did make me feel better and it helped immensely when trying to figure out Ryan's mood that evening! I love reading back on those notes now. I think if you cover the basics (nappy changes, contents of same!, feeds, sleeps, activities, any meds given etc) you should be fine. A little later on we specifically asked our care providers NOT to tell us if Ryan crawled or later walked for the first time. Definitely 'head in the sand' stuff but we will always maintain he walked for the first time at home on the weekend! I absolutely didn't want to know if he'd walked for the first time when I wasn't around.
I'll be thinking of you as you head back to work, I can empathise having gone back to full-time work when R was 5 months old. You will find yourselves in a finely tuned routine in no time. Good luck!

[Jennifer]

If it were me, I'd prefer the log to be more like one of those calendar pages with the times listed down the side of the page. You know the ones that start at 7:00am, then have either 15 minute, 30 minute, or one hour increments down the side.

That way when you get home, you can easily glance at it to see how their day was overall. If you list all the bottles in one spot, you can add up how many ounces they ate, which is helpful to a degree, but I'd rather see how they were spaced out during the day with the number of ounces beside each feeding myself.

Naps are the same way. I'd rather see it in relation to time, like 8am: 6oz bottle
8:30am BM/wet (good to know)
9:00am playtime (not sure how specific I'd want them to be?)
9:30am Naptime (went down great, fussy, whatever)
11:00am: 5oz bottle

Etc etc etc throughout the day.

Then have a spot at the bottom for general comments, things you might need to pick up at the store (formula, diapers, food items), special things they did that don't normally occur.

I would also split it up for each baby, so each nanny could jot down things throughout the day on the baby they are caring for without having to wait for the other one to write her stuff. Plus it'll be cool to keep some of these sheets for when they are older. And I like the pink/blue thing so they'll know at a glance if they're writing on the correct sheet.

[Anna_marie]

our daughter has a notebook at her childminder too. Apart from feedings, naptimes, poops are included as well. And littel notes about what she did during the day.

It's a MUST have - some comments above question the time that is put into it. I jsut look at it like this: if I have to ask my childminder all those questions every day (when did she eat and what, when did she nap, how were her diapers, and did she enjoy herself) - it would take ten minutes as well. With this notebook, I don't HAVE to talk about those things with my childminder, but we can have small talk about the silly things my daughter did instead - which is lovely when you HAVE to work and are missing out on every day growing of your baby.
I love the suggestion posted above of trying a morning routine before going to work first time.
You know what, going to work isn't too bad. You'll be ok.

[Christine]

There's a book called "Taking Care of Baby" that is exactly what you've described. I think it will be a great keepsake as they get older, too! GL!

[Liz]

I get something like this every day from daycare:

8- Wet
9- 7 oz
10-
11- BM
12- Lunch (chicken strips, brocolli), cup
1- Wet
2- Sleep
3- Sleep Wet
4-
5- 5 oz Dry

Chloe had a good day. She liked looking at books. Cough seems better.

-----
I really like the format by time, it gives me a good reference for when she should be sleepy, hungry, etc.

[Jody]

Tertia,

I'm sure you've gotten tons of great ideas on charting. Good on you for thinking of non food/diaper related stuff--we charted the babies for the first six/nine months (got more and more slack, and then ditched it in early September) and I wish we'd done more than fluid volume and diaper changes. Putting the time on one axis and the events across the top, with a separate page for each baby, would probably be most practical, but who knows. We had time down the vertical axis, three names across the top, and a series of abbreviations for use in the boxes.

One idea on milestones: at both my aunts' childcare facilities, if a child hit a major milestone, it was de rigeur to say something like, "From what we're seeing, you'll probably notice Adam rolling over this weekend!" Or, "wow, Kate is really working hard at that crawling thing: bet you see it any day now." And yes, the parents were aware of the subterfuge, but it still helped a lot of them not feel like they were "missing things."

For the record, almost all my milestone entries were on the order of "in the last ten days, Elba has started walking." Yes, there was a day when she took her first step--but that was far, far less of a big deal than the week when she was suddenly toddling all over the place. So I'm not convinced that the whole "I missed the first" thing will register as much as it might seem.

[dawna]

My mom keeps my son, she doesn't follow my rules or anything, but I don't mind, as I'm not very anal. Grandmothers are for baby spoiling of course, and since I did not have good grandchild spoiling grandmothers, I will not interfere with that. As far as it goes, I simply ask my mom if he pooped, the last time he ate and his general demeaner day to day. I'm really not that worried, and as wonderful as your nannies seem to be, you shouldn't worry so much either. Believe me, thinking about going back to work is sooo much harder than the doing. I felt great having my work break with no babies around. As much as we love our children, we don't realize how much we need/want that break until we get it. Oh and the first few days are the hardest, after that it's pretty easy and you'll have many nights where you are thinking "I can't wait till I leave for work and don't have to hear any crying for a few hours". Enjoy as best you can, and let your nannies do their thing and worry about the babies and not the logs, it will interfere with the care, in my opinion, to be constantly thinking about what needs to be logged and such.

[Ali]

My daycare uses a sheet like you are describing. Just a grid for diaper changes whether wet or bm (lots of bm for my kid) and times of feeding and how many ozs and they also write down nap times from sleep to wake. It really helps me out when I get home to see when the youngster last ate and how well he napped for the day. They also make notes of outside time or music class, etc.

Hugs

[21stCenturyMom]

My how times have changed. It never occurred to me to keep a log of every little thing my kids did. I expected to be told of any problems but that was it. I wouldn't have spent 10 minutes reading through what happened when I wasn't there - I was too busy connecting and enjoying what was happening when I was there. I didn't feel like I needed a log to tell me if something was 'off'. It isn't like the baby became a total stranger in the 8 -10 hours I was away from home.

My only regret is that I didn't take better notes on the cute and funny things they did. I always had a calendar with big open squares for each day and if the baby/kid did something special I'd jot a note. I actually don't remember how old they were or what was happening for any of the milestones but just a couple of words on a calendar will remind me not only of the milestone but of everything about the day - the weather, the way the air smelled, the expression on my baby's face, the feeling in my stomach, who was there - everything.

Also - the first time YOU see them take a step and first time YOU hear them say a word is the only first time that counts. I assure you that if they do it during the day when you aren't there they will do it again while you are home so you will know if they have hit their milestone on the correct developmental schedule. I didn't want to know if my baby took his or her first anything if I wasn't the one bearing witness.

I don't mean to be a naysayer. I just thought I'd offer the perspective of someone who has raised kids to adulthood, working the whole time, who did not have anyone take notes and does not regret it.

Lastly - those babies are so adorable. Adam is the spitting image of his Daddy. Keep those pictures coming!

[Kristine]

Listen, I can tell you're pretty organized and concerned about your children, but this is um, a little over the top.

Maybe a note pad in the kitchen where they mark down how much formula? Even that's kind of unnecessary if you're feeding on demand (you may not be, yet), because believe me (and you know this) a kid will let you know it's hungry, so you feed it. You don't say "you drank 8 ounces at 12:34 p.m., you aren't supposed to be hungry."

Maybe a conversation when you get home to ask what kind of a day it's been?

Here's the evolution I wish for you: I wish you could move from the infertile Tertia with all its heartbreak to the pregnant Tertia with all its struggles and worries to the mom-with-premature newborns who was frightened and unsure to the confident mom you are now to the confident mom who goes back to work and checks on her kids but doesn't worry, worry, worry about them and who comes home and reads stories and gives baths and snuggles in bed with the babies.
And to a mom who has SO MUCH FUN with her babies and doesn't have to worry any more than is absolutely positively necessary. I know know know that you have been thinking, rethinking and overthinking things for so long that it's a habit. But it's one worth breaking, in my experience.

I made the transition through those stages nearly 14 years ago (he'll be 15 in September) and it was HARD. But boy it was so wonderful when I almost took being mom for granted. (I don't don't don't do that, but I took being a mom as one of the roles I play with certainty, and I don't worry obsessively any more.)

You're on my mind as you prepare to go back to work. None of the above is meant as a criticism, jut a wish for you.

Kristine

[Lisa C.]

Oh man, this whole schedule thing brings back a bad memory from a previous job I had.

I was a switch technician for a paging company and one of our jobs was to verify that a system called Genesis was working properly. We had to check it every 2 hours, and then make a note in the Genesis log, "The Genesis paging system is working properly." Yes, there was a log, just for this, that stated 12 times in a given day the exact. same. thing. "The Genesis system is working properly." I'll never forget staring a sea of the same statement, and commenting to my coworker, "I have an idea, why don't we just make an entry that Genesis is NOT working when that happens. This is stupid." Management didn't like that idea. They wanted their 2 hour check and their little comment.

So also in parenting, I guess you have your switch techs (me), and your management: some people only want to know when something goes bad, others want constant reassurance that everything is going fine.

My sister is our nanny, and so we just chat on the phone once a day. She also calls me if something bad happens. Otherwise, I don't worry.

[Tessa]

Sydney's daycare provides me with a log each day. It has what times her diaper was changed, whether it was wet or dirty. There is even a line for them to circle consistency, but they rarely do unless she is constipated or has diarrhea.
It tells me what she had for breakfast and lunch, and whether she ate all, most, some, hardly any. It tells me what times she had a bottle, and how many oz she took.
It tells me her general mood that day, whether she was fussy, happy, etc.
Also, there's a line for what supplies she needs, and one for meds. She's on Zantac, so they note that daily, but they also note if they used any Desitin, or Tylenol, etc. It's enough information for me.

My day care doesn't tell the Mom's about steps, rolling over, etc unless they mention it first or specifically ask. I would have died if they told me she rolled over at day care before I had seen her do it at home.

[caitlin]

My mom just had a dayplanner with big lined pages to write on, she and our nanny had an ongoing dialogue with each other. It made my mum feel good to read something special or to know if we were feeling sick, and it didn't make my nanny feel like it was a chore to fill every space out properly. If she thought it was important, she jotted it down. It's such a nice memory to see their conversations with each other like this, rather than a mass of hastily filled out forms. But, I definitely think that the forms have their advantages for the sake of organization with two babies.

[Stefanie]

I am a nanny and have a nanny log I can send you if you are still looking for one. Just email me if you'd like it

[Kristie]

4nannies.com offers a template for a nanny log you should check it out!

[Mandy the Nanny]

I'm a nanny for three children...
A log/daily sheet is a great way to keep track of what my kiddos eat/do/medicine/naps/ect. I sometimes feel like I'm being repetitive because we've (kids and I) grooved into a routine. Such as reading everyday close to the same times, spending time outside or going on an outing.

I think there are perks to the daily log but only for so long, when the baby is off bottles, I think talking about the day and how it went orally works best.
Mandynannyforyou@ yahoo.com

email me if you'd like

-Mandy