Baby Sitters, Nannies and Your Dog and Baby
We all need a break sometimes…
Taking care of a baby is the most important thing you’ll ever do, and while a baby in your life is exciting and wonderful, it can also be exhausting and frustrating at times. When there’s also a dog in your family, caring for both baby and dog becomes even more challenging.
So when you arrange a break for yourself, who will be caring for your baby? Relatives, friends with whom you trade child care, or a baby sitter? If you work outside your home, your caretaker may be a full-time nanny. So how do you choose the right person for the job, and make sure that she (or he) knows how to keep your baby and dog happy and safe while you’re away?
PATSY AND SUE EVALUATE BABY SITTERS
When Patsy and Sue had their first baby, they both had regular jobs and took their maternity leave one after the other so they would be home with their baby for as long as possible. But when it came time for both of them to return to work, they were faced with finding a nanny for their baby Millie. Since they also had a 50-pound rescue dog, they knew that the nanny would need to be able to manage both Millie and their dog, Jinx.
Concerns: For the most part, Jinx had adjusted well to Millie, but there were two areas that were of special concern to Patsy and Sue: Jinx was very curious about Millie’s feeding time and was persistent about trying to get Millie’s food. Because Jinx tried so hard to get to the food, Patsy and Sue always kept him in another room when they fed Millie.
Their other concern was that when Millie was on the floor, for Tummy Time or other floor play, Jinx wanted to be right next to her, sniffing her and pushing her with his muzzle. Patsy and Sue were nervous about Jinx’s behavior, and they had decided to keep Jinx separated from Millie with a baby gate.
First Step in Finding a Nanny: When they started interviewing prospective nannies, of course they asked prospective nannies how they would care for baby Millie. But they also asked questions about the nanny’s experience with dogs, especially dogs around babies. Whenever possible, they asked open-ended questions so they would get more information than just a simple Yes or No.
Questions Patsy and Sue asked:
What experience have you had with dogs? If you have a dog of your own, where does your dog spend most of his time? In the house or in the yard?
Have you previously worked with families with dogs and babies, and if so, was the dog in the house when you were there? How did you manage the dog around the baby?
What would you do if the dog tried to play with the baby, chased a crawling baby, or barked or growled at the baby?
INTERVIEWING TIPS WHEN YOU HAVE A DOG
When you interview nannies, listen carefully to the answers to your questions. If the nanny or baby sitter says she would correct the dog for behaviors such as barking or growling, telling the dog NO or BAD DOG, look for another sitter. Corrections or punishment can cause the dog to feel threatened and defensive and could cause his behavior to escalate. For more information about how to handle a growling dog around a baby, check out my blog article: My Dog Growled at my Baby!
When you’ve found a sitter or nanny you like, after a preliminary phone interview, it’s time for her to visit your home. Of course, you want to see how she responds to your baby. But don’t forget to pay attention to how she interacts with your dog. While the nanny doesn’t need to love your dog as much as you do, she should have a positive response to him and interact with him in a kind, gentle way.
If the nanny passes with flying colors and you decide to hire her, it’s time to prepare her for your unique situation. Don’t forget to give her specific, detailed information about your dog, about his common behavior around your baby, and how you want her to handle the dog.
PREPARING THE BABY SITTER OR NANNY
Supervision: Be sure to emphasize the importance of supervision whenever dog and baby are near each other. Supervision should be close, alert, focused and constant. For times when the nanny can’t be right there supervising, let her know how you keep things safe when you can’t monitor your dog around your baby. Read more about it in this blog article: Supervision.
An important rule should be that dog and baby are never left alone together, even for a minute; if the nanny needs to leave the room, she should take at least one of them with her.
When that’s not possible, or when the nanny is busy, perhaps preparing the baby’s food, barriers such as baby gates are a great option. Many others are spelled out in the article on Supervision.
Understanding Dog Behavior: It’s also helpful if the sitter has some understanding of dog body language, so she can quickly recognize nervousness in your dog. Available on Amazon, a small book called On Talking Terms with Dogs will be a great help to you and to the sitter or nanny, so if you don’t already have it, I highly recommend getting it.
If you’ve been working with a dog trainer, including the new nanny in a dog training lesson can be a great help. The trainer can show your nanny what to watch for and give her valuable tips about the dog.
Written instructions: Providing written instructions for your baby sitter or nanny is a must! No one should be expected to remember a long list of do’s and don’ts, especially when busy watching a baby and dog. A list of important rules can make the sitter’s job easier, reduce confusion, and support safety for both dog and baby.
Patsy and Sue wrote a complete list for their new nanny. In addition to giving her general instructions, such as details about supervision, they also included information about how to handle Jinx during Millie’s feeding time and Tummy Time on the floor. That way she could follow what the parents had been doing, and Jinx would continue with a familiar routine.
Open Communication: They also encouraged their new nanny to let them know about any questions they had, and to inform them right away if problems arose. Open communication between caretaker and parents is an important part of keeping life with a nanny or baby sitter running smoothly and safely so that everyone involved can relax, knowing there won’t be any upsetting surprises.
WHAT SPECIAL CONCERNS DO YOU HAVE?
It’s common these days for parents to arrange for others to care for their babies, sometimes on special occasions such as a date night out, or full time when parents are working outside the home. Whether you use a relative, nanny or babysitter or other special help, it’s always important to let the helper know how to handle your dog around your baby. If you have any special concerns about your dog, be sure to tell the caretaker how to manage those times.
Want some extra help in predicting how your dog will react to your baby? Get one or more of my FREE Checklists. They will help you know more about your dog, and you can have them today!