Your kids are counting the days until school lets out. Meanwhile, you’re counting the days you have left to figure out what you’re going to do with them this summer.<\/p>
Day camps are a popular option, but they can be pricey and the best ones fill up fast. Besides, they may not offer the personal attention parents want for their kids. Parents nostalgic for long summer days spent melting crayons on sidewalks and chasing butterflies may want to consider hiring a summer nanny instead.<\/p>
Once you find a summer nanny, it’s time to get ready for their first day. “Even if the parent wants the nanny to do the scheduling, they’re still responsible for letting them know what they’d like the kids to do,” stresses Victoria Brown, a former nanny who is now the mom of two young children and the author of “Grace in the City<\/a>,” a novel about a New York City nanny.<\/p> Here’s what families should get together for their nanny before they start.<\/p> Talk about how your nanny should organize the day, but also give your nanny<\/a> freedom to have lazy summer days with the kids, too. “Every minute doesn’t have to be filled with a challenge or an activity,” says Brown.<\/p> Somer Sherwood, writer and former parenting editor for xoJane.com, agrees. “I’ve signed my 9-year-old son up for all kinds of activity-based day camps over the years, but I think the best experience a child can have is running around outdoors. I look for a summer babysitting option that includes ample time just poking things with sticks.”<\/p> What are acceptable summer activities and outings? What would you prefer your nanny not to do with your kids? Make lists of each, so everyone is on the same page. Be inspired by this list of 101 fun things to do with kids this summer<\/a>.<\/p> “You want your kids to go to the pool, but the nanny can’t swim? First day on the job is not the best time to find this out,” reminds Brown.<\/p> Encourage your nanny<\/a> to get friendly with the parents or caregivers of your children’s friends over the summer. Help them schedule playdates for your kids with their friends. “Summer activities are much more fun when done in groups, I think,” says Brown.<\/p> Sunscreen, sand pails, swimsuits, goggles — don’t make your nanny scramble to find these essentials. Have them out and clearly marked.<\/p> House rules around things like naptime, screen time and snacks sometimes ease up during the summer. Consider your house rules, and think about what might change for the summer — and share that updated list with your new nanny.<\/p> From air conditioners to pools, make sure your nanny knows how to operate all of your summertime gear.<\/p> Discuss this summer safety guide<\/a> — then discuss it again. Make sure your nanny is certified in things like CPR\/first aid and knows all about how to protect your kids during an emergency.<\/p> “After all, they’re the ones who are going to be spending the summer in this stranger’s company,” Brown explains. Let your kids meet or even spend a few hours with the nanny before they start full time. And follow these ways to prepare kids for a new sitter<\/a>.<\/p> The main thing to remember, according to Brown? “Make sure the nanny knows that her job is to keep the kids happy and occupied but that July and August are the months for taking it slow.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Your kids are counting the days until school lets out. Meanwhile, you’re counting the days you have left to figure out what you’re going to do with them this summer. Day camps are a popular option, but they can be pricey and the\u00a0best ones fill up fast. Besides, they may not offer the personal attention Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":810,"featured_media":6934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"2026-04-28T17:36:22.067Z","last_update":"2026-04-28","view_count":2590,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1117],"member-type":[3],"vertical":[6,16,12],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-nanny","member-type-seeker","vertical-children","vertical-child-care-options","vertical-holidays-seasons","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2014-10-31","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/810"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227524,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492\/revisions\/227524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=492"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=492"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Key takeaways<\/h3>
1. Plan summer schedules<\/h2>
2. Discuss what your nanny can and can’t do with your kids<\/h2>
3. Talk about playdates<\/h2>
4. Stock up on summer supplies<\/h2>
5. Talk about summer rules<\/h2>
6. Go over summer equipment<\/h2>
7. Review safety rules<\/h2>
8. Get your kids ready<\/strong><\/h2>