The more detailed you prepare information about your child, then less misunderstandings with an au-pair you will have. Enter au-pair into your “family system”. She did not give birth to your children, does not understand them perfectly, an au-pair is not a professional nanny, so she needs the most complete information about your children in order to provide them with the best care.

Please, take some time to describe your kid’s personality and behavior in different situations. Your child is understandable and predictable to you. By the emotions and the look of a kid, you immediately understand what they want: to drink, to eat, to go to the toilet, to say that they are tired, to your hands, to sleep.

For example:

👉 eating habits of the child, the presence of food allergies and intolerances:

what is the children’s diet, how exactly to prepare meals for them; what your children love to eat, what they eat reluctantly, what sweets they can eat, in what case, in what quantity; from what dishes they like to eat; what food is strictly prohibited; feeding safety; what and how much to drink; what bottles/cups to use.

👉 child’s health:

chronic diseases; whether a child is taking any medications, vitamins; are there any special instructions from doctors; where is the first aid kit and what is in it.

👉 character and habits of children:

very active; often do not listen to adults; the children are pugnacious, or vice versa; they are very calm and love to play quiet games; often cry and do not tolerate separation from parents; they wash with a song about a crocodile and fall asleep with their favorite toy;  children need to turn on the night light, they are afraid of the dark; in what mood do they usually wake up; what cartoons they enjoy; how they express his dissatisfaction; how do you comfort your kids if they fall or bump, disobey or have hysterics; what are you doing to make them fall asleep faster.

Please, do not forget that au-pair sees your children for the first time, she doesn’t know how to read the emotions and needs of your children. Even for the most prepared au-pair, this is not obvious. No, an au-pair should not know and understand by default how children behave when they want to go to the toilet 🙂