Once you decide who you want to hire, call her up and tell her that you would like to hire her, but you want to have a short meeting to go over some details. Most people call the nanny and hire her on the spot, merely telling her the time and date to show up. A better way to do this is to make a final meeting for either that day, or the next day, before hiring her.

At the meeting, go over all the final details.

If you are going to get your nanny a cell phone, explain that you need her to have it with her at all times that she has your child, and/or during working hours.

Explain that this is the one way that you will always be able to reach her, and that she will be able to reach you. Get her a cell phone car charger, if she drives to work, so that she can charge the phone in the car on her way home and on her way to work, so that the battery is always fully functioning.

You can ask her to leave it in the house when she goes home at night, and charge it up at that time, so that the next morning, it will be ready for her.

Explain the limits on the phone. If you don’t want her making international calls or long distance calls, tell her.

If the nanny has her own cell phone, and she would prefer to use that one, then remind her that the phone has to be working, the bill paid, and with her at all times she is working for you (on work hours). She must also have a call waiting service.

If you have more than one landline in your house, and are not using a cell phone, explain to her which of the phones she can use while she’s working for you.