For families · Published · 8 min read
What a nanny daily report should include (and what it should not)
The six things a nanny daily report should tell you, the two it should not, how to ask without it landing as a report card, and a routine for reading it.
You get home, and before your coat is off you ask the question. How was the day? The answer is a sentence, maybe a text message you already read at lunch, and it has to stand in for about eight hours you were not there for. So what should a nanny daily report include, and what should it leave out? Less than you think on the first count, and more on the second. A daily report is not a check on the person you hired. It is the shared record of a day you both care about.
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What a nanny daily report should include
Six things, each a line or two. Anything more is a bonus, and anything less leaves you guessing at bedtime.
Meals and milk, with amounts. What was offered and what was eaten, and bottles in ounces. The amounts are what tell you whether dinner needs to be big or whether the evening bottle can wait. "Ate well" is kind, but it is not information.
Sleep, down and up. Two times per nap, not "napped well". If the nap ended at 2:05, you know why bedtime will be late, and you can plan the evening around it instead of discovering it at 8 pm.
Diapers or the bathroom. A count, and anything unusual. For a toddler learning the potty, the wins and the accidents both belong here, without commentary.
Medication, exactly as you instructed. If your child takes anything, the report says what was given, how much, and when, in the words you used when you asked. This is not a judgment call for your nanny, and the report is not where either of you makes one. It is the record that your instruction was followed.
One moment from the day. The thing at the park, the new word, the block tower that stood for a whole minute. One is enough. This is the line you will reread, and it is the one that gives you something to talk about with your child at dinner.
Anything that needs a decision tonight. Two diapers left in the bag, a playdate invitation for Thursday, a change to tomorrow's pickup time. Put it at the top, so it does not get lost under the lunch menu.
A health or safety concern is different, and it does not wait for the report. A fever, a fall, a dose that was refused, anything that worries her: agree from the first day that your nanny will call or message you when it happens. The report is where she writes down that she did.
The two things it should not become
The first is a minute-by-minute account. A report that logs every snack, every toy and every trip to the window turns your nanny into a stenographer and you into an auditor. It takes time away from your child to write, and it takes the warmth out of reading it. Times belong on naps, bottles and medication, not on the whole day.
The second is an opinion about your child, or a grade for the day. "He was a bit difficult" and "she was a star" both tell you more about the writer's afternoon than about your child's. The honest version is what happened: clingy after the nap, fine after the bottle.
The most useful reports tend to come from caregivers who feel trusted. When the report is a tool you share, it gets more honest over time. When it feels like a test, it gets shorter and blander, and the one line you needed is the first to go.
How to ask for one
Ask at the first handoff, before there is anything to be worried about, so it never sounds like a reaction. Something like this works:
"Could you jot down naps, food and anything I need to know as the day goes, so I can pick up where you left off? It does not need to be long; a time and a word or two is plenty. I would like it to be your record of the day as much as mine."
If she would like a starting point, offer her our daily report template for nannies. It is one page, free to print, and it was written from her side of the door.
Then say the last part again in your own words: the report is her record too. A nanny who keeps a daily report has a record of her own work, and that matters to her long after your child has outgrown naps.
Give it a week before you judge the format. The first reports will be too long or too short while you both work out what you actually read. Tell her which lines you rely on, and let the rest go.
Reading a quiet day
Most days are quiet, and a quiet day written down looks almost boring. Two naps with times. Three meals with amounts. A count. One moment from the park. At the bottom, "no incidents recorded".
That last line is the honest one because it claims only what it can: nothing was written down as an incident that day. It describes the record, not the whole day, and that is exactly what you want to read on an ordinary Tuesday. This is why "no incidents recorded" is the honest line and "everything went smoothly" is not: the first says what was recorded, and the second is a mood about the day. If you ever see the second, ask gently for the first.
Quiet days are also where you learn your child's normal: how long the naps usually run, how much of lunch usually gets eaten. After a month of quiet reports, you will notice a change long before anyone has to point it out.
Paper, text messages, or an app
There is no single right way to keep the report, and the best one is the one your nanny will actually use. Here is how the three usual options compare.
| Kept on | Where it lives | Effort for her | What you see | Where the photos go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | On the counter or the fridge, in the house | A pen and a few seconds at each change | The whole day at a glance when you walk in | Nowhere; paper has no photos |
| Text messages | Scattered through a thread, between the grocery list and the pickup time | Low in the moment, high by the end of the week | Whatever she remembered to send, usually without the amounts | They may remain in the message thread or be saved on personal devices, depending on settings |
| An app | In one place, written as the day happens | A tap at each change | The day so far, whenever you look | It depends on the app, so ask before you choose |
Paper is honest, and it has a real advantage: it stays in the house and never gets lost in a thread. For plenty of families it is enough. Text messages scatter, the amounts vanish, and photos may remain in the message thread or be saved on personal devices, depending on settings.
We built Carelio for the families who want the day in one place. You can see the day so far while it happens, a handoff report comes at the end of the shift, and the photos stay private to your family.
The five-minute evening routine
Read first, then ask. Give the everyday lines five minutes after your child is down, not at the door with your keys in your hand. The door is for hello, for anything that needs a decision tonight, and for any concern that has not already reached you. If something in the report worries you about your child's health or safety, ask about it right away, whatever the time.
A report changes the questions you get to ask. Instead of "how was she?", you can ask "what happened at the park?" or "how did the blue cup go?". Those are questions with real answers, and your nanny will notice that you read what she wrote.
Routine matters can wait for a better moment. If something nonurgent in the report needs a conversation, name it and pick a time: "Can we talk about naps tomorrow morning?" is better than a tired discussion in the hallway. A concern is not routine: talk about it as soon as it comes up.
If you want to see what a report like this looks like in an app, see a day in Carelio.
If you are the nanny reading this
The same six lines work from your side of the door. Food with amounts, sleep with times, the diaper count, medication exactly as instructed, one moment, and anything that needs a decision tonight. Write them as the day happens and the report takes three minutes at the end.
It is your record as much as the family's. Keep a copy of what you write, with the family's permission for anything that names their child. When someone asks what you did all day, you will have the answer on paper.
If the family has not asked for a report, offer one anyway. Most parents say yes, and the ones who never asked are often the ones who did not know they could.
A good daily report is short, honest and shared. Ask for one kindly, read it properly, and it will tell you more about your child's day than any conversation at the door.