Nanny Agency JobsA request to help with a child's medication needs more detail than “It's the usual one.” Before accepting the responsibility, establish what the family is asking you to do, which written instructions apply to that child and what preparation the task requires. An unclear request is a reason for a preparation conversation, not a problem to solve from memory.
This guide addresses questions before an assignment. It does not tell you how to give medication, choose treatment or respond to a medical situation. Those instructions must come from the appropriate child-specific sources and qualified professionals.
Define the requested responsibility
Ask the parent to describe the task itself. Are they asking you to pass information to another adult, maintain an agreed record or undertake a medication-related responsibility during your shift? Do not let a broad phrase such as “handle medicines” stand in for a defined role.
AAP babysitting advice says sitters should not give medicine without parental instructions. That does not establish that parental permission alone makes every task appropriate, within your competence or legally authorized.
Explain any limit in your preparation directly. “I have not been trained for the task you are describing” gives the family information it needs. Ask who can clarify the relevant training, authority and role requirements before you agree. Do not present general childcare experience as evidence of preparation for an unfamiliar request.
Identify the instructions everyone is using
Ask the family to identify the current written instructions for the particular child and requested task, including the appropriate clinician or pharmacist instructions. Establish where they will be accessible during work and who will resolve any unclear or conflicting information.
You are not being asked to reconcile a medical discrepancy yourself. If a parent's message, a family note and another instruction do not agree, describe the mismatch and ask for qualified clarification through the family. Do not choose whichever version seems most recent or familiar without that resolution.
Keep the request attached to the actual child and assignment. Instructions remembered from a previous job, a sibling or an earlier care arrangement do not establish what you are being asked to do now. Ask how changes will be communicated and who will confirm that the working instructions have been updated.
Walk through an unclear request before care
In this fictional example, nanny Elena is discussing next week's work with a parent. A message says, “Please take care of the medication while we're out.” A separate household note names a different person as responsible, and Elena has not received orientation for the requested task.
Elena separates three questions: “Are you proposing to transfer that responsibility to me? Which current written instructions apply? What preparation and authorization need to be confirmed first?” She sends the questions to the parent rather than asking an older child to explain the arrangement.
The parent says the household note is out of date and offers to explain everything by text. Elena still needs the actual instruction conflict resolved and the preparation requirements addressed. “Thank you. I need those points settled before I can agree to take on the task,” keeps the request open without claiming that the incoming explanation will be sufficient.
This scene stops at preparation. No medication is selected or given, and no medical decision is made. The outcome is an identified responsibility gap for the adults to resolve before the proposed assignment.
Agree what the record must truthfully show
Ask how any required record is completed and who receives it. Clarify which entries belong to you and which must come from somebody else. A record should distinguish an instruction received, a question awaiting an answer and an action actually completed.
For example, “Parent will clarify the request” does not mean the instructions have arrived. “Orientation arranged” does not mean training is complete. Do not sign for another person's action or fill in missing information from an assumption about what usually happens.
Use the family's appropriate record system and privacy arrangements. A separate informal note should not become a competing set of medical instructions. If you discover that a record is unclear, identify what you do and do not know so the responsible person can address it accurately.
Confirm the role before accepting it
End the preparation discussion by checking the actual unresolved points. Who is confirming the instructions? Who is addressing training and any authority requirements? What must happen before the family can rely on you for this particular responsibility?
A useful closing message is: “I understand the proposed task. My agreement is still pending the instruction clarification and preparation we discussed.” If the requirements cannot be met, tell the family so it can arrange appropriate coverage. Do not use silence as acceptance or reassurance as proof of readiness.
When the request changes, reopen the relevant questions. Agreement to one clearly defined responsibility does not automatically cover another task, another child or a different care setting.
Sources
AAP: Babysitting Reminders. Checked 27 October 2026. Questions and fictional examples are original work-preparation aids.