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Your Nanny: How to Balance Christmas Time Off with Childcare Needs

Your nanny’s annual leave can sometimes be difficult to negotiate, especially at Christmas time.   When making your own plans for work and time off over the Christmas season, you will need to take your nanny’s plans and needs into account as well.

So, how can you strike a balance between your childcare needs, and your nanny’s need for time off over Christmas? How can you keep your nanny happy without leaving yourself in a tricky situation?

Fairly negotiate holiday entitlements

If your nanny is full time, and is given the minimum 4 weeks of paid annual leave each year, a good compromise can be that she chooses when to take two weeks of her holiday, and you choose the other two weeks.  This is to prevent situations such as you choosing to go on holiday, leaving her with no work to do and (quite rightly) expecting payment.  You will likely both have to compromise a little but this is much fairer than things going in just one party’s favour.  Make sure that these arrangements are put in writing and signed by both parties, to ensure that nobody will be surprised or let down later on.  Most nannies will have terms in their contracts that cover issues surrounding annual leave, so you both ought to know where you stand from the beginning.

Plan in advance

Christmas may seem a whole world away earlier in the year, but it is worth discussing in advance what your plans are for the Christmas period, and what your nanny wants to do.  She may have quite specific days that she wishes to be off, or she may be quite happy to be flexible.  If she has her own family, it is pretty safe to say that she will want a decent amount of time off over Christmas.  Agreeing these things in advance, and then putting them in writing, will hopefully avoid disagreements later down the line.  If you know that your nanny would like some time off over Christmas and New Year, you will have plenty of time to organise things at your workplace so that you can be home, or so that you can make alternative arrangements for the care of your children.

Offer benefits – especially at Christmas

Remember, your nanny is your employee.  If she doesn’t feel appreciated, she may well look elsewhere for work.  You may wish to give her some extra holiday on full pay over Christmas as a thank you for her hard work throughout the year, or a monetary bonus of some kind.  Although unsociable hours can sometimes be a part of a nanny’s job description, those hours should always be agreed in advance and not dropped on her suddenly – especially not over Christmas and New Year when she may have her own special arrangements.

Remember, although you are your nanny’s employer, she is a special part of your family.  The relationship should be kept warm yet professional.  As long as everybody is honest and upfront early about their needs and wishes over the festive season, there should be no reason for any aggravation.

The True Meaning of Christmas

Amid the shopping, toys, hustle and bustle of Christmas time, it is easy to forget the
real meaning behind it all. Children become carried away with the excitement of the
promise of new toys (and who could blame them?), and parents become fixated with
preparing for the day itself.

It seems that most of us could benefit from taking some time out from the hype as the
big day approaches.

So how can we ensure that we, and our children, remember what Christmas is really
all about?

Giving
The theme of giving runs strong at Christmas. We all know that presents are usually a
substantial part of Christmas excitement – whether we are excited to give or receive.
It’s natural to be excited about receiving gifts, and this shouldn’t be shamed or
quashed – however, placing an emphasis on giving is a wonderful thing also. There
are some really great ways you can do this for children:
• Together with the children, choose some old toys to donate to a charity shop,
refuge or children’s home. This will not only teach the children about the
value of giving to those less fortunate, but it will make space for the new toys
they will get at Christmas. However, the toy-donating shouldn’t be forced, as
it could be very traumatic for a child to unwillingly give away a much loved
toy. They should be able to give freely, or choose not to, or it defies the point
of giving in the first place.
• Encourage children to choose gifts for their siblings and friends themselves,
rather than relying on you to do so.
• Bake some Christmas-themed biscuits, mince pies or other treats together and
take them to a local old people’s home to give out to the residents. Some of
the residents will have few visitors at Christmas time, smiling children bearing
baked goods is bound to cheer a lonely heart.

Family
Christmas truly is a time for family – whether they are blood relatives, or our chosen
family. Today’s world is a big one, and families are often scattered across the globe
rather than living in close-knit communities. If this is the case for you, encourage the
children to make Christmas cards for absent friends and family members who cannot
be with you at this special time of the year. You could even organise a Christmas
carol sing-along over webcam for family members living abroad.

Christmas can also be an emotional time for families who are, sadly, missing some
members. Many people traditionally remember their loved ones who are no longer
with them with small ‘memorial services’ at home. This can be a great way to help
children grieve healthily. Grief is a powerful emotion, and children need to know that
they can express their grief openly with the support of their parents.

So, if you’re feeling the Christmas anxiety creeping in, try to relax and remember
what it’s all about. And most importantly, enjoy yourself!

The Greatest Gift You Can Give This Christmas is Your Time

Forget the presents, simply be present this Christmas!

Think about it honestly. How many times have you noticed yourself being with your child, but you’re not fully engaged? Maybe you were on your phone checking social media or emails. Perhaps you were simply running through all the things you still need to do to prepare for Christmas. Being there, but not being present is something we’re all guilty of occasionally, but Christmas time brings with it a real opportunity to make a change.

Continue reading “The Greatest Gift You Can Give This Christmas is Your Time”

World nursery rhyme week

Hands up if you love nursery rhymes? Then World Nursery Rhyme Week, 10th-14th November 2014, is made for you. Sadly 1 in 4 adults in the UK can’t remember a single, whole nursery rhyme, which means lots of children are missing out on fun.

Nursery rhymes are important for children’s development in lots of different ways. Reciting nursery rhymes helps develop memory and cognitive skills, sequencing events, speech and language, and an understanding of the world. The rhythm of speech patterns used in nursery rhymes is ideal for helping children pick up the number of syllables in each word, and words often important sounds and identify those that rhyme.

Many nursery rhymes help with mathematical development because they involve counting forwards (‘one, two, three, four, five once I caught a fish alive) and backwards (ten green bottles….nine green bottles…eight green bottles…) and stretch children’s imagination.

You can use nursery rhymes in many different ways, not just singing! Encourage children to clap along either to the beat or to the rhythm of the syllables, make up actions, paint or do crafts using images and ideas from the rhymes, create a bag or box of props to illustrate rhymes, get finger puppets…the possibilities are endless.

The 5 rhymes for World Nursery Rhyme Week 2022 are:

Oranges and Lemons
Old King Cole
Five Currant Buns
Hey Diddle Diddle
I hear Thunder

What will you do?

Is a Childminder the Right Choice for You?

Like any form of childcare, using a childminder has its upsides and downsides. The needs of working parents are as varied as the children they need to find care for.  Just as with parenting in general, when it comes to childcare, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

In this article, we will try to make an often-difficult decision – what kind of childcare to choose – a little easier by providing a simple list of the pros and cons of using a childminder.

Childminder Pros

  • It is important, emotionally speaking, for children to forge strong attachments to their caregivers.  It is easier for children to form an attachment to one caregiver, rather than several staff members at a nursery or preschool.
  • Your childminder will be limited in the amount of children she can have in her care at one time, ensuring that she will be able to give the children in their care the attention that they need.
  • A childminder will often end up costing less than a nursery or preschool.
  • Many childminders accept the UK’s Early Years Vouchers that give all 3+ year olds 15 free hours of childcare per week.
  • Childminders will often take newborn babies.
  • Some will offer to pick-up and drop-off themselves, saving you further time.
  • Childminders are OFSTED regulated, and by law they must have had a minimum level of training – unlike in some nurseries, where only a percentage of the staff are required to be qualified.
  • Because the number of children they are caring for is much lower than a nursery or preschool, they are able to offer more flexible, individualised care, taking into consideration any preferences of the parents in discipline styles, for example.
  • A childminder often becomes like a family friend, and a much-loved figure in the child’s life, remembered well into adulthood.
  • The home-from-home setting can make it a lot easier for children to settle into being apart from their parents.  In addition, being cared for by a childminder makes it easier for sensitive children to develop their social skills, as they will only ever be in a small group of children.

Childminder Cons

  • Because they are so popular, it can be difficult to find a childminder that is available at the times you need them.
  • As they work alone, it is a concern of some parents that there is no way of telling what happens behind closed doors.  These parents would probably prefer their children to be cared for in a nursery setting.
  • Some parents prefer the more school-like, structured environment of a nursery or preschool over the more relaxed, home environment of the childminder – this is not a ‘con’ as such, rather a personal choice.

From the perspective of the parents, a childminder often proves to be the most cost-effective, flexible childcare choice.  Equally as importantly, many children do better with the individualised care and home-from-home setting that a childminder can provide.  Only you know whether a childminder is the right childcare choice for your situation.

Bonfire night safety

With the cost of living on the increase and many of us watching the pennies (and pounds!) you might decide to recreate some of the fun at home with sparklers or by building a small bonfire with older children, maybe even doing some campfire cooking. The most important thing to keep in mind is that fire, and fireworks, are dangerous.

Sparklers are cheap and fun. They give off sparkles as they burn and make pretty patterns, but they can also be very dangerous and definitely shouldn’t be used by children under 5. When using sparklers:

  • Make sure everyone wears gloves
  • Hold sparklers well away from you
  • Keep a bucket of water to put the finished sparklers in
  • Only light one at a time
  • Never pass lit sparklers
  • Keep children more than an arm + sparkler’s width apart – around 6ft or 2m is a good distance
  • Never allow them to wave sparklers at each other or duel with them

If you want to make a fire, then follow some simple rules and keep it small so it doesn’t get out of control. Remember that if it’s windy you shouldn’t build a fire as the wind could pick up burning sticks and quickly get out of control. If you decide to have a bonfire at home:

  • Build the fire carefully and make sure it on clear ground away from buildings, vehicles trees, fences and overhead cables. If your garden is too small to build a fire safely then go to a public display.
  • Make sure all clothing is safe to be around fires – some synthetic materials will melt when in contact with heat
  • Don’t use any accelerants such as petrol or lighter fuel to make the fire burn faster
  • Only put wood, cardboard, leaves and and paper on it but keep flyaway materials to a minimum
  • Have buckets or water or a fire extinguisher nearby
  • Follow basic fire safety rules and once the fire has died down make sure you dampen the embers to stop it relighting

And finally, we hope you don’t need it but here’s a quick refresher on how to care for a burn:

  • Cool under cold running water for at least 10 minutes
  • A burn larger than the size of your hand requires treatment in A&E, as do full thickness burns (these look white or charred) or partial thickness burns to the face, hands, feet, arms or legs (these burns have blisters).
  • Get medical help for any burn in a child under 5, a pregnant woman, someone over 60, has a pre-existing medical condition or if there are other injuries or the person is going into shock
  • Don’t pull off anything which is stuck to the burn – if necessary, cut the material around it
  • Don’t touch the burn or try to pop any blisters
  • Cover the burn with cling film or put a clear plastic bag over the hand or foot to prevent infection – do not apply ice, creams or greasy substances such as butter

Spooky Fun This Halloween!

Autumn is well and truly here in all it’s rainy finest! To many of us this may induce a collective ‘sigh’ as the nights draw in and we begin to dig out last year’s coats and SADS lamps (or maybe just us here at Nannyjob?!), but for others it means one thing – Halloween fun is just around the corner!

Scary outfits, parties, trick or treating, face painting, spooky decorations and pumpkins all spring to mind, so we’ve got some fantabulous ideas for you and your little ones to make this Halloween the most ghoulish yet!

Party fun

Staying at home and having a party is arguably safer than being out trick or treating, and is also a great chance to get little buddies round to play.

Decorate the house with streamers and props of skeletons and spiders, our favourites are from http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/occasion/halloween/decor.html.

As well as rocking their very own home made outfits (more on that in a minute!), you can get the kids involved in some spooky games, including:

  • Apple bobbing
  • Wink murder
  • Making mummies (remember to stock up on loo roll for this one! Prizes go to the quickest or best attempt!)
  • Pin the tail on the witch’s cat
  • Halloween treasure hunt in the house or garden
  • Pass the pumpkin (fill an empty pumpkin with treats and play this in the same way as pass the parcel, each time the music stops the winner takes a goody out of the pumpkin, treats getting bigger towards the end!).

Face painting and costume making

Whether your little one wants to be a ghoulish ghost, a wicked witch, a scary skeleton or something entirely different, there are hours of fun to be had designing and making the costumes with them, and going to town with face painting. Here are some fabulous costume ideas from one of our favourite sites, Netmums:

Scary Spider

This an easy costume that’s really effective. Dress your child as a ‘scary spider’ using a black hoodie, black trousers, and black shoes. Make four more legs using two pairs of child’s tights and stuffing them with old stuffing from a pillow.

Grim Reaper

See if you can track down a cheap black hooded cloak from the supermarket to go over the body. Gather up the hair in a white swimming cap. Using face paints,cover your child’s face in white, rimming the eyes black. The final addition is a long stick (perhaps an old walking stick or a broom handle?) onto which you stick a cardboard ‘scythe’ – an easy take on the Grim Reaper!

Walking dead

A nice easy one, adaptable for both boys and girls! Simply get some old clothes and tear holes and rips in them. Cover exposed skin in fake blood. You could also buy some fabric bandaging to wrap around hands and heads (splatter with fake blood for extra effect)! Faces should be daubed in white face paint and powder, with a smattering of blood here and there!

Trick or Treating

Last but not least, classic Halloween fun usually involves traipsing the local neighbourhood and picking up some treats! In these strange times, this is probably something that many of us can’t do or don’t want to do but if you are planning on going out please do so safely and follow the guidance for your Tier. If you’re worried about safety, make sure you or another adult accompany the kids (standing a few feet away of course, so as not to cramp their spooky style!).

A word of advice when out trick or treating – make sure the children understand not to be too serious about the whole ‘trick’ part of this. There are a lot of people who really do get intimidated at Halloween and won’t answer their door, so encourage the children to understand this, and swiftly move on to the next house with no tricks in store!

Make sure you don’t forget to take a fun kitty bag to put all the treats in – decorate yours by sticking on home made pictures of bats, pumpkins and witches!

Have fun and stay spookily safe this Happy Halloween!

Why not share your plans for Halloween on our Nannyjob Facebook page….

Halloween Hazards

Whether you agree with Halloween or not it’s become a fixture in the calendar. A time for dressing up, a time for scary stories and a time to go out and beg the neighbours for sweets – also known as trick-or-treating – and a few additional risks.

The first Halloween hazard you need to keep in mind is costumes. Check that all costumes are safe and don’t let children carry heavy fake weapons – foam swords for your pirate are much safer just in case he or she tries to swashbuckle anyone. Make sure that they fit so the children won’t trip over and consider adding some reflective strips so you can all be seen. Any face paint or make up should be suitable for use on children and removed as soon as you get home.

Then not only can that person in a scary mask or underneath a cloak be absolutely anyone, but a child can easily get lost and not be able to find you if you’re one of a hundred witches, and you may not be able to find them easily either. Make sure if you’re going to be costumed while out and about that children know not to go off with anyone else and that you have a safe meeting point if you become separated. Even if it’s just a party in a hall you can designate a specific corner to reduce their anxiety (and yours) if they can’t find you. If you are outside make sure children have your contact details secured to them in case they get lost and that they know who it’s safe to approach for help.

How do we teach children than every other day of the year you can’t just knock on people’s doors and accept sweets from them? The safest way to do this is to organise signals in your neighbourhood which mean the occupiers are okay with trick-or-treaters knocking at their door and teach children than they can only knock when they see them. This also has the advantage of minimising disturbances to people who don’t want to be involved and forcing you to plan your route.

How will you deal with trick or treaters coming to your own door, especially if you’re babysitting? One strategy is to put a bowl out on the step with a sign warning trick-or-treaters that there are children in the bath/asleep but they should help themselves. This will prevent any nasty tricks because, after all, you’ve provided a treat. Just make sure you top up the bowl regularly! If there is a safety chain then make sure you use it if you do open the door and have a curfew in mind.

Finally be careful of any sweets you are given as well-meant treats may contain choking hawards or nuts. If it’s home-made or doesn’t have a wrapper then don’t eat it. You don’t know what it is. Monitor the amount that young children eat – overloading on sweets is the fastest way to turn your Halloween into a real-life horror story!

Resetting The Body-Clock With Autumn Time Change

When the clocks go back in October, it can be a real nightmare for some families as it can take several weeks or even months to get their children back to sleeping to a civilised hour! Some parents never really manage it resign themselves to being woken early until the clocks change again in spring.

But don’t worry, there is a fun and simple solution to this problem and it takes just one weekend!

Be aware that if your child has a habit of early rising before the clocks change, this may not work. You may need to make additional changes.

The idea is to get your child so exhausted that you break their current habit of waking at a particular time. You can then reset their body-clock based on how much sleep they need each night and putting them to bed at the right according to this.

Friday Night – Bedtime 2-3 hours later than usual

Instead of giving your child dinner at dinner time, give them a snack then give them a bath. Get them dressed then go out for dinner. Take plenty of toys/games and keep them entertained by bringing the different toys/games out one at a time. Travel home with the windows down in the car and the music up or walk home so that they don’t fall asleep on the way. When you get home, do the usual bath (yes, two baths! The first was to wake them up a bit) and bedtime routine and put them to bed 2-3 hours later than usual. The older they are, generally, the later you will need to keep them up.

Don’t expect them to sleep any later the next morning, but do expect them to be a bit over-tired and grumpy by the afternoon. If your child usually has a nap, limit it to 50% of their usual nap time.

Saturday Night – Bedtime 1.5-2.5 hours later than usual

This similar to the first night, so have a snack instead of dinner, then go out to play! Take the torches to the park and have some fun. When you get home, sit down to a nice family meal (you may need to keep the heating down low to keep them awake). Afterwards give them a really long bath (keep adding hot water), and get ready for bed as usual. Put them to bed 1.5-2.5 hours later than usual depending on their age.

Again, your child probably won’t sleep any later their usual wake up time, which will be an hour earlier as the clocks will have gone back at 2am! Limit any naps to 50% of the usual time.

Sunday Night – Bedtime 1-1.5 hours later than usual

Do the usual bedtime routine, just slightly later than usual. Your child should be absolutely exhausted by now and by the third morning they will sleep later. Their body clock has now been reset! Hooray!

For the next few days, maintain a bedtime 30-45 minutes later than you would normally and then on Wednesday or Thursday, go back to their usual bedtime. This helps to stop them falling back to their spring/summer wake-up time.

Most children between the ages of 3 and 8 years need 11-12 hours’ sleep in every 24 hours. 8-11 year-olds generally need 10-11 hours’ sleep.

Set each child’s bedtime based on how many hours’ sleep that individual child needs, and work backwards from when you want them to wake in the morning.  This can sometimes mean that younger children go to bed a little later than older children, but it is worth it if it means that everybody wakes around the same time and nobody is over-tired as a result of being woken by the one little person who doesn’t need as much sleep.

Enjoy resetting your children’s body-clocks, it is fun!!! Spread the word and the parks will be filled with children and torches on one Saturday night in October each year!