childcare – Page 37 – Nannyjob blog

A Guide to Keeping Children Safe Online

Gone are the days when children needed to ask parent’s permission to use the family computer to access the internet. The internet is now easily accessible to most children. With tablets, smartphones, laptops and games consoles, it can be hard to keep track of what children are doing and if they’re being safe online.

The internet isn’t all bad. It’s actually pretty amazing. The variety of websites, apps and other tools available allow children to play, learn and connect. To help encourage learning new skills, whilst also putting your mind at ease, we’ve put together this short guide to help keep children safe online.

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Au Pair or Nanny – What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between a nanny and an au pair? It’s a question we hear from a lot of parents looking for childcare.

Nannies and au pairs are both extremely different and it’s important that you understand the differences and exactly what you’re looking for from a childcare provider, before you make any decisions. Which is why we’ve put together this article to help you.

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How to make activity a part of daily life

How active are your children? Did you know that only 10% of under-five year olds are meeting NHS guidelines for daily activity?

The NHS recommend that children are active for at least three hours per day to encourage physical and mental health and wellbeing, which is why we’ve put together our top suggestions to help get your children up and active each and every day, even in winter.

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3 ways to better manage behaviour

Observe

Obviously we’re always watching children but simply watching is very different to keenly observing with an objective in mind. If you’re notice a pattern of negative behaviour make a special effort to observe and find the triggers. Sometimes the incidents seem random but there may be a bigger pattern behind it – common causes are unexpected tiredness, over-stimulation, teeth coming through. Sometimes it’s linked to something that we’re doing, albeit unintentionally. A child who doesn’t know what is expected of them will lash out when confused. This is particularly noticeable when children are growing in independence and learning new skills, but at the same time the mistakes they make are behaviours we don’t want to encourage. It’s difficult to learn to drink from an open cup without spilling once or twice.

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Why children act up for their parents

‘They never behave like this with me’. ‘The minute the mother walks in the door all hell breaks loose’. ‘The house is like a zoo when I get home’.

It’s a common complaint on both sides. Why do children act up when both nanny and parents are present? Here are 3 possible explanations:

They’re playing ‘power struggle’. Kids know that there’s a sense of hierarchy and they’re trying to navigate the complicated world of human relationships. When two people who are in charge of them are together, who is the one who has the ultimate power? The surest way for them to test this is to behave badly and see who tells them off, and whether the other person can over-rule any consequences.

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Child abuse – what is it and how do you recognise it

Every nanny and childcare professional should know what child abuse is and how to spot the signs. You will be probably be tested on this knowledge during an OFSTED inspection.

Child abuse is causing harm to a child, whether intentionally or unintentionally. There are four types of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.

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Students for summer childcare

Every year university students use their long summer break to earn a bit of extra cash to support them through their studies. Often young women, although some young men too, who like children see spending a summer as a nanny as the perfect solution. Students can be a great alaternative if you’re considering a summer au pair, but there pros and cons to weigh up.

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Settling in a temporary nanny

You might have a temporary nanny to cover a gap in childcare, to fill in for your usual nanny, or over a period like the school summer holidays. Whatever the reason you’re likely to be able to spend less time showing her the ropes and letting her bed in, and you need to be quicker to correct anything that looks like it’s going downhill.

Most temporary nannies are very flexible and adaptable people. Nannies who temp long term often choose to do so because they enjoy the variety temping brings and are happy to do things your way. They are experienced enough to get on with the job and quickly develop a good relationship with their new charges. They are also a dab hand at asking the right questions to get the information they need from you, which means you don’t have to tell them absolutely everything about your life in case it’s relevant.

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Breastfeeding and childcare

That breastfeeding is the optimal start for children is unquestioned, but there is little support for mothers who want to continue breastfeeding and put their babies in childcare. The default assumption is that mothers will have introduced a bottle, and often formula, in preparation for their return to work. In reality, there are many things that childcarers can do to facilitate the breastfeeding relationship.

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