With Autumn on the way, we’ve found 5 great activities for you and your little one to enjoy as the leaves begin to fall!
With Autumn on the way, we’ve found 5 great activities for you and your little one to enjoy as the leaves begin to fall!
Everyone as a nanny horror story. It’s like pregnancy, labour, bringing up a baby, a toddler, a child. People are only too happy to share the bad with you. Careless nannies, thriving nannies, entitled nannies, grumpy nannies, late nannies, vanishing nannies, everyone knows at least one.
But what about all the wonderful nannies out there? Because they do exist. Selfless nannies, loving nannies, dedicated nannies, energetic nannie, professional nannies. We should all know at least one of them too. The job of a nanny has changed massively in the last 23 years since www.nannyjob.co.uk was created in 1999. Modern nannies are expected to have a dazzling array of skills – just keeping children safe and happy isn’t cutting it these days – and a professional outlook. They invest their own time and money in CPD and training and see each nanny as an important ambassador for the profession.
Nanny week celebrates these nannies. It recognises the work they do. It’s a virtual pat on the back from the world to a bunch of caring men and women who thoroughly deserve it. Here’s to you, nannies!
Adapting to a new caregiver can be tricky for children of all ages, which they show in different ways so here are some ideas to establish a good connection, smooth the transition and ensure you get off on the right foot.
For babies gently does it. They have no notion of time so when mummy or daddy goes away they think it’s forever, even if they’ve been told it’s just 5 minutes. Spend time working alongside the parents so the little one can see you’re a trusted friend and will happily go to you before their parents go away. Investing in a secure attachment at the start should avoid further separation anxiety in the future. If they do get upset and their parents can’t come back then distract, distract, distract! Pop them in a pram or a sling and go for a walk, make their toys act funny scenes or try a bath. Most little ones love water and will happily splash around for ages.
Toddlers understand time better, but they also understand that if they cry they can sometimes get what they want – which at the start will be their parents staying home. Don’t be offended, or alarmed, if they cry consistently in the morning when you arrive. It’s not that they don’t like you, it’s that they’ve connected you arriving to their parents leaving. Create a special good morning ritual that makes them laugh. In time they’ll look forward to you arriving so they can share that moment with you. Make sure your days are fun packed but follow their routine. Toddlers can get very anxious with too much change so even if would do things differently let them adapt to you first.
Preschoolers are often confident enough to separate from their parents easily so win them over by finding out what their favourite things are in advance and fitting as much as you can into their first few days. Like toddlers they can be sensitive to changes in routine but they also understand that different places and people have different rules, so short of any massive overhauls start as you mean to go on.
School aged children can be the toughest group to connect with. Often you see them in the morning, when they’re still sleepy and it’s a rush to get everyone out the house in time, and at the end of the day when they’re tired and you have the evening routine to get through. Take an interest in them and listen to what they have to say about their day, especially if they have younger siblings who are at home with you all day long. Inject a bit of fun into every day, even if it’s just 5 minutes, so you’re not always the bad cop.
Above all be patient and kind. Children and parents move at their own pace but over time you’ll develop a great bond.
Here at Nannyjob we love summer, we really do, but lots of think autumn is our favourite season and here’s why.
1. Conkers. I’m never going to get over my excitement at finding a shiny brown conker and you can use them for so many things. Throw them, grow them, squash them, smash them. Conkers are great.
2. Dry leaves. One of my favourite things to do is to go for a walk kicking up lots of dry leaves. I hope this year it will stay dry so we can play in them.
3. Preparing for Christmas. I know it’s September but I love Christmas and it starts at the end of November for me! Christmas crafts, Christmas songs and plotting Christmas presents all make me really happy.
4. Dark evenings. Some people hate them but I like heading home in the dark and coming back to a warm and bright house.
5. Hot chocolate. Finally an excuse to warm up by drinking some hot chocolatey milky goodness whether it’s out and about or at home. I like to add ginger or cinnamon to mix it up a bit.
6. Pumpkins. I love carving pumpkins ready for Halloween and they taste pretty good too. One of my favourites is pumpkin pie from when I spent a year as an au pair in the US. You don’t even have to cut up a pumpkin to make it!
7. Cute hats and scarves. I love novelty hats on children and I crochet my charges a new hat every year. They’re going to be a frog and a bunny so if you see us, wave hello.
8. My Ugg boots. Banished for the summer they can come out from the bottom of the wardrobe. They’re probably the comfiest thing I’ve ever owned.
9. Apples. I know what you’re thinking, all the things so far have been really unhealthy. I even made pumpkin unhealthy! But in season apples are one of my fave foods, especially in a crumble.
10. Fires. At the risk of sounding like a pyromaniac I love bonfires. I love seeing the flames, hearing the crackling and smelling the smoke from a wood fire. Possibly best avoided with children, though…
“What are reasonable duties for a nanny when children are nursery/school?” This is a question which comes up quite a lot, and as some nannies will be finding themselves with some free time as of this week, we thought we’d look.
“What are reasonable duties for a nanny when children are nursery/school?” This is a question which comes up quite a lot, and as some nannies will be finding themselves with some free time as of this week, we thought we’d take a look.
Looking after other children
If there are younger children in the family, it’s a no brainer. A nanny’s wages won’t go down because they only have 1 child during these hours, and they’re still on call for any illness or closures, plus school holidays. If there aren’t younger children it’s possible to set up a nanny share, and this kind of arrangement can work well – Family A get to keep their nanny and reduce their costs, Family B get some solo time and reduced costs too. Bear in mind that any such arrangement needs to be formalised, and a nanny should never be offered as a free babysitter to another family without checking first.
Nursery duties
Most nannies will do nursery duties anyway, but usually while children nap. As a child going to nursery won’t be napping any longer (although some do) and a child at school won’t, so a nanny can use child-free hours to do laundry, ironing, batch-cooking (especially useful for school holidays), cleaning children’s bedrooms and bathrooms and so on.
PA duties
One big advantage of nanny is having someone at home to receive urgent parcels and let in workmen. With a little negotiation a nanny may take on some PA duties for the whole family, such as shopping for birthday presents and other specific items (or doing research online), ordering and receiving a weekly internet shop, dropping off dry cleaning, going to the Post Office and a hundred and one organisational duties around the house.
Light housekeeping duties
Nannies go into childcare to look after children, rather than clean, but adding a little light housekeeping such as hoovering, family cooking or family ironing. Most won’t clean parent’s bedrooms or bathrooms or do family laundry (especially if it involves underwear). For that you would need to find a nanny-housekeeper.
When you start a job everything seems great. Your charges are great. Your bosses are great. The area is great. The new routine is great.
Then reality hits, and at the end of the second week you wonder whether you really made the right choice after all. Are these hours as convenient as they seem? Is their behaviour getting worse? Are your bosses really pleased with what you’ve been doing? Maybe they’re re-evaluating their decision, just like you’re re-evaluating yours? Maybe this job is doomed? Is it worth the money to be unhappy? Are you even really unhappy?
When you start a job everything seems great. Your charges are great. Your bosses are great. The area is great. The new routine is great.
Then reality hits, and at the end of the second week you wonder whether you really made the right choice after all. Are these hours as convenient as they seem? Is their behaviour getting worse? Are your bosses really pleased with what you’ve been doing? Maybe they’re re-evaluating their decision, just like you’re re-evaluating yours? Maybe this job is doomed? Is it worth the money to be unhappy? Are you even really unhappy?
Recognise this feeling for what it is and you’ll feel better. It’s a natural instinct to take stock once the initial excitement of a new job has worn off, especially if your previous job was a good fit and you felt very comfortable. Building up trust with a new family is a relatively slow process and things won’t feel the same for a while. It’s a good idea to persevere until the end of the probationary period so you know you’ve given it a good shot, and things will probably improve past the 2 week point anyway.
Addressing any niggles you have at this stage is vital to prevent potentially difficult situations from escalating. Hearing positive feedback will boost your self-esteem and your employers will be reassured that you’re making an effort to fit in with their needs and wants rather than powering ahead with the way you’ve always done things. It also gives your bosses a safe space to raise anything they aren’t happy about. Everyone makes mistakes and it’s almost inevitable that you’ll have done something differently to how they would do it but rather than letting it build up you should clear the air and find out what they want you to do in future, or explain why you’ve chosen to do something differently.
Isolation can be a big factor if you’ve just moved to a new area or your nanny friends have charges of a different age. Be proactive about going out and finding new friends or tapping into contacts your bosses have already made, and don’t lose touch with your old friends. Nannies need peer support just as much as anyone else and your previous nanny network can help you through a tough time even if you don’t see them as often as you used to. If you’re new to nannying then try to buddy up with an experienced nanny to mentor you through the transition.
Give yourself positive things to look forward to over the next week at work and out of work too – introduce your charges to your favourite activities or plan a fun outing and treat yourself to something midweek as a little pick-me-up. The more positive memories and feelings you have about a new job, the more relaxed and confident you’ll feel, and everyone will pick up on it.
If nothing seems to be working give yourself a timeframe where you’ll give it your best, and if you don’t feel any different make the decision to move on. There’s no shame in accepting that you and the family aren’t a good match and you’ll soon find a job that’s perfect for you.
We’ve talked before about the importance of a good profile in winning you work as a nanny, but a CV – and your experience and qualifications – will only get you as far as the interview.
Imagine opening a mystery box of chocolates. You have preferences – for example you prefer milk chocolate and don’t like nuts – and you can make decisions about what you see on the outside. That’s what your CV is for, to help the family pick out the milk chocolates and discard the nuts. Other things you can only tell by biting into the chocolate and discovering the hidden nuts inside. Sometimes a really tasty-looking chocolate can be disappointing, and sometimes a chocolate that seems plain on the outside can have a surprising centre.
Once you actually meet the parents, what is it that will land you the job?
Remember that the interview is first and foremost a chance for you and the family to interact, so don’t sit there passively! Taking an active part in the discussion and asking well- timed questions will show that you’re interested in hearing about them and their expectations as well as being prepared to answer questions about your experience and approach to childcare. Respond to the family’s cues and where they ask you what you would do in certain situations you should answer the question and then reflect it back to them to find out what their preferences are.
Let your enthusiasm for your job, and children, shine through. A happy, animated nanny who is able to describe what they do on a day to day basis is much more likeable than a coldly, professional nanny who gives textbook answers. Also show enthusiasm for the children if they are there. Try to get to know your future charges by smiling, waving and asking them questions, getting down on their level and responding to any overtures they make such as bringing you a favourite toy.
You probably have a list of questions in your head (or on paper!) that you want answered and chances are some of these will be covered before they ask whether you have any questions at the end of the interview. Pay attention to what the family say all the way through so unless you’ve genuinely forgotten the answer (in which case you should apologise and just ask them for clarification) you don’t ask for information you’ve already been given.
Also make sure your questions don’t focus solely on hours, pay and holidays, although that is obviously very important ground to cover. Ask about the children’s favourite activities, how the parents like to communicate during the day and what their priorities are as a family. Taking an interest in them as people will also help you decide whether you feel able to work with them.
The main objective of an interview is to establish a good relationship between you and the family, so you both leave with the impression that you could work well together.
It’s back-to-school time for children all over the UK next week. Whilst a lot of children find starting, or going back to school very exciting, moving into a different year can be difficult for some children, and moving to a different school can be even harder.
We’ve put together our top tips to help you support your transitioning child to ensure a smooth start to the new school year!
Continue reading “Back to School: How to Support Your Child as They Transition to a New Year”
With a number of positive factors including flexibility, term-time holidays, child-led learning and learning at the child’s pace, instead of the pace of the class, home education (home schooling in the US) has seen a huge rise in popularity and it’s not surprising that nannies have been stepping in to help.
Think about it, a nanny who helps a home educating family isn’t a far cry from a governess. Back in the day, governesses were hired to educate and care for the family’s children which allowed parents to focus on work and other pursuits.
Continue reading “How Nannies Can Help Home Schooling Families”
The end of the summer holidays is fast approaching and for many 4 year olds this means the start of their first year at big school. Whether they’ve been at nursery full time, attended some form of preschool or been at home, the transition to Reception can be a huge step. We’ve asked Rachel, a teacher with 11 years of experience welcoming new starters, for her take on the top 5 skills a 4 year old needs to know.
Be able to dress themselves
“Most 4 year olds can put on their own coat, but they might struggle with an unfamiliar zip or buttons. Likewise they can put on their shoes but new types of fastening can really slow them down. If your 4 year old can’t dress independently you should start encouraging them to do that right now and if you haven’t already bought those school shoes or a new coat don’t put it off. They will need some practice before the big day. Children who can’t do this by themselves really hold the whole class back and end up frustrated before class even begins.”
Be able to listen and follow instructions
“A lot of the first part of the term is spent helping children listen and follow the directions the adults in the classroom give. A child who can keep quiet and who can follow two-tier instructions such as ‘take your shoes off and sit on the mat’ is going to have a much easier time and a more positive experience of those early school days than one who wanders around lost because they didn’t listen or ends up getting told off because they sat on the mat with their shoes on. This also builds concentration, which is key to future success.”
Know when they need to the toilet
“Children often come to school dry but not fully independent. They still rely on someone to nudge them into going. When you have 30 children in a class that just isn’t possible and inevitably accidents happen. You can minimise that by making sure that your child is aware of the sensations of a full bladder or bowel and that they know they need to act on that.”
Be able to wipe their bottom and wash their hands
“Taking care of their own hygiene is something small children find quite hard, but it’s really, really important. We can’t spend all our time wiping bottoms, and stomach bugs and other nasties spread like wildfire in reception, which is probably linked to children who don’t wash their hands before returning to class.”
Be able to recognise their own name
“People are often surprised that I don’t put this first. In fact this is a useful skill, but it’s not essential. It’s far more important that children are physically independent, because that takes a lot of time and effort to teach them, which we just don’t have. But if a child can recognise their name on the first day they can find their peg, and their cubby or their drawer, and it gives them a sense of belonging. It also speeds up those transitions at the beginning of the day, between breaks and class-time, and between certain activities. And it means a child has made a good start on letter recognition and they’ll engage with literacy much more readily if they feel connected to the letters.”
