Advice for a (hopefully) future nanny?
Hello everyone! So the week has been off to a pretty good start.
Works a little on the busy side, but that makes the day go faster (although it leaves less time for all of you *tear*)
I have enough money to cover my school tuition and I was able to save a little extra! Yay!
I have a possible nanny job lined up for me when I return to FL. I am expecting a call from the mom today or tomorrow.
It's a pretty cushy job 2-7 Mon.-Fri. It's just watching one little girl who is 5. Apparently the little girl is 5 going on 20 which makes me imagine her as Dakota Fanning in Uptown Girls haha.
I thought I would ask advice from all my lovely blogger buddies out there. I know a lot of you are mom's or older sisters, aunts, etc. What would you like to hear from the person that was going to be watching your little loved one? The family is very conservative and the parents are both very successful with the same hopes for their child. So let me know what you would want to hear!!! Thanks so much everyone. Happy Tuesday!
July 21, 2009 9:24 AM
I too am looking for a nanny job here in the city to help me get through school. I will be asking YOU for advice! Good Luck!! :)
July 21, 2009 9:25 AM
oh gosh, i don't think i've met a little girl that's five going on 20.. but she seems pretty mature for age, which is good. you probably won't have trouble taking care of her.
i wonder what she does for fun though..
July 21, 2009 9:51 AM
That little girl sounds like my 6 yr old going on 18 yr old niece! She is SO MUCH FUN! You will have a blast and honestly she's my favorite shopping partner.....she's very honest :) Good Luck!
July 21, 2009 10:08 AM
say you would love to take her to activities for fun, like the zoo or a park to get out of the house!
July 21, 2009 10:37 AM
I don't have any real advice (sorry), but I do wish you lots of luck! ;)
July 21, 2009 10:44 AM
I babysit all the time and I have a 10 year old sister and 12 year old brother. I would tell them you are protective and caring:). I think it always helps to have the house looking better than it was when the parents left too. I try to do dishes and pick up while the kids are playing. Best of luck!!
July 21, 2009 11:09 AM
I used to nanny while I was in school for a very prominent family. Parents were very successful/ sweet/ yet nerdy. I loved those kids and would sneek candy every now and then (almost everyday). They lived such sheltered lives they had never been to a gas station. I was very responsible with them (minus the candy part but they never even had a cavity in their little lives!) but we had fun! I loved it.
Interview with the parents just as you would anything else. Be professional and whatnot. I'm not suggesting you turn their kids into hoodlums....sometimes they just need to live a little ;)
Good luck!
July 21, 2009 11:36 AM
Good luck! I have never been a nanny so I don't want to offer up any advice that might be way off but how could they not love you?!
July 21, 2009 12:12 PM
Ha, I'm a teacher, so I'd be trying to read to her all the time and teach her math!
July 21, 2009 12:27 PM
I was a nanny for a couple of years in college for two 10 year olds, a boy a girl, and gosh, they were a hand full! I am not trying to scare you, but it is a ton of work, but worth it if you have a lot of energy and get along well with the little girl. I think asking the parents what their expectations are of you and what they are looking for in a nanny will score with them, because it shows that they care. Also, maybe having them write a list of what the little girl eats, what rules they implement in the home, etc, also helps set guidelines. But...you can still have fun! Bringing fun activities to do and finding out what makes her tick will make your job enjoyable and worthwhile. One more tip...if you do little extras for the parents, like keeping stuff super tidy or just making their bed once in a while...it will score with them that you care about the details and sometimes they might throw in extra $, who knows? Good luck and let us know if you get the job doll! Hope you are having fun with your man. ;)
July 21, 2009 12:28 PM
Oops, shows that you care...guess I needed to read through that better, huh? Sorry for the novel - good luck sweetie!
July 21, 2009 12:34 PM
Good luck, hope you land the nanny job! Sorry no advice though from me, I never even really babysat so I am not much help. :)
July 21, 2009 1:44 PM
i am actually a nanny lol.
i hope u do well and the family is nice. the little one i watch is also a little precocious, but u know, they're still kids and they still need their share of fun.
good luck on the new job :)
July 21, 2009 1:53 PM
awww that should be fun! i've never babysat before but i do teach little toddlers (2-5yrs) at my church. have a lotta activities planned out so they never have time to say "im bored" and do something crazy. arts & crafts are great...and minimal sugar would be good too. hahah! ;P have fun!
July 21, 2009 2:03 PM
Hey girl! That is great that you have a nanny job lined up! I nanny in the summertime! I would just make sure that you love the family that you are going to nanny for. Ask the family what type of schedule the little girl is on, what she likes to do, what kind of rules do they have for her.
I was a nanny last summer for a family that didn't pay for any of the extra activities we did and I ended up spending a lot on the kids, which was hard. If you are comfortable asking about the money situation, I would make sure that there is like a weekly allowance set for the two of you to do fun things.
Let me know if you have any other questions! :)) Id be happy to help!
July 21, 2009 2:39 PM
If I were interviewing you to be my son's nanny, I would want to hear that you love kids and are very patient. I'd like to hear of any previous experience you've had with children and I would also want to know that you would care for him like you would your own child (or a relative's child). Hope this helps :) Good luck!
July 21, 2009 2:45 PM
I myself was a nanny for years. Lesson #1: Don't let the kids lock you out of the house. Sounds easy, but this has happened to me twice!!
I would recommend you mention to the mother you like to do things with kids. Not just "watch" her, but play with her, use your imagination, teach her, listen to music, read stories, etc. This is the key to successful babysitting because the girl will love you AND ur day will go by quicker.
Again...don't get locked out!
July 21, 2009 6:09 PM
Glad everything has been working out for you! That's always good!
July 21, 2009 6:25 PM
Good luck! I am sure everything will go great! Just be yourself!
July 21, 2009 9:18 PM
Just be true to yourself and express how you love and are great with kids. I'm sure the mom's gonna love you. Just be your usual, darling self. :)
July 21, 2009 10:40 PM
Well my daughter is 4 1/2 going on 16!! miss AH-ti-tude!! eye rolls, hair flips, and a butt shake better than her mamma! But maturity is not so much in this household! Good luck, a parent wants to see a respectable honest trusting person. Be yourself!!
July 22, 2009 12:05 AM
Good luck! I hope you get the job. And wow, 2-7 is not bad at all!
July 22, 2009 3:18 AM
I think it's going to be fun...just take your vitamins & good luck dear!
July 22, 2009 4:00 AM
I actually have a friend who is a live in nanny with a family in Connecticut. She went to St. Tropez for Christmas with the family. And got to do all these great things. She drives a Volvo and gets paid about $50,000 a year which she doesn't have to spend on ANYTHING. Being a nanny is a really great job as long as you love kids.
July 22, 2009 7:54 AM
I would want to hear how you were going to keep my little man entertained. Hopefully you would have looked up age appropriate activities for him. Good luck!
July 22, 2009 8:28 AM
Wonderful blog; will most definitely be following! :) I was a nanny last year-- not a good experience. Ugh. Hopefully you will have a wonderful, considerate family, nice parents, and a calm child. hehe.
If you ever get the chance, be sure and stop by my blog and comment & follow! And the photo caption contest is still going on, so submit a caption.
-Laila
www.randomweavings.blogspot.com
July 22, 2009 6:42 PM
I have 5 nieces & nephews & if there's anything I've learned in the past 8 years about other people dealing with them, it's that you have to be comfortable. Let the mom know that you're not afraid to tell her no. My sister would rather have the kids hate their baby-sitter, knowing they weren't getting away with murder, than to let her kids walk all over them. Good luck with the nanny job!!!!!
July 22, 2009 7:38 PM
I am a nanny and my advice to you would be to just follow your instincts, and have fun!
July 22, 2009 9:26 PM
I'm a nanny! Safety is key and being fun is a must. Upbeat, energetic, understanding of kids and willing to be a friend but set boundaries. You can still be their best friend while providing rules!
I gave you an award, check out my honesty post :)
July 23, 2009 3:05 PM
Check out these nanny sites to learn the "real deal" on being a nanny- as it's not always nice...
nannynetwork.com
nannyisland.com
Having a written work agreement will also help to iron out any problems beforehand.
To see a sample of one-
just google-
Nanny Work Agreement
Check out the top nanny organizations:
International Nanny Association
nanny.org
National Association for Nanny Care
You may also find it helpful to find a local nanny support group.
Good luck!
July 25, 2009 2:49 PM
Oh you will be amazing at being a nanny! My little ones are a lot younger than 5 {my little man is 2 and jelly belly is 4 months}, so I do not know if we would exactly be looking for the same type of care, but, I would want you to be yourself while we were talking. I dont think I can point out exactly "what I would want to hear". I think moms have a great way of knowing who is right to watch their kids, they can sense it talking to the person;your voice, your eye contact, the way your interact with the kids when you first see them, do you kneel down to their level, do you smile, are you warm, do you sound honest and trust worthy, all of those things will add up; and that is exactly you! She will love you, just be yourself :)
August 4, 2009 9:27 PM
nannying can seriously suck depending on the parents, especially...even the nicest ones can turn into nightmares, i speak from experience... be really careful with vacationing with families to ask about expectations such as when you have off time, as sometimes certain parents may expect you to work 24/7 since "they brought you with them on vacation"
August 11, 2009 2:08 AM
Play changes considerably as the toddler's motor skills develop; he uses his physical skills to push and pull objects; to climb up, down, in, and out; and to run or ride on toys.
A short attention span requires frequent changes in toys and play media.Toddlers increase their cognitive abilities by manipulating objects and learning about their qualities, which makes tactile play (with water, sand, finger paints, clay) important.
Join BluePixo Entertainment - A place for mom and dad to share topics about parenthood and get a chance to win iPod nano