Be a Good Nanny
In today's world, more and more parents are turning to nannies to watch their children while they work. Fortunately, nannying is one of the most rewarding careers anyone can have, even though it is one of the most difficult. It's important to remember that you will be nurturing someone else's child(ren), so you must be very aware of the parents' needs.
Contents
Steps
- Find a good family! This is the most important step, and often the most difficult. Even though it seems easy enough, finding a family to nanny can be a quite a trial. You have to remember to pick a family whose values are not in conflict to your own (are they very religious, while you're less so? do they smoke/drink too much or often for your liking?) and one who will treat you like a partner, not a subordinate.
- Make sure you're working with children the right age! Not everyone will be able to work with infants, or toddlers, or teenagers. There are distinct differences between child age groups, each with different needs, and you may find that you simply work better with one or two, but can't quite grasp the entire scope.
- Learn to cook. Working with children often involves preparing simple meals and snacks, so a basic knowledge of cooking is required to be a competent nanny. It's also a good idea to cook with your children, if they're the right age, as it can be a fun project for you and for them!
- Know how to appropriately discipline. Children will often make a bad decision or two and, as a nanny, it is your job to enact the appropriate disciplinary measures. Remember that no child is bad -- they just don't know how to do the right thing, and need your help to learn how. Start with warnings. Warn them once, letting them know what will happen if they don't follow directions. Warn them again, more forcefully, and tell them that the next time they disobey they will get their punishment. Finally, enact the punishment -- for the younger children, time-outs are a good option, as well as removing an item if it is causing the problem. Make sure the time-outs/loss of an item are for just as long as the severity of the disobedience. For the older children, losing privileges or "time-outs" in their room are good options as well.
- Interact with the children! Play with them. Do activities relevant to their interests. Find something fun and creative that also helps them learn. Go out for walks, to the park, or to a museum. Get them active, then go home and read a book. Help them with things that are difficult. Make sure, with any child any age, to talk to them in their language.
- Discuss daily with the parents. Your employers will want to know what the children have been up to, so be sure to tell them all their child's/children's accomplishments, all the fun you had, and any rough spots. Give them some insight into how their kids are during the day, outside of the parental scope.
- Remember -- they're your kids now, too! Love them. Be proud of them. Give them a reason to look forward to your visits. Make sure they know that, even if you put them in time-out or take away their T.V. privilege, you still care about them and want the best for them. Help them learn things, coach them through the difficult parts, and celebrate their successes. Be silly with them and talk to them like they're people, because they understand much more than many people think.
Tips
- Depending on the age of the children you're nannying, introducing learning activities can be a fun and rewarding experience. Science projects, craft projects, simple recipes, or building something can keep them occupied and make them feel like they're accomplishing something important.
- For younger children, using a chart for keeping track of their accomplishments can be very helpful. Try making a sticker-chart - give them a sticker when they do their homework, after naptime, when they read their book for the day, etc. It gives them motivation to complete these tasks, and makes it easier for you to get them inspired to do them even on days when they don't want to. Make sure to give them a payoff - after a whole month has been full, after every 50 stickers, after they've filled up their chart, give them something special. Bring a new activity, make something tasty with them, take them on a special outing, or buy them a little toy. Trust me, it really helps to get them to do what they need to do, with no fuss or muss!
- Give older children their space. They may feel like they don't need a nanny, so don't be one - be a friend, a helper, a watchful eye, but as long as they aren't breaking any rules or doing anything they oughtn't be doing, let them have some independence.
- When two siblings are in a dispute about "who done what," be sure to listen to both sides equally and make a sensible fair judgement, children often feel frustrated if they feel they are being ignored.
Warnings
- Be aware of where children are ALWAYS. They can run off and be gone before you know it, so always be alert.
- Remember to clean up after yourself and your children. Parents do not want to come home to messes.
- Do not fall into the TV-trap. It's easy to plop them down in front of a screen, but it ultimately hurts them and you, making children petulant and over-stimulated.
- Respect the parents' decisions. It is their choice to raise their children how they please, and although you can certainly make pertinent suggestions, if they want the children to function in a certain environment, you must provide it to the best of your ability. If you find you cannot, you might need to find another family.
- Know first aid and CPR. You can never be too prepared.
- Always have a phone, a bottle of water, and a small first-aid kit nearby. Children, especially smaller ones, are accident-prone, so band-aids and a bottle of water can be lifesavers.
