“Nanny Knows Best: The History of the British Nanny” by Katherine Holden 

“Nanny Knows Best” by Katherine Holden is not a how-to manual for nannies. This book is about British history. Katherine Holden’s book is an exploration of the British nanny as a cultural institution — equal parts moral compass, parental substitute, and Victorian child-wrangler extraordinaire.

“Nanny Knows Best” charts the evolution of the British nanny from the late Victorian era through the postwar years.

As an American nanny myself — trained in childhood development, CPR-certified, and proud owner of a stain-removing skill set that borders on the supernatural — I found this book fascinating. These British nannies weren’t just caregivers; they were mini-monarchs ruling the nursery with a firm hand and a keen eye for class boundaries.

What makes this book stand out is its exploration of how nannies navigated their curious in-between status — neither family nor servant, yet essential to both.

From the rise of Norland-trained professionals to the decline of in-house nursery life in favor of daycare and au pairs, Holden peels back the layers of the nanny’s social function in Britain like an onion.

Do I wish there had been more juicy firsthand accounts in this book? Absolutely. As a nanny, I crave the mess and the tantrums all nannies experience. But Holden is a historian, not a tabloid journalist, and what she does provide is a well-researched, sociologically rich examination that places nannies right at the heart of 20th-century British family life.

So, would I recommend this book? For sure. “Nanny Knows Best” is brainy, brisk, and just the right amount of British. And if you’re a nanny like me, it’ll make you proud to be part of a lineage that includes both cuddles and cultural capital.

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