What are You Doing for Cinco de Mayo? Ideas from mailjust4me Cinco de Mayo means the 5th of May and celebrates the Mexican Army’s victory against the French at the battle of Puebla – a battle that took place on May 5, 1862. Serve any of your favorite Mexican delicacies such as tacos, fajitas, nachos with […]
Get to Work and Pick-Up the Kids Early It’s important to arrive to work on time in every profession, but for nannies parents rely on caregivers to be on time (or a few minutes early) so they can arrive at their jobs on time too. Being early to work gives caregivers a chance to take […]
Creative Wednesday One summer in college I worked as an outdoor camp counselor. Since the first few nights sleeping outside in the dark can be scary for some children we played games to teach the kids to use all of their senses, not just their sight. This game requires plenty of pungent and spicy smelling foods and blindfolds […]
If You Get a Puppy Pay Your Nanny More to Care for It By Stephanie Felzenberg Families have the right to own pets. But when working parents that hire full-time nannies get a new puppy they should acknowledge that caring for the new pet will largely fall upon the nanny. Nannies need to be compensated for the extra work […]
Respecting Professional Boundaries for Nannies When caring for other people’s kids I urge nannies not yell at children. To encourage kids to be respectful and kind you need to be respectful and kind towards them.Consider if you wouldn’t use an aggressive tone with another adult, why is it okay to us an aggressive tone and scream […]
Why Nannies Should Use Fingerplays and Musical Acitivities with Children According to Dr. Harry Steckman of the Steckman Studio of Music in Oak Park, Illinois, nannies should use age-appropriate musical activities to aid in child development. Within just a few weeks after birth babies respond to human voices with gurgling. By seven- to eight-months-old children move their […]
Cooking With Kids Kids love anything that comes in the shape of a cupcake. The Grandmother of the kids I care for visited and made these adorable mini lasagnas in cupcake tins. They are easy to make and even easier to eat. I even pack mini lasagnas in school lunch boxes, which I never did with lasagna […]
It’s Not Cute When Kids Curse Cursing got a rookie anchorman fired on his first day of work. Profanity on radio or television used to be verboten. Increasingly, an acceptance of coarse words has infiltrated the media. Usually the profane words are presented as the “F” word or the “S” word, or the even more […]
Wednesdays with Whitney Introducing chore charts to little ones can sometimes be difficult. All the check marks, words, and undefined rewards can be complicated for a three- or four-year old. A much better approach involves lots of relatable visuals and clearly defined (and realistic) rewards. The Ice Cream Chart explained below is a perfect combination of these […]
Nanny Confessions By Stephanie Felzenberg, Nanny and Editor of How to Be the Best Nanny Nannies work in a service industry and they are at-will employees. Although caring for children is their priority, it is normal for nannies to do some housekeeping, even if they do not want to. The best nannies try to keep […]
