Parents are Doing the Best They Can

Nanny Confessions One of the best lessons I have learned working as a nanny is that I have never met a parent that doesn’t love their children and that all parents are doing the best they can. I confess that over the years I have disagreed with a lot of the choices parents who have […]

Never Be Condescending to Your Boss

Nanny Confessions: Keep Your Attitude in Check I confess, working as a nanny for 20-years I have developed some pretty strong opinions about how to raise children. I have a point of view on the best way to get infants on a sleep schedule, how to potty train them, and a preferred philosophy about disciplining […]

Nannies Work Harder if They Feel Wanted

Nanny Confessions: Parents Should Thank Their Caregivers I confess I work harder when I feel appreciated. I was reading The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People by David Niven and I agree with his comment that, “We work harder and better when we feel appreciated.” It might sound small, but it’s true. Nannies tend to […]

I Hate When Kids Whine “I’m Bored”

Nanny Confessions: Sometimes Kids Have to Be Bored to Stimulate Themselves I am reading A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny’s Story by Brenda Ashford and she explains that since she was born in the 1920s her days weren’t filled with television, computer games, and constant activities, which taught her to use her imagination to play. […]

Why Not Just Hang Up Your Phone?

Nanny Confessions: Stay off Your Cell While Out with the Kids This Summer In 2011 we asked 27 nanny industry experts if nannies should be allowed to text and use their cell phones while working. An overwhelming number of the experts recommend limiting personal cell phone use and personal texting while working. Some actually suggest […]

Nanny Confessions: It’s Easy to Misinterpret Notes

Communicate Face-to-Face, Not in NotesBy Stephanie Felzenberg, Nanny and Editor of Be the Best Nanny Newsletter Nannies are encouraged to record what happens during their work day in a daily log. But, if nannies don’t choose their words wisely their written comments can be misinterpreted as judgmental, condescending, or patronizing (not the tone an employer […]

Nanny Confessions: Leave Special Toys At Home

Does a Child in Your Care Bring a Special Toy or Stuffed Animal With Them Everywhere They Go? By Elizabeth Hawksworth For this week’s nanny confession I asked one of my good friends who works at a daycare center to chime-in on some of the things she wishes daycare parents knew. She mentioned that children often […]

What Nannies Can Do During the Baby’s Naptime

How to Keep Motivated During Down Time When the third grader is at school full-time and the toddler is napping it can be hard to be motivated to do another load of laundry when your favorite soap opera is on the flat screen and some leftover birthday cake is waiting to be tasted in the […]

Are Nannies Like a Third Parent?

It’s Hard Enough for Two Parents to Raise a Child, But Adding a Nanny Makes it More Complicated It would be impossible for any two parents to agree 100 percent of the time on how to raise a child. But, it gets even more complicated when you throw another person (a nanny) into the mix. […]