Starting a New Nanny Job

What You Need to Know When Starting a New Nanny Job Before starting a new nanny position caregivers and parents should sign a work agreement, fill out necessary tax paperwork such as Form W-4, and fill out and submit any applications for benefits being offered to the new employee. Most nanny placement agencies should be […]

The Best Nannies Resist the Urge to be Average

Surround Yourself with Positive Influences: Don’t Let Nannies with Bad Attitudes Rub Off On You I feel like I am finally reaching the salary and professional respect that I have been striving for in the past 20-years working as a nanny. There is no doubt that there is lot of luck is involved in finding a […]

Using Time Blocks to Plan Your Day

How Nannies Should Schedule the Children’s Day Babies and toddlers often create their own schedules — you feed them, change their diapers, and let them sleep when they want to. But preschoolers need structured days. When working as a nanny with small children try using time blocks to plan the day. To use time blocks, […]

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 […]

Respecting Professional Boundaries for Nannies

You are a Nanny, Not a Family Member When the nanny-child-parent relationship is satisfactory for everyone it is easy for parents to praise their employees and affectionately call them “members of the family.” But, the reality is that being a nanny is a job. To keep nannies hard-working, reliable, and respectful of the employers’ wishes, […]

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. […]

Are You a Calm or Hysterical Caregiver?

Visual Cliff Experiment from Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky In Mind in the Making, Ellen Galinsky has grouped research into seven critical areas that children need most: (1) focus and self control; (2) perspective taking; (3) communicating; (4) making connections; (5) critical thinking; (6) taking on challenges; and (7) self-directed, engaged learning. For […]