How to Be a Good Nanny
Find a good family!, Make sure you're working with children the right age!, Learn to cook., Know how to appropriately discipline., Interact with the children!, Discuss daily with the parents., Remember -- they're your kids now, too!
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: 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. -
Step 2: 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. , 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! , 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. , 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. , 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. , 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. -
Step 3: Learn to cook.
-
Step 4: Know how to appropriately discipline.
-
Step 5: Interact with the children!
-
Step 6: Discuss daily with the parents.
-
Step 7: Remember -- they're your kids now
Detailed Guide
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.
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. , 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! , 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. , 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. , 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. , 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.
About the Author
Ryan Burns
Committed to making organization accessible and understandable for everyone.
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