Nanny Jobs:  What To Expect

Nanny’s First Day/Week

Like any new job, the first few days of a nanny job are always a bit intimidating as you find your feet.  As well as getting to know a young child or children, you will also have to get your bearings in a new nanny environment.  Here’s a list of basic practical pointers that should ease the process of starting a nanny job:

1. Make a list of useful telephone numbers in case of emergencies including your next of kin should anything happen to you.
2. Ask for a set of keys and find out if there are any spare keys hidden away somewhere.
3. Be sure to have your exact nanny duties, including domestic chores, clearly outlined.
4. Locate the fuse box, first aid kit and stopcock.
5. Learn how household appliances work.
6. Find your way around the house and explore the immediate area around the house.
7. Take note of all house rules and stick to them firmly. Observe and respect religious and cultural practices.
8. Be fully informed of a child’s special dietary needs, allergies or conditions and where appropriate medication is kept.
9. Establish pay day and your day off - then you’ve got something to look forward to!

Nanny, Nanny!

Getting to know the children is much harder than learning the whereabouts of a switch and will require patience all round.  Smiling and making eye contact with young children will reassure them and break the ice.  Parents or previous nannies should explain the child’s routines and it’s best to stick to it (adaptations can be made later after the settling in period) and make it fun with songs, rhymes and games.

A log book or nanny diary is a great way to show the parents a break-down of their children’s day.  By including what they’ve eaten, drunk, how much they’ve slept, details of nanny changes/toilet training, learning activities, mishaps and medication, your employers will be in touch with their child’s development and reassured by your attention to detail.

Nanny Rules!

Your ideas of discipline might be completely different to your employers.  If that’s the case it’s vital that you sit down together and establish a set of rules that suit everyone.  Discipline is, after all, only a question of teaching a child what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.  Learning to be polite, how to share and good table manners are just the tip of the iceberg… but as you get to know a child you will soon see the problem areas that need to be worked on.  The big deal here is to remember that children need boundaries and limits.  Introducing rules and regulations helps to bring their world down to scale and once enforced, will make everybody’s life easier.

Good Nanny Wisdom

Children are notoriously fickle eaters and will happily make their nanny’s life hell when it comes to eating things they don’t like.  All of this can be avoided if, from the very beginning, you assert your nanny authority in the kitchen, keep menus diverse and inject an element of fun where needed.  It’s best to aim for a fairly strict meal routine and avoid too much snacking (see good snacks below).  Remember, food variety can vastly reduce the chance of allergies and also if good eating habits are acquired young, they can last a lifetime.

Your aim is to provide a healthy diet with a balanced amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and fibre.  By keeping salt, sugar, squash, cakes, biscuits, crisps and ketchup to the bare minimum and promoting fruit, nuts, oat cakes and raisins as good snacking material, you’ll be doing your charges no end of good.

To avoid any confrontation, it’s a good idea to have a chat with your employers about food early on.  Find out how much food they think their child should have, what level of strictness you should be imposing on eating greens etc and if there are any allergies.

For more information on healthy eating for all ages consult the Food Standards Agency website: www.eatwell.gov.uk and for a comprehensive guide on how to add more fruit and vegetables to yours and the children’s diet, check out the NHS website: www.5aday.nhs.uk.

Good Nanny Sleeping Tools

As with eating, good sleeping habits are born from routine.  A good nanny should establish an evening routine early on that will guarantee a peaceful night for all.  Announcing to your charge that bedtime isn’t far off will give them time to finish playing, tidy up and start winding down. Avoid over energetic or exciting games at the end of the day.  If a child isn’t tired, a brisk walk soon gets rid of any excess energy.  Bath time should be as relaxing as possible with teeth brushing and the putting on of pyjamas all clear pointers to the end of the day.

A bed time story is always a good calmer and make sure to ask if the child needs anything before you leave which will avoid them having an excuse to get up later. Leave doors ajar and landing lights lit if a child is scared of the dark. You may not even have anything to do with bedtime because it’s often the moment of the day that working parents like to share with their children.

Children under four really do need a nap at some time during the day. Discuss their routine with the parents or previous nanny.  Older children can also benefit from a quiet time during the day whether it is spent reading, drawing or doing a jigsaw puzzle.

Emergency Nanny Know-How

No matter how hard you try to avoid them, accidents and emergencies will invariably happen.  The best thing you can do is be prepared.  Make sure your first aid knowledge is up to scratch and that you have an easily accessible list of useful telephone numbers including; both your employers work and mobiles, the family doctor, the school, other family members and neighbours and the A&E department at the local hospital.

If an emergency does occur the most important thing is to stay calm, it will reassure the child.  Suffocation, choking, breathing problems or severe bleeding will require immediate action on your behalf, so act fast.  Next call an ambulance on 999 as quickly as possible - it will be quicker than you driving to the hospital.

If there’s a fire in the house, get the children and get out as quickly as possible.

Child safety is obviously the key to your nanny job so don’t hesitate to inform your employer if you think the fire place, windows, pool or pond are unsafe in any way.

For more accident and emergency information visit the NHS website, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk and look under “accidents and first aid”.  Or you can call 0845 4647 to ask a doctor a question.

Nanny Medicine

Get yourself onto a first aid course as soon as you can - it could make the difference between life and death and will also help you get and keep a nanny job.

There are many illnesses you may encounter during your nanny job. Make sure your employer informs you of all the injections your charges have had or are due to have.  If a child suffers from eczema, diabetes, epilepsy or asthma find out exactly what provokes the condition, what medicine is required and how you can ease their suffering.

The following are the most common childhood ailments nanny may encounter.  For more information visit the NHS website, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk and look under “common health questions” and “children’s health”.

·        Colds:  During the winter months most children will be affected by a runny nose at some time or another.  A cold is a virus and normally takes about ten days to get better.  Keep the child warm inside and give them plenty of fluids.  Try and reduce dairy products which increase mucus production. 

·        Cough:  Again coughs come and go and there is little you can do to get rid of them.  If a child has a dry cough and sore throat a cup of warm water with lemon and honey is soothing.

·        Teething: Frozen teething rings, carrot and apple sticks are all good for easing teething pains.  Be aware that teething doesn’t have secondary effects apart from the occasional temperature, so don’t blame it for other ailments - these should be treated separately.

·        Tummy ache:  Normally caused by a mild problem in the digestive tract, encourage the child to lie down with a hot water bottle held against the discomfort.  If the pain continues for more than two hours, seek medical advice.

·        Diarrhoea:  Bananas and plain white rice are the best way to calm diarrhoea in older children, with plenty of non-dairy or fruit juice-based liquids, i.e. plain water.  If a small baby has diarrhoea there is a risk of dehydration, so it’s best to call a doctor.

·        Constipation:  If your charge appears to be constipated (it is sometimes accompanied by head and stomach aches) increase the fibre content of their diet with whole-wheat foods and fresh fruit and vegetables.  Drinking plenty of liquids and exercise also help.  Don’t give laxatives unless you have been advised by a doctor.

·        Vomiting:  If the child is sick just once, stop solid foods and concentrate on liquids for 24 hours.  Then avoid fatty foods for the following 48 hours.  If the vomiting is accompanied by diarrhoea, tummy ache and fever seek urgent medical advice.

·        Earache:  Ear infections are another winter time regular and will normally need doctor-administered antibiotics.

·        Chicken pox:  With no vaccination available, almost every child will get chicken pox.  The small red spots that blister over last for two weeks and are highly infectious, so don’t hesitate to warn other mums/nannies in parks.  Children on the whole aren’t too bothered by the illness, just keep their finger nails short and apply calamine lotion to the affected areas.

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