Stop … it’s nanny time
Career women are often fiercely independent, keen to prove they can have and do it all without assistance. If this sounds like you, it might be time to take off the super-woman cape and make the wise decision to hire a nanny.
A great nanny is a beneficial assistant that can help care for your children and work around your particular schedule to create a healthy home life for everyone. A nanny can help ensure your family has a more relaxed Mum in the house, not one that is stressed-out trying to attempt the impossible.
In Australia, having a nanny can be perceived as a luxury, only for those who can afford it. However, the many women who seek to have a brilliant career and a healthy happy family life not only enlist, but celebrate the great work of nannies. A good nanny is less of a luxury and more a godsend. As a woman with drive myself, I could not have started my business at a time when I had two small children, without the help of a nanny who collected them from school and prepared our meals.
Publishing queen and nanny-advocate, Ita Buttrose spoke to The Sunday Mail (UK) and stated that if women in Australia embraced more of a nanny culture, more women would stay in work and have equal opportunities to their male counterparts.
How to select a nanny
Selecting a nanny should be approached as delicately and meticulously as choosing a husband. A lot of research and thought should be put in to what you are looking for and you need to be very clear on exactly what you want to achieve.
So how do you approach hiring a nanny? First, if there’s a man in the house they should be part of the decision making process. We want to avoid an “I told you so” should you select an incompatible nanny. Also, get agreement on what the nanny will and won’t do around the house and who will be his/her primary point of contact.
What to look for in a nanny
I know we’re not meant to judge a book by its cover, but first impressions do count. As well as the right responses to your questions, a sign of a good nanny, and one you’d trust with your beloved children, is someone that takes time and care in their appearance. They don’t need to be sporting the latest runway looks, but just look neat and tidy – clean hair and fingernails are a good sign.
What questions should you ask?
Obviously, the basic questions are always relevant. How long have you been a nanny? What do you like about your profession? Why are you looking for a new position? Do you have any childcare education or training? Do you have any first-aid qualifications?
Then there are the more tricky questions, ones that relate to the individual’s beliefs about childrearing? What would you do in an emergency? What is your childcare style? What methods of discipline do you use?
Make sure you ask as many questions as you like in order to get to know your potential nanny. Here is a good website link that has many more interview questions – Visit: http://www.babycenter.com/0_nanny-interview-sheet_1450905.bc
Agency versus Friends/Relatives
Go through an agency – it’s easier, efficient and timely. They do the hard work for you. Once you put in a nanny request, the agency will send you a number of suitable candidates and the process is underway.
If you decide to use a friend or family member, you will need to be extremely clear about your expectations – and also be prepared to fire them if things don’t work out.
Where do I find a nanny?
Rockmybaby is an Australian agency that specialises in premium nanny care, as well as great tips and questions to ask when finding the right nanny for you. The website is www.rockmybaby.com.au.
If you have been using a great nanny service and would like to share your information with other women with drive, please make a comment in the comments box.
For more information visit: http://www.rockmybaby.com.au/pages/families-nanny-care
Sources: The Sunday Mail
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