Dedicated Domestics Nannies and Professional Staff » Nannies

School Can Be Terrifying for Some

Jeff — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:28:15 +0000

School Can Be Terrifying for Some
Dealing with bullies in school now can improve your child’s learning experience and give them the confidence they will need later in life.
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Choosing the Right Childcare so You Can Go Back to Work

Jeff — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:15:59 +0000

Choosing the Right Childcare so You Can Go Back to Work
You have made the decision to go back to work and now you have to find someone to care for your child when you can’t be there. Here are some things to think about that might help you reach an informed decision.
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Nannies, Babysitters, Mother’s Helpers, Oh My!

Jeff — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:15:33 +0000

Nannies, Babysitters, Mother’s Helpers, Oh My!
With so many titles for child caregivers, how does a Mom know who to choose for which job? To confuse the issue even more, many caregivers use the terms interchangeably as well. This will help you make the right choice for your family or your resume.
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The Hidden Consequence of Choosing the Wrong Nanny for Your Children

Jeff — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:18:56 +0000

The Hidden Consequence of Choosing the Wrong Nanny for Your Children
Children need as much stability in their lives as possible. Choosing a Nanny or Sitter wisely can prevent disruptions that may otherwise cause issues latter.
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Have You Had A Current Flu Shot?

Jeff — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:15:19 +0000

Some recent articles suggest that nannies who have had their H1N1 flu shot are finding jobs much faster than those that have not had it. While in some cases it may be true, the real advantage is to protect the Nanny. As we are all aware, children are more prone to catching a cold or flu than an adult. Once a child has the flu and passes it on to their nanny the problems are significant for everyone involved. It is not just the child and their household that is affected, but the nannies household can be affected too. If the nanny gets sick and misses work it can be devastating, as most nannies do not get paid if they are not at work. Of course the family will have its own problems filling in for the nanny when they too need to be at work.

The bottom line is for both nannies and families to make sure that they are all up to date on their shots to prevent serious issues from arising.

Happy Holiday

Jeff — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:55:23 +0000

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients, nannies, housekeepers, chefs, managers and all of the other many wonderful people that have helped us grow this past year.

Dedicated Domestics wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best Wishes,

Eloisa and Jeff Nelson

So you want to hire a Nanny? Now what?

Jeff — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:51:16 +0000

The first step is to decide what your real needs are. Be realistic in what you are looking for. Most household employees are looking for full time work. Some will be willing to work for two days with one family and three days with another, while others prefer to work full time for one family. The more challenging the schedule the more difficult it will be to find someone to fill your position. It is customary for nannies to request higher salaries to work odd hours, just like any other field. Sometimes, we have found that a family can hire a full time nanny for only slightly more than an odd schedule might cost. It really does pay to think through your needs carefully since hiring around a standard schedule can give you greater flexibility at home, increase you selection of nannies and sometimes even save you some money.

Besides the schedule you should consider what you need the person to do.

· Do you just need someone to watch your children or do they need tutoring skills to be able to help with the homework?

· While most nannies will help with light housekeeping, they will not scrub you bathroom. If deep cleaning is what you really need, you may want to find a good housekeeper. And while some housekeepers will keep an eye on older kids occasionally, I am sure you do not want someone with chemicals on their hands from scrubbing the toilet to start changing a diaper.

· Does the nanny need to drive the kids anywhere or to run errands?

· Will they need to use their own car or will you provide a car?

· Have you planned on a mileage allowance, insurance or both?

· Do any of the children have special needs that a nanny should be prepared for?

· Are you a stay at home mom that just needs extra help or are you planning to be out of the house and need a full charge nanny?

· Does the nanny need a passport to travel with the family?

· Will the nanny need to be flexible for overnight stays?

As you can see, there are many questions to think about before hiring someone. The above is just a short list of common questions. The more you think through what you are looking for in a nanny or housekeeper the easier it will be to find the right person for you. Give us a call at Dedicated Domestics and we will be glad to review your needs and help point you in the right direction.

Happy Halloween

Jeff — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:30:30 +0000

By now you have the kids all ready to go trick or treating and you are just squeezing into your own costume. Just a few quick things to remember. Kids will be running all over the place and crossing at the corners is the last thing on their mind, so if you are driving be very, very careful. If you are not driving, still stay aware to be able to watch for some of the kids that may not notice they just stopped in the middle of the street.

To kids all candy is good, but make sure at the end of the night you go through the candy to make sure it is all good. Sometimes candy can sit for too long and may look pretty gross. When in doubt, throw it out. Keep some of your own candy to switch with the kids so they don’t feel cheated. You may also want to dole out the treats over several days to avoid stomach aches. Then of course the best thing may be to donate all the candy and get the kids to enjoy some healthy snacks. Good luck on the healthy stuff.

Seriously, have a great holiday and try not to over do the candy.

Professional Nannies Can Make A Difference

Jeff — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:07:55 +0000

Many families are turning to in home childcare to help watch their children, giving the parents the ability to continue their careers. This is certainly nothing new. In-home child caregivers commonly referred to as nannies or babysitters are just a personalized version of a daycare center. The nannies provide much closer supervision then the six or eight to one ratio of most daycares, while keeping the children in the family home where they feel more secure.

However, once a family has this extra pair of hands in their home, they assume they should be kept busy every minute. To keep them busy they start coming up with long lists of chores so the family thinks they are getting their monies worth. The reality is that taking care of children is a full time job. Ask your mother if you aren’t sure. Keeping track of a child’s activities and being prepared for sudden and unexpected behaviors is not hard, but does require constant monitoring and a high state of awareness. Most nannies will take care of cleaning up after the children, preparing their meals and even doing the children’s laundry. But you do not want them kept so busy with household work that they neglect the children. After all the whole reason for having a nanny is to take personal care of the children.

Professional nannies that are given the time, can really help your child grow and prepare them for the next stage of their life. By reading to toddlers and playing games with them helps develop skills that will prepare them for school. With older children, helping with homework or even just making sure that the kids have the quiet time they need to study will help. While some nannies will be able to help with some tutoring, I wouldn’t expect a nanny to help with trigonometry or advanced calculus homework. Then again how many parents out their can help with all of the homework our kids bring home? Okay, don’t be a show off. I am sure there are some of you that can even help with quantum physics, but the majority of us start to pause when faced with anything above basic algebra. Good nannies, just as good parents can still help their kids by removing distractions, preparing healthy snacks and providing support. Most times that is all that a child needs to solve the problems on their own.

Even for stay at home moms with multiple children, hiring a mother’s helper or nanny can be a very big plus to the growth of the whole family. For one thing, having the extra help allows parents to spend more time with each of their children individually while the nanny watches the others. The extra pair of hands and eyes may prevent accidents since the kids are being watched and cared for while lunch is being prepared or the laundry being done. Not to mention the time the stay at home parent saves by being able to complete more tasks during the day so there is more time for the family at night.

So when you think that hiring an in-home child caregiver, nanny or mothers helper, remember you might benefit even more than your children.

Part time salaries can be more than full time?

Jeff — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:46:32 +0000

First remember that most but not all household employees are looking for full time work. Some will be willing to work for two days with one family and three days with another, while others prefer to work full time for one family. The more challenging the schedule the more difficult it will be to find someone to fill your position. Just like any other field, it is customary for nannies to request a premium or higher salary to work odd hours. Sometimes, we have found that a family can hire a full time nanny for only slightly more than an odd schedule might cost. It really does pay to think through your needs carefully since hiring around a standard schedule can give you greater flexibility at home, increase your selection of nannies and sometimes even save you some money. For example at Dedicated Domestics we had a request from a family for an almost full time nanny to work 8 hours per day on Mondays and Thursdays and 6 hours per day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 4 hours on Friday. Due to the two six and one 4 hour days, the nanny knew she could not fill in her week with another job so she requested a premium of just $3.00 an hour more to compensate for the odd schedule. Based on her experience and what the family was expecting her to do, the nanny would have charged $600.00 for a standard 40 hour work week which is $15.00 per hour. The schedule that the family wanted worked out to 32 hours at $18.00 (with the $3.00 premium) or $574.00 per week. After we spoke with both the nanny and the family, they agreed on $600.00 a week for a simple 40 hour schedule. For just $26.00 per week more the family now has extra help and flexibility when they need it and the nanny is more comfortable with the full time salary. It is good to remember that while the cost of gas has gone up dramatically over the past year a small increase in a full time schedule will cover the higher prices. But, when a part-time employee is working only 4 hours with one family and then commutes to another family for 4 more hours the gas cost doubles and will represent a larger part of their salary. The agency you work with should be able to steer you in the right direction so you get the best value for your money.