How to find a good nanny in London?
Today almost all parents are busy people and do not put their lives on the back burner. Due to this fact not all of them are ready to abandon their traditional mode of life for several years in order to concentrate on the upbringing of the child. And some parents do not simply have such an opportunity. In this case, the only solution would be to entrust your baby reliable and experienced person. And since not everyone is lucky to have a dedicated and vacant from her own business grandmother, finding a good nanny becomes a necessity.
Naturally you should choosein a responsible manner the person you trust your child. First and foremost the employer must decide what he or she wants. Do you need a young or old nanny? Should she have pedagogical education? Should she speak a foreign language? Do you need a professional or just good person, who will take care of your child as a mother? Should she live with you or just come for a few hours a day?
There are several things that play a pivotal role in choosing a nanny. So:
Experience
Only the woman with child-rearing experience can be a good nanny. Ask her about previous employers, and if possible contact them or ask for recommendations. For professional nanny with a good portfolio it is not a problem. Perhaps a person has no experience, but she has experience of bringing up her younger brothers and sisters, nephews or children of her own. Of course, this is also good experience, but it is worth to warn: to bring up someone else's child is not the same thing to bring up your own. In this case parents should ask about achieved success. If nephews or sisters, brothers, childrensucceed in life, it means that their teacherdid a good job.
You should ask such questions as: How do you respond to children's hysterics? How do you encourage a child? How do you behave if the child acts up?Do you allow yourself to spank the child?What do you do in a certain situation (describe what is important for you)?
Ask the applicant why she left her previous employer. It’s very important to get recommendations and contacts of former employers in order to be sure that the nanny is a reliable and responsible person and she was not involved in the sordid business.
One of the benefits of searching nanny through an agency is that decent company always checks all those recommendations for clients.
Personality
Nanny will spend a lot of time in your house and will have an impact on personal becoming of your child. Therefore it’s very important that nanny will serve your turn. Some people say: "Our nanny is like a member of our family". Of courseit’s up to you to decide what kind of relations should be between your family and nanny, but definitely this woman should not be a thorn in side and strip up ill-feelings.
You should take into account following factors:
Age. Young pretty womenare often perceived as a threat to family well-being, but the ladies advanced in years can’t physically cope with the active child. Of course it’s up to you to decide but it’s better to choose the golden mean: middle age experienced woman, whose state of health allows her to walk a lot with your child, play outdoor games, carry a baby in her arms, etc.
Nationality. Culture and traditions are very important things; the nanny must understand, accept and hold up them. It is very good if there are no contradictions about these factors. For example, in a Muslim family is quite logical to hire the nanny-Muslim, but she may not blend into a family of European values.
Pernicious habits. Alcohol dependency must not even be discussed - drinking nanny is dangerous for the child. But smoking is also a huge disadvantage: firstly, the baby, being beside, will inhale tobacco smokeand secondly the child will try to copy a person who spends a lot of time with him. Do you need such nanny? Certainly, no.
State of health. It has already been mentioned, but the question is really important. Besides the fact that the nanny should be vigorous and active, it should not suffer from infectious diseases. Ask the applicant to attend a medical examination and give you outcome. Healthy appearance is not an indicator: some diseases can be in a latent form for a long time.
Parenting practices
Young parents today are trained and versed in pedagogy: they read books, watch programs, research forums, tryto organize everything wisely. There are also the fashion trends in child-rearing: for example, in the first half of the twentieth centurymethods of John Watson were popular, who called for strict discipline: feeding by the hour, ignoring the child’s naughtiness and the lack of lovey-dovey behavior. In his view the child is absolutely faceless body and his parents should strictly mold his behavior as potterforms clay. Now, most people shudder from these tips, and a few decades ago they were considered quite reasonable.
Fortunately, completely different parenting practices of preschool children are popular. For example,a lot of parents prefer pedagogy of Maria Montessori. It is based on the firm belief that every child from birth is a unique personality, which needs help for opening, and parents should provide a background for this. Adults allow a free hand to the child and give an incentive to self-development. This technique eliminates any pressure and lack of freedom and greets independence and the activity. At the same time there are clear rules that must not be broken.
Another interesting movement is the Waldorf pedagogy. It urges to make the childhood happier, not "train" the child, but set good example. Supporters of Waldorf are against the pursuit of quick results: the baby should be matured peacefully according to his age and abilities, without stresses. This is a kind of counterbalance to the tendency to turn the child into a child prodigy: to teach to read at the age of 2.5, to memorize the multiplication table at 5, etc.
There are a lot of methodologies of upbringing and education of preschool children: Nikitin system, pedagogics of Cecile Lupan, Zaitseva system and others. It’s very good if the nanny understands the issue, constantly deepens her knowledge, reads books, and attendspractical courses. It means that she is professional and loves her job.
During the interview parents should ask about parenting practices, upbringing, attitude to the systems of early childhood development. If parents are supporters of a particular methodology, the nanny must understand it very well.
Baby care
Today, there are a lot of parents who have a clear idea of baby’s life in their absence. You should talk about these requirements first and foremost. For example, some parentswant their children to spend at least 6 hours outdoors in spite of weather. But not every nanny is ready to spend so much time outdoors.
You should ask the nanny her opinion about feeding the baby and generally if she agrees to cook for him (some people believe that parents should cook and the nanny should only heat and serve meal for the child). Find out what kind of food she would add in the children's menu, ask her about attitude to healthy eating, what she wouldn’t give to the child?If parents adhere to certain way of nutrition (vegetarianism, cooking only for a couple, etc.), it should be discussed in advance.
The most important topic is the child's entertainment. Ask what kind of games nanny will play with the child, what books she will read to him, what songs would be learned, which cartoons she will put. Ask her attitude to the child watching TV, computer games and the tablet PC: is it permitted and for how long, etc.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is you must set the rules. The important things should be discussed or spelled out in advance: these things are acceptable and these are unacceptable and these are at your choice.
How to make the right choice?
Sometimes it happens that the nanny is educated, active, correct, but some inner sense dictates: it's not what you need. You shouldn’t ignore this sense because the parental instinct is something inexplicable, but serious. Whatever people say, human contact is very important, and if it didn’t appear during first two conversations, you may have the same problem in future.
However, if there is a sincere woman with similar values and views in front of, it is more likely you will like each other and can work together successfully. Do not be afraid to discuss important moments, ask questions, and seek common ground. But do not expect quick results: you need weeks or even months to find a nanny. However, a good result in this case is worth your time!
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