Nanny Employer Blog

Wherever we go in today’s society, we are constantly bombarded by media.  TVs are in almost every room of your house; most of us have an iPhone or Blackberry which allows us to always be connected, and the radio is usually on while we are sitting in rush hour traffic.  Unfortunately, most of the news we hear is often negative.  This certainly holds true to nanny-related events.   However, nannies around the world have been caught in some pretty heroic acts lately.  These nannies have been inadvertently been placed in tragic situations, risked their lives, and never thought twice about risking their own lives for their charges. 

A few weeks ago, a house right outside Louisville caught on fire in the early morning hours.  The family’s live-in nanny was home alone with their five-year-old child. She woke up to find the house engulfed in flames and knew she had to get the little boy out quickly.  Alyson walked barefoot through the fire and pulled the boy to safety.  Fire fighters believe that, within minutes, his room would have been engulfed in flames.  When Alyson was interviewed in the hospital, covered with severe burns, she said she never thought twice about walking through flames to rescue this little boy.  She is now recovering, and the little boy is very vocal about how much he misses her!

Many miles away, nannies are continuing to put their charges well-being before their own.  In Israel, a shooting broke out in a temple.  Over 180 people were killed, including the parents of a two-year-old little boy.   His brave nanny stepped in front of the gunman, was shot herself, and survived.  Due to her actions, the little boy made it out unharmed.  No matter how far from home, this act deserves recognition.

Sadly, we are faced with stress and worries each day. Hopefully knowing that your children are in the hands of a great nanny will allow you the peace of mind to sleep a little better each night.

I am asked this question on a fairly regular basis: Why should I hire a nanny versus using a daycare? Ultimately the choice is yours but I can share with you many of the things I have learned over the years while being in the childcare industry.

One-on-one attention:
The quality of care your child will receive from a qualified, screened, seasoned caregiver is almost incomparable to the care your child will receive in a daycare setting. While many daycares strive to provide all the children under their care with individual attention, it is nearly impossible when many teachers are assigned 12 plus children. In an 8 hour day, this translates into your child receiving the equivalent of 40 minutes of focused attention. When a nanny comes to your home to be with your child, she is able to devote her entire day to your child.

Illness:
One of the biggest complaints I hear about daycares is the rapid spread of illness from child to child. I know families that spend a large portion of their income on doctor’s visits, prescriptions, and time away from their own work when their little ones come down with something that was being passed around at daycare. Illnesses your child contracts at daycare can adversely affect your career. When a child is sick, according to daycare rules, they cannot be taken to daycare that day, and sometimes even require an additional few days to ensure the sickness has passed. This means that either you or your significant other must stay home from work. I have spoken with parents who were on the brink of losing their jobs solely from absences due to their children’s contracted illnesses. As a two parents working family, hiring a nanny will not only reduce the number of illnesses your child contracts, but can also minimize the number of sick days you will need to use.

Behavioral Issues:
It is not unusual for a child to pick up one, or many, bad habits from other children at daycare. Recent studies have shown that habits learned at daycare can stick with children well into middle school. A recent article published by APNA (the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies) states:

“Children who spend large amounts of time in child-care centers exhibit more minor behavior problems, such as aggression and disobedience, than other children, at least through sixth grade, according to a long-term study that followed 1,364 children from birth through age 12…Children who spent large amounts of time in other setups, such as nanny care or family child-care homes, weren’t affected.”

This is also something to heavily consider when making your childcare choice.

Better overall experience:
When you hire a nanny, you truly gain a better overall experience. Your child’s schedule is customized to his or her needs and wants. You can plan extracurricular activities for your child that your nanny can execute such as play dates, trips to the museum, and athletic outings. Furthermore, if you decide to hire a nanny manager, who is compensated an additional amount to assist with helping to manage the household, he or she can take some extra responsibilities off your shoulders such as laundry, grocery shopping, and additional errand running. These are all tasks that, for you, can come at the end of a long work day and take away from your time with your children. Value of outsourcing these jobs: priceless!