The holidays often bring more toys than kids know how to handle. But we all know that most of those toys will fall by the wayside pretty quickly. Teaching kids to play games that require no equipment help them learn that they have all the tools they need to have fun already! This week, I am joined once again by the wonderful Sarah George to talk through some great games that only require YOU!
Cortney West joins me this week to talk us through work from home parents and all the joys and obstacles that come with it! When parents work from home, you are sharing a work space but doing vastly different jobs. So navigating that can be tricky, but this episode is full of tips to help!
If your nanny family decided last minute to go on vacation, would you get paid? Guaranteed hours can be a surprisingly tricky concept for nannies to understand, much less explain to nanny families. Jennifer Hilton is back to help us navigate the legal and business aspects of why guaranteed hours matter.
Mary Calderon, a certified doula, came on the show this week to help teach us about what it means to be a doula. A doula (both birth and postpartum) advocates for the parents and helps them navigate the often confusing waters of transitioning into parenthood. I learned so much during this episode and I hope you do too!
Nannying for two under the age of two can be challenging, but can also be full of joy! Sarah George is back with us to talk about her experience nannying for two little ones with an 18-month gap! From how to prepare before the baby comes to your first day solo after maternity leave, Sarah covers it all! Thanks for listening!
We say frequently that it takes a village to raise a child and, as nannies, we know that's true! This week I have guest Kimberley Roberts Benakovich on to discuss Via the Village. Via the Village is a new web platform under design and development that will allow for families to come together to build their own personalized villages within their local community to find safe, reliable childcare services through their trusted connections. To learn more, listen to the episode! I'm so excited to see this platform take off, and you can help!
Nannies often end up working long hours because families need coverage not only for their time at work but for both ends of their commute as well! In this episode, the wonderful Sarah George and I discuss some hints and tips to keep you from going crazy during those 12-16 hours days!
In our continued effort to help you be a better nanny for all children, this week we're discussing nannying for children with type 1 diabetes. My guest, Andy Rogers, has devoted his life to studying and working with kids who have type 1. I adored getting to sit down and talk our way through the medical aspects, the everyday life changes and the emotional life of this disease. We also talk about ways to help spot diabetes in kids. Andy is one of the kindest people I know and I also love the joy he brings to this episode! This is a great episode for anyone to listen to!
If you've never visited Danny Joe's Tree House, you are in for a treat! This week I have the creator and star of a wonderful up and coming children's show, Danny LaBrecque, to discuss methods of communicating to children through play. Often, a child may not have the words to tell us exactly how they are feeling or what is wrong. But through active listening and observing their play, we can discover ways into their inner life and guide them to healthier emotional choices!
Children often spend their days being told exactly what to do and when to do it. If you truly put yourself in the shoes of a child and think through their day, it becomes clear that they are often not given the opportunity to make choices which leads to self-doubt within the child and power struggles between you and the child. In this episode, recorded LIVE at Nannypalooza, Cady Leinicke and I discuss ways to hold space for your nanny kids to make decisions throughout their day!
As nannies, we are given a special opportunity to meet every kid where they are and find strategies and methods to support children that may not be feasible in a classroom setting. This week, I've invited y friend and wonderful teaching artist, David Smith to talk us through some games and strategies to work with children who are on the spectrum. The beauty of all the games discussed here, however, is that they are great games to play with any kid! So even if you're not currently working with a child who has autism, this episode still offers valuable insight for meeting every child where they are and building from there!
s a nanny, we play a role in a family that is as unique and varied as there are numbers of families. One aspect of that is when a family pet (or two or three) is involved! From contract renegotiations to teaching children how to pet animals, there's a lot to handle with family pets! Simone Watkins joins us this week to help sort through the ups and downs of working for a family with a pet!
September is Alopecia Areata Awareness Month. My guest and dear friend, Cady Leinicke, has Alopecia and joins us once again to share her story and tips for helping little ones take back their confidence! If your little one or someone you know has Alopecia, this episode can offer insight and ways to help support them!
The start of school can often be a time of anxiety for many kids. There are so many new aspects and that can be a little scary. This week my wonderful guest, Kait Burch, and I discuss different ways to help children who are feeling anxious about anything from sharks to a new school to not coloring "the right way".
Chronicles of Nannya is now one year old! And to celebrate I've invited my nannies from when I was little on to chat! We reminisce about when I was little and also take a look at what child care in the 90s looked like. I also got to see how their influence has stuck with me in ways I didn't even know! From my love of theater to manners to communicating feelings, I owe so much to these wonderful women who helped raise me! Thanks, Margie and Debbie for everything you did to help raise me and everything you continue to do!
Nap time. It's a vital part of a child's day but can also be a stressful part of a nanny's day when it goes bad. How do you determine when nap time should be? What should you do if your nanny kid falls asleep in the car right before nap time? How can you help younger siblings with their nap time FOMO? Brittany and I cover it all in this episode! Plus, I share my guaranteed method for getting kids to fall asleep. Thanks for listening!
Learning how to entertain ourselves is an important life skill! Teaching children how to play by themselves sets them up for success now and later in life. In this episode, Cady Leinicke and I discuss how to encourage individual play with your nanny kids. Kids learn so many skills from some alone play time and you get a brain break! It's a win win all around!
Did you know that when a child first begins to lie it's actually a developmental milestone? From little fibs to invisible friends to be huge lies, this episode will help you navigate all the different ways we interact with lies as a nanny. Cady Leinicke is my guest and, as always, she brings a wealth of knowledge and book recommendations to this episode! If lying is something you're struggling with in your nanny family, this episode is sure to help!
Summer is starting to wind down and that means our kiddos are getting a little antsy. Lately, my guest, Leah Frires and I have been hearing choruses of "I'm bored" coming from our charges. Teaching kids how to handle being bored is such an important lesson and this episode is full of ways to combat boredom! From making a Boredom Jar to teaching them chores to having them create a play, this episode covers so many boredom busters, you'll never get bored again!
