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About

About Nanny ShecandoAbout Nanny Shecando

Hi & welcome to the blog! Do you nanny or work with kids? Maybe you’re an occasional sitter looking for fresh ideas? In search of key information with lots of pretty pictures to help you rock it in the nanny life? I’m Hope – a professional nanny based in Sydney, Australia. You probably know me as @NannyShecando. And let me tell you, this is the place for you! 

NANNY SHECANDO is a popular childcare blog with an international audience. The blog features craft activities, kid friendly recipes, educational tips aligned with early childhood development, and essential career resources for the in-home childcare sector. We also work closely alongside key industry personnel to bring you a better connected nanny industry.

{Get all my business details + awesome nanny resources here.}

ABOUT ME

About Nanny ShecandoI’m Hope  – professional nanny, freelance writer, amateur crafter, gourmet baker, and founder of the HOPE FOR NANNIES program. Being a nanny, I’m a big fan of craft & play, pretty colours, giggling children and cuddly babies. Based by the water in Sydney, Australia, I try to lead a healthy lifestyle, am a green smoothie lover, dark chocolate addict, occasional runner, and spend way too much time shopping online. On this blog, I strive to foster a friendly community for nannies to connect. My purpose is to support women in the childcare industry to take control of their life, their careers, and ultimately their happiness, to achieve their dreams. You are not “just the nanny”. Be courageous.

When I’m not blogging, I enjoy reading, travelling, dreaming of a parisian lifestyle, baking indulgent treats and drinking lots of coffee. Oh, and I’m a total Pinterest addict. You can follow the NANNY SHECANDO Pinterest boards here.

Currently: running to this, listening to this, reading this | FAQ + Press

PRESS & COLLABORATIONS

NANNY SHECANDO has written for Nanny Magazine, Sitter Cycle (now Care Academy), Precious Peeps, Not Your Average Nanny Magazine, Nanny2u, Happy Nest, Kid Magazine, The Work Her and Care For Kids. Go to Press.

BEHIND THE SCENES

I go by the name of “Nanny Shecando” because I’m still waiting for my title as superwoman. Just kidding. Although I’m sure you know that having kids and looking after them can be a tough gig. The days can seem endless, the invasion of personal space seem intoxicating, and the endless nonsensical chatter seem draining. Then again, I’m sure you love the cuddles and the smiles and the high fives just as much as I do.

MEET THE TEAM + CONTRIBUTORS

Olivia Foster | A Crafty LIVing

Dana Sanchez | Da Poppins

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GET STARTED HERE

The Quick Reference Nanny Guide shares links to my top 5 favourite posts, blogs,
book recommendations & services to take with you into the nanny life.

Nanny Shecando Free Guide Download


Find Hope + NANNY SHECANDO elsewhere: Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | HFN

Vetting Your Nanny Family: 4 Key Points

Vetting Your Nanny Family

Interviewing for new jobs can be hard, especially if you’ve got plenty to choose from. The proposals look great on paper but you know deep down that there’s got to be a catch. In the nanny life, uncovering that catch before you dive into full-time work with the family can be instrumental in determining whether you’ll be happy long-term. It’ll also help to properly clarify your job description and give you a better understanding of the family’s situation.

But how do you go about this? How do you chip away at the sugar-coating to see what lies beneath? How do you use the interviewing process to assess the family and choose the best job to suit your personality, experience, job requirements, and desires? How do you choose between the one with 4 kids under 12 who are offering sole-charge and autonomy or the family with 2 children under 5 plus a dog, 2 cats, and a bird who are offering significantly more money?

Over time, I believe I’ve perfected the art of interviewing with families. I’ve managed to seamlessly transition from one family to another and be perfectly happy whilst still on track with my long-term goals and career progression. I’ve done this by remembering these 4 key points, and by applying them tactfully during the interview process.

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4 Key Points To Remember When Vetting Your Nanny Family

When first starting out in the job search, nannies often have two key ideals. As I’m sure you can agree, one ideal is to be the perfect nanny (whether your version of that is Mary Poppins, Mrs Doubtfire, a strict English governess or Annie from The Nanny Diaries). The other is to find the perfect future nanny family.

4keypointsThe first ideal is doable as it is in your power, given you’ve got the right blend of characteristics, charisma and charm to blend with the family. The second is not always so easy to find. It’s a search for perfection that is impossible to find.

With the potential for conflicting values, misrepresentation of expectations, errant children, differences in religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs and a break down in communication all conspiring to ensure you’ll likely never find the perfect fairy tale family.

So what do you do? Rather than continuing to be disheartened when each family fails to work out, take matters into your own hands to find the next best alternative. Because even if “perfect” is unattainable, getting the “fit” right is still important to both employers and nannies. Working for the right family will ensure you feel valued, are respected, and successful in making a meaningful contribution.

Further Reading: What Kind Of Nanny Are You?

To make this happen, you should be vetting your future nanny families. Just as parents sift through the pile to select the best choice for their kids, you can follow these four key points to do the same.

1. How’s the ‘vibe’?

The interview process can usually be quite stiff and staged, making it difficult to observe natural interactions. But subtle observations and nuances of character will tell you a lot about the family and the potential work environment. So try to get a feel for whether your personality will blend well with the family. For example, take note of the feel of the rooms, furniture colours, layout and natural light. Also look for signs of a child friendly environment. Because if you’re likely to spend a large portion of your day confined within the house, you should make sure it leaves you feeling warm and comfortable.

2. Check out the appearance of the house

This is absolutely vital. If the house is a train wreck and you need a clean and tidy environment to function properly, take it as a heads up. Try to establish whether it’s a once off or simply their idea of ‘well organised’. If you think it’s going to be a recurring issue, one you’re not comfortable with facing every morning on the job, mark it as a big “proceed with caution”.

3. What are the parenting techniques and philosophies towards child rearing?

It’s essential you suss out the parenting techniques and the attitude towards the children’s lifestyle. In particular, find out their stance on discipline, expectations of chores and responsibilities, involvement in extra curricular activities and interaction with other siblings. Plus, if you’re skilled in the art of tactful conversation, it’s also good to carefully distinguish whether the parents present a united front in mutual agreement of these.

4. Assess the children’s behaviour

Parents will often give you the option to spend some individual time with the kids during the interview process. Usually it comes about because the kids are excited to show you their bedrooms, toys, craft projects or family pets. Use this as an opportunity to gauge how the children act in their home environments. Watch for a display of manners, appropriately developed social skills, dangerous sibling rivalry, any eye raising bad habits and for how they interact with you as a potential friend and leader. Whilst generally everyone is on their best behaviour, it can sometimes be a subtle warning flag to the extent that the parent’s perception of reality differs from actuality.

Do you normally vet your future nanny family? Do you enjoy the interview process? For both employees and employers, what key points do you look for to confirm that candidates will be the “right fit”?

A version of this post appeared on Precious Peeps. Contributed by Hope, of Nanny Shecando.

May 23, 2014 By Hope @ Nanny Shecando Filed Under: Nanny Life

The Nanny Life (5 Things About My Job)

nanny shecando, nanny life, play time

Working as a nanny must be one of the most rewarding jobs out there in the career field of today. Instead of the office buildings, corporate politics and concrete jungle, you report for duty in where it’s almost mandatory to spend your days outside. This is called discovery and can cover anything from picnics in the park to giant playgrounds, sunny beaches to market shopping, educational play centers to a full day’s outing at the zoo. On days when the weather doesn’t suit, the play room gets a solid work out with arts and craft, games, Lego, and dress ups before moving to the kitchen to splatter flour across every surface and drip gooey eggs down the cupboards. Of course there is a catch, as any nanny or childcare provider will tell you, you must love kids.

nannyshecando, parktime, play, kids, nanny life

The Nanny Life (5 Things About My Job)

If your idea of kids and being a nanny is to have a quick game of peek-a-boo and then pop on a movie to amuse themselves whilst you curl up on the couch sipping tea, high-five to you. Please let me in on your secret because I’d love to know how you get those kids to sit still!

Because looking after kids takes real effort, especially if you want them to sit still and look interested. Not only must you love kids, you must also understand them. You’ve got to know how to handle them at their best, but most importantly, when at their worst. Plus, if you’ve got a baby or a toddler, you better be really talented at doing everything one-handed whilst toting a lug of squidgy baby around on your hip.

As fellow nannies, childcare workers, and full-time mummies and daddies are all too familiar with, here are ‘5 Things You Didn’t Know About My Job’.

IT’S MESSY

Yep, that’s right. Kids create mess. Sometimes I marvel at just how much mess they can make in the space of a short amount of time. No amount of regular tidying, organising and preparing can combat the destruction that will occur within 5 minutes of them arriving home from school. The cushion you just poofed in the carefully presented show room will look as though a bomb just went off.

Food will be dropped, cups of milk will be spilt and the plate of fresh baked cookies will find themselves on the floor being inhaled by the dog if the sticky fingered toddler has anything to do with it. You will bend down to tie someones shoelaces and they will sneeze all over you just as you look up to face them. The kids will empty half the sand pit from their shoes onto the just vacuumed floor even though you told them not to take their shoes off inside and dirty hand prints will become the new-look wall paper.

The key thing I’ve learnt is that no matter how hard you try to prevent something from happening, the likelihood is that if kids are involved it will happen. Best prepare yourself for it and except it. In the nanny life, mess is a reality of the job. Everyday I leave for work freshly showered and smelling of french vanilla and come home smelling of spit up, of little sweaty bodies, sometimes of poo (I know you’ve all been there too!) and often sporting an unknown but suspect substance lodged in my hair.

IT’S STRESSFUL

Yes lollipops, cupcakes, colouring in and games can depict the essential tasks on a good day, but they aren’t always so easy, free, flowing and fun. It would be more accurate to say that these activities almost singlehandedly contribute to the devastating amounts of mess and destruction mentioned above. I don’t know about you but I can be a little bit of a control freak, especially in the kitchen. Relinquishing that control and love of perfection so that cookies can resemble smudges of brown gooey blobs and muffins turn out to be over-beaten, dense cakes can take a bit of getting used to.

Every day to-do lists are made, jobs are to be done, time schedules are to be kept. Commitments are to be up-held, there are errands to run and too many places to be all at once. Also, don’t forget that you’re doing all of this with kids. Which means you’re on their time, the slow turtle time. I’m sure you know as well as I do that kids, especially toddlers, don’t have any concept of time much less a sense of urgency.

For a nanny, as with anyone attempting to go about their day with a toddler attached to their legs, you must accept that plans will go forgotten, dinner will not be made lovingly, craft activities will be left half-finished on the dining room table and that load of washing will still be in the washing machine at the end of the day. Serial offender on that one. Bugger! 

A bad day in the nanny life can mean one big blur of running against the clock to make the impossible happen. Each day I vow to be more organised, to get more done, and to tick more boxes so that we can have even more fun. Yet each evening I go home telling myself that I did my best and tomorrow I’ll try again.

IT’S (SOMEWHAT) THANKLESS

The nanny life really can be something special. It offers the chance to stay forever amongst a world in where magical fairy tales and make believe stories are the most important part of the day. For the kids, their happiness depends on whether they decide to dress up as Little Red Riding Hood or Rapunzel, knowing that if they play their cards right they’ll get to lick the bowl of the banana muffins now baking in the oven. The days can be full of smiles, laughter, giggles, and cuddles.

But it can also be harsh and cruel. Kids will counter arguments with, ‘but mum doesn’t make us do this,’ and ‘mum makes it better, I don’t like this,’ after you’ve just made their favourite cheesy lasagne for dinner as requested. They will force you into the centre of their ongoing sibling rivalry and ask that you take sides. They’ll then resent you either for taking sides, or for refusing to take sides. Either way it’s a losing battle and you may as well secure down the hatches and prepare for the onslaught of tears for the next half an hour until you can distract them with something shiny.

Some days, no matter how exciting the activities were, no matter how much fun you had together, they will still go running to mum when she gets home. They will answer ‘nothing‘  when she asks what they’ve done that day and shrug in noncommittal when asked if they liked spending the day with Nanny.

The nannylife can be a thankless job at times. Parents come home stressed and tired to worn out and grumpy kids exhausted from a big day of adventure. Sometimes how are you’s and thank you’s go unheard amidst the war over bathtimes and bedtimes. Sometimes children say mean things, and it hurts. Every few days I walk out the door in the evening after a day that seemed endless and question whether the kids really like me or if they’re just making the best of a situation they have no control over.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT LITTLE PEOPLE NOTICE

Little people, little things, major moments.

When you spend every day with kids and you share their high points, help them through their challenges and watch them grow, you do start to see them as (your) kids. It happens that way when you work in their home, day in and day out and get to know them really well. Familiarity means you get to notice and understand the little intricacies unique to each person.

As a nanny, these kind of observations are like gold and are stored in our toolboxes for later use. Crucial, potentially life changing moments, can hang in the balance. Unless you can pull your rabbit out of the hat, your Mary Poppins spoonful of sugar and defuse the situation, before you know it you will be facing a problem escalating to tantrum status that ain’t nobody got time for!

When I take the time to remember that Miss6 likes her sandwiches cut into squares instead of triangles, that Miss11 prefers light purple to dark purple, that bub likes munching on cheese sticks but doesn’t actually like cheese, and even how BossDad takes his coffee, I’m doing infinitely better in the super nanny stakes. You get real ‘super nanny’ points if you’re able to remember where you last saw Snuggles, the much-loved teddy, 5 minutes after you were already supposed to be at prep. Or if you can remember where BossMum took her shoes off three days ago and left them and when the family dog was last vaccinated.

IT’S HEAVY

As a nanny, you’re hired to look after children (sometimes many) for a set amount of hours each day. You’re expected to do this on your own, without the aid of others, not as a babysitter or an au-pair and not as a mother’s helper. Generally speaking, a nanny has sole care of his/her charges. The Nanny is tasked to make many important decisions for the child, to supervise their growth and education and to influence their development into young people. The responsibility is big! As I mentioned recently when talking about the guilt experienced when a child is injured in your care, the responsibility you have for young children can mean the difference between happy lives, and endangered lives. Food allergies, health concerns, house hazards, driving risks, stranger danger and many other scenarios are all factors that a nanny must consider each day and act so to prevent the worst from happening.

Further reading: This Nanny Gig, It’s huge. Not On My Watch

Another reason, a heavy reason if you’re a bit of a worrier like me, is the constant comparisons and questioning that can go on in your head if you let it. As a trusted carer for the children, with an average of around 38+ contact hours each week, the burden of being required to make all of the important decisions can be taxing to the uninitiated.

Everyday I question something. From should I have been stronger and tried to let her self settle a little more before picking her up to am I doing enough educational activities with them? From is Miss6 getting enough attention in the afternoons in-between the scramble of activities, chatterbox Twins and baby, to should I be finding a play/social baby group for Miss Viv already? Should she have been exposed to more kids her own age by now, would a mothers/carers & bubs exercise class be beneficial for her or is it just a self-indulgent excuse for me to bludge a little on work time. The list could go on and on forever if you’re not careful.

This last reason is something that I’m sure you’ve all faced at one time or another. I know Dad Down Under was just saying how easy it was to question yourself as a parent. It’s something that I know BossMum deals with every day too. From ‘should she be back at work already’ to ‘should she be at home with her kids instead of hiring a Nanny’ to ‘have I hired the right nanny to suit my kids.‘

It’s a big deal this nanny life. Yes a lot of the times we get to have crazy amounts of fun and games, but there’s also another side to it that most people don’t see. On the other hand, anyone with kids knows all too well what I’m talking about! Despite these 5 things about my job in the nanny life, I honestly truly do love kids. The cuddles, the smiles, the laughter, the energy and the adventures make it all worthwhile. The opportunity for a Peter Pan lifestyle is just too great to pass up.

The opportunity for a Peter Pan lifestyle is just too great to pass up. #nannylife

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>>> What are the 5 main things about your job that most people don’t know?

>>> If you work with kids, how do you handle the low points on the bad days?

5thingsaboutmyjob

nannylife, nanny, shecando, careers, job

March 19, 2014 By Hope @ Nanny Shecando Filed Under: Nanny Life

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Oh, Hi There!

I'm Hope & I help nannies transform their approach to job search, and inspire those working with kids to maximise their potential within the international nanny industry. Plus, did I mention I like crafts + diy, baking & playing! Read More

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