What do nannies do to develop and stimulate your children

The thing is, if your child just happens to be a late walker, or a late talker, or completelt antisocial, would you sack the nanny?

Because it's all very well her knowing when a child is expected to do something, but what if the child just doesn't? The nanny can't help it, but if she is the one in charge of educating a baby, she is the one who is going to get the blame.

Blimey.

Martini - Since he was little, I have been pointing things out to him - look, a red car, or a blue flower lets smell the pretty smell etc. We count stairs, we count peas and we spear them onto a fork (yes, he feeds himself with a fork and cuts up most of his food himself) If he eats all his lunch (and 99.9% of the time he does and asks for more) he is offered a tiny choc sweet and he gets to choose the colour. We play loads of games that encourage hos development. Today, we were playing with pegs in a pegboard - the ones you hammer in? - and we were counting them as we put them into the holes, then telling the colours as we hammered them in etc. Last week, we were threading plastic thread spools onto a shoelace - counting and telling the colours again. He can count to 5 AND he understand what he is doing. So, if I ask how many pegs, he will say so, Of course he is not 100% correct all the time, but no pressure, I just say, there's 2 aren't there? and he usually repeats me.
he know left and right, opposites like up/down, hot/cold (and warm for in between!) yes/no, on/off, open/close etc just because we talk about it every day.
T is also dry during the days and only wears nappies at nights and for naps.
IMO, children love to learn. If you give them the tools, they will practically teach themselves.
Does that all make sense?

I have CATed you MotherP.

My last decent nanny loved the nanny diary too. She didn't have a set programme but I could tell (and saw) that she was going to DO things with my kids-she disapproved of tv, genuinely. She took them out to parks, shops, their friends' houses, museums, swimming and on rainy days they cooked cakes and made paper hats etc. And she seemed to enjoy it as much as they did.

I think that asking at the interview about their idea of a suitable days' activities for an x month/x year old was one of the most revealing questions and allowed me to dodge someone (who otherwise was a contender) who thought that over 3 hours a day of tv was a suitable activity for a 2 year old. She didn't have any other ideas, plans besides that. This interview was in a room with no tv, crammed with all sorts of toys and games, and with a view of a fantastic garden with a slide and fort. I wish someone would pay me that much to sit on my butt all day while my kid watches tv. But I certainly won't pay for it!

Uwila - would love to find out more about the nanny diary - can you CAT me with more details

good luck finding the right person Phys, sorry for blatant hijack

Phys, I must admit I think some of the posts on here are a bit harsh. I think if you have education goals that you feel are appropriate to a nine month old then you have every right to expect an employee to carry them out. But, I wonder if what you are seeking is to dictate the schedule or to just be kept informed of activities and progress on a daily or possibly weekly schedule. What if you had more of a nanny diary where you could be informed of what they did each day rather than having it planned before it happens?

Then you could have a weekly or monthly review with nanny where you go over the diary and say oh I like this and that and oh you had a really good idea there but I'd actually like you to do a bit more of x.

Perhaps, you should be asking more general questions at an interview about educational philiosphies and experience. Ask the what age appropriates activities are, how they feel about telly, at what age should a baby leard to crawl, speak, at what age can a child start to be told "No.", and so on.

I'm a big fan of the nanny diary. Mine is a contractual obligation. My last nanny refused to do it. My current nanny has embraced it with admirable enthusiasm. In fact, she is quite artsy/crafty and is going to start making them to sell. If you want one, I can put you in touch with her.

or charges even don't hire me .

chage should be gharges doh!

I think how would you structure your day is a reasonable question. They should be able to describe what they expect to do on a typical day, which will still be set around eating and naps. They should maybe give examples of things they would do or have done with previous chage like visiting the park, messy play etc.

I think maybe a joint diary would help. You can record things like appointments, how sleeps at night going, food likes discoveries and nanny can record outings, activities, sleep patterns and eating habits as well. Will help both of you to keep track and could include emergency numbers and medication records. Some nannies will love this and write lots some will only rite the bare minimum. If this idea appeals see how they react to this at interview.

I wouldn't expect formal laid out plans at any age, you really want a warm, fun, friendly, genuine nanny. I would also look for commen sense, experience of this age group, first aid training.

Most of child development is genetic, and as long as development is not being stunted by neglect, abuse, or malnutrition, your baby will develope whether he/she is specifically encouraged with 'tasks' or just chatted with.

I agree, if you are hiring a nanny she will surely know what she is doing.

I think a monthly written plan of activities is odd, and most nannies will think it odd for a baby, which is probably why they floundered a bit.

Also, if you sit a very young child down to do 'tasks' for particular developmental milestone, they get bored, cross and unhappy.

I second katymac's suggestion.
Something too rigid doesn't allow for the child's individual stages of development. An approach where the baby's own new achievements and current schemas are observed and encouraged as the nanny goes along would be great and would allow you to see whether the nanny was close and happy and having fun interacting with your child.

Whoops - "know" not "no"

if you make things all regimented and strict then it becomes too much of a 'job' rather tthen a want to care which is waht nannying is.

It should be fun and relaxing for the nanny and them the child too will have fun and be relaxed and at 9 months isn't that more important then ramming development pressures on to them??

The nanny creates the atmosphere so she needs to do (to a certain degree) what she feels she needs to do in order to make the relationship between parent, carer and child happy and comforting.

Don't forget you are paying them because they should know what to do, that is a good nanny. Lots of instructions can ruim that.

Phys, tbh if a nanny told me she was going to have a written plan of activities to support development of a 9 month old baby, then I would be very surprised and really rather disconcerted. I would think that she/he didn't really underdstand what it meant to look after a baby of that age. I would be very much more concerned that she was a warm and loving and trustworthy person, giving the baby lots of cuddles, fun and appropriate stimulation.

WOW -am v impressed. Your dd sounds like a clever little cookie . Its amazing what babies no that we don't give them credit for. I'll have to try it out on some 17mnth olds I know soon.

dd has been doing counting to 5 since about 17mths, it can be done! She is 22 months now and knows her colours and can count to 10. You can just do the counting with stairs and stuff, and the colours, once they know words for things, you can then add to it, as in 'blue cup' dd actually just came out with blue herself one day - I didn't know she had picked up on it, then I thought I'd try her and she in fact knew red, green, yellow and white too

SANanny I'm intrigued at the idea of a 17mnth old learning colours and counting - how do you do that?

I think Phys was worried by the responses she had received. If the applicant had described how they plan to encourage the total development instead of having a set 'curriculum' then she probably would have been happier. From my understanding of her post, the answers she got were pretty vague.

Phys I'm sorry if you feel that my comment is 'misguided' but it is my opinion and this is after all a public forum and because of this you will get many different opinions.

I dont think it is misguided as you may think ....i had worked in nurseries specialising in the under 3's care for 13 years before having ds. And over the years have become appalled at the amount of emphasis place on teaching rather than caring and nurturing of the under 3's. And because of this i plan never to go back and have decided to childmind instead where i feel children can be children and not little national cirriculum turnouts. Again this is just my opinion.

As many have said i think a nanny who is loving, caring and exposes your children to new experiences will learn through play. A nanny that is worried whether she has covered all learning criteria may be less able to bond with your little one.

Hope i have explained myself a little better this time . Good luck

I don't think anyone meant to upset you, Phys, but some of us maybe felt a little concerned that you seemed to be focusing on the nanny teaching your child in a rather regimented fashion, when most of us feel a relaxed and caring atmosphere would benefit your baby more. Of course it is up to you who you choose, but you did ask for, and receive, opinions.

Babies who are loved, learn. They are programmed to do it. She is only nine months old! My dd is 8months old and she learns by being in the room with me and her four year old brother, by me singing to her and by grabbing the cat as it passes, by going out in her pram and having strangers chat to her. I certainly don't have a 'programme of activities'! She's my baby!
And I never had anything of the sort with my son and he turned four a couple of weeks ago and can read, knew his colours at two (from looking at the cars as we walked down the road mainly) and so many other things, without a 'programme of activities'. I truly believe that if a baby is with someone who loves them and is interested in them, they will learn all the time. They don't need to be taught. I do know going back to work is hard, but remember if you weren't, would you have a written plan of activities? I doubt it. But your baby would be fine. She needs love, cuddles, healthy food, chat and laughter.

As an ex-nanny, I would say at this age (and perhaps any age) love and fun was infinitely more important than a programme of activities. Your nanny should not be filling a teaching role, but that of a cheerful and caring companion to your child's play.

Phys, what do you do with your little one. If you do all of the things that you say you want your nanny to do, then Nursery is the place for you. If you don't do all of those things, then perhaps a childminder is the place. 1 to 1 and all of that. Are you wanting the person to live in or not.