Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

What is the BEST thing about your Childminder, nanny or au pair?

30 replies

KangaMummy · 29/11/2004 20:37

Who has got the best story about:

What brilliant fun your child has while being cared for while you are at work..........

The way your childminder etc. looks after your child...........

How you don't know what you would do without her/him........

What have they done for DD/DS that you are very pleased about...........

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

libb · 29/11/2004 20:47

Nothing specific, just that she is like Wonder Woman and brilliant with DS - I stopped phoning unless I had something specific to mention after the 3rd day of being at work. I really trust her and her children are so lovely that I know DS is fine in her hands.

She tells me all the news of the day and how the feeds went and she entertains him brilliantly - I think he is definitely perkier these days because he has so much fun xxx

Caligula · 29/11/2004 20:48

My friend when she was looking after my DS when I was working full time about three years ago potty trained him in 5 days flat.

AussieSim · 29/11/2004 20:50

My DS started saying Please this week, and sadly it wasn't me who taught him. She has also taught him he must be sitting down to eat.

mammya · 29/11/2004 20:51

My dd loves her. And she's learning gujarati!

popsycal · 29/11/2004 20:53

she is able to have immaculately manicured nails and care for several toddlers 5 days per week

seriuosly though!
she is fab - does the sit at the table to eat thing......he will walk round a shop without touching things

she does fantastic art and craft stuff with him

nannyk · 29/11/2004 21:01

Thanks KangaMummy You're a star! And so are you Libb and Caligula! It's so nice for us nannies to hear good things. I know there are naff ones out there but the majority of us try very hard to ensure the little ones we look after are as happy and secure and entertained and loved and all the other positive things that you mums and dads out there hope that they will be.

My fave things about being a nanny are...............
................ how the kids have huge grins on their faces when they see me first thing in the morning (could be my awful bed-head hair but I live in hope/denial..........)
..........watching them grow into confident happy little people
..........seeing the parents well up when we give them home made cards/cakes/pictures just because
.................being able to do whatever the kids want to do (within reason, watching finding nemo 4 times in one rainy afternoon was not really the best idea after all)
...............being hugged on a sunday afternoon and being told that you were missed
...............teaching the kids something new and sitting back silent as they show their parents and are bursting with pride

God I could go on and on, but I won't. Am in dire need of a large glass of vino and am going to watch the goonies. What an awesome film!!! I have never really grown up, yet another reason I love my job!!!

JJ · 29/11/2004 21:01

She:
took my son everywhere and was my 'emergency number' for the school
gave him eldest his first overnight date -- took him to see Harry Potter and then home afterwards
helped me immensely in talking about schools and what we were going to do

that was the babysitter in Switzerland

I love the previous two people who have helped us out (nanny and mother's help). I feel I owe my life to our first nanny here. She let me explore the place and get used to living in it.

KatieMac · 29/11/2004 21:03

This is SO nice

JJ · 29/11/2004 21:05

that should be:
gave my eldest ..

and you need to know that it was his first overnight, he has EpiPens, which scare most people off. He'd never gotten invited before that.

JJ · 29/11/2004 21:09

oops, very vague, she took him to her house to spend the night. It was his first overnight. I was so proud of him and am so grateful to her.

soapbox · 29/11/2004 21:10

I've had two fantastic nannies overall - not perfect but are any of us???

Nanny 1 who looked after children from babyhood through to school - that the children loved her and she loved them! That is the most important thing to me and made me able to get over any negatives there might have been along the road.

Nanny 2 who has only recently started - that she has grown up children yet is able to give advice to me that doesn't sound like a know-it-all been-there-and-done-it person! That she does lots of cheap but really fun things with the children - like taking them fishing, trawling museums, etc. That she happily takes my elderly Mum with her when the children go for a day out and is as endlessly patient with her as she is with the children.

to all the good nannies and childminders out there. For those of us that work outside the home - you are soooo important to our peace of mind!

Dannie · 29/11/2004 21:35

My kids' nanny is nicer than me. She's been with us six years. She's doggedly worn stylish black despite caring for three snot and vomit-strewn babies. DS1 wants to marry her. She offered to make the nativity play costumes I'd volunteered for cos she knows she'll do a better job than me. She puts up with me ranting on about my in-laws. The car has a weird electrical fault and she took it to the garage this morning. She's a really good cook. She's DS2's godmother. When my mother wanted to get me underwear for my birthday (embarrassing or what!), she suggested a spa day instead. When DS1 and DD were very small, she got us a set of portrait photos as a surprise christmas present.
Her three-week holiday just turned out to be more like five weeks, but I've done most of the Christmas shopping and playing with DS1 is much nicer than commuting...

Issymum · 29/11/2004 21:52

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request

Yorkiegirl · 29/11/2004 21:53

Message withdrawn

Lara2 · 30/11/2004 19:29

My children love her - she's been with us (through various nanny shares)for 12 years now. WHAT would we do without her? She's seen me through early days of DS1, 2nd pregnancy, her relationships, marriage, her 2 children. She is now one of my best friends and we have had such an amazing time over the years - even when we argue!! I'm dreading the time when we don't see her everyday - at least 4 years away!!!

bakedpotato · 30/11/2004 19:38

was hoping someone would start a thread like this.

i've learned so much from our fantastic nanny over the last 2.5 yrs -- i really don't know where to start. what's truly amazing is that while being so brilliant with my dd, who LOVES her, she has also, by being supportive and making good suggestions (and reinforcing my ideas if appropriate), given me more confidence in my own parenting skills.

she's only 26 but her linguistic, diplomatic, logistical and organisational skills are mindblowing. she's also totally discreet. i'd trust her with my life. well, dd is my life, so of course i do.

when i grow up i hope to be like her.

hattiel · 01/12/2004 14:01

Our Au pair is by no means perfect, but were the children are concerned she is GREAT.

At weekend she took DS to wrong birthday party, he was sat there in is fancy dress batman outfit with mask on for 10 mins then realized the party was in the church hall across the road
By this stage DS was upset.

Au pair turned situation around. They both came home singing the ketchup song, both had their face painted, Ds had won a prize for best boy dancer and Au - pair won a prize for best dancer over 7yrs... she even got a party bag. ( childs mother said the kids loved Au pair at the party)

I also have a fantastic childminder, I don't know where to start... but will mention something later.

motherinfestivemood · 01/12/2004 14:07

My childminder is the only reason my children have any social graces (like washing their hands or saying Peeze and Fankyow) at all. She reassured me in the most tactful way imaginable when DD1 wasn't walking. She looked after DD1 overnight when I was having DD2, and her entire family came round to see the baby. She takes them to playgroup and nursery, she loves and cuddles them, she is firm with them when they need it, they are so so happy and secure with her. My daughters are utterly lovely, and they wouldn't be the lovely girls they are without her.

motherinfestivemood · 01/12/2004 14:08

But the BEST thing is that I have no childcare worries. None whatsoever. Even when they go to McDonalds

MariNativityPlay · 01/12/2004 14:38

Nursery nurses aren't mentioned here specfically but I did want to say how great all the people are who have looked after ds at his nursery and dd at hers: they've all understood how much I hate being away from my children. We've all learned from them how wonderful it is to see your child form an independent, loving relationship with an adult who is NOT a family member.
We've had loads of good advice from them.
Ds is at school now (and we also love his dinner ladies and after school club workers ) but dd is dropped off at nursery laughing and bouncing in her buggy and she is still roaring with laughter when we come back for her. It can take 15 minutes to exit the building by the time she has had her compulsory cuddle with all her favourite nurses.
How nice to have a thread where we can say a public thanks to all the great men and women who take such good care of our nippers

pamina3 · 01/12/2004 14:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EniDeepMidwinter · 01/12/2004 14:48

my childminder is like a granny to my 2 girls, she totally spoils them (which isn't so great sometimes ), and she has a brilliant robust attitude to life which can be a real antidote to the relentless middle classness of my day to day life.

And she does my washing and ironing

Kaysleighbells · 01/12/2004 15:03

Don't know where to begin with my childminder. She is wonderful and my boys love her. My ds1 who is 6.5 has been with her since he was 5 months old. Her children are grown up and she loves kids. She not only childminds but runs a brownie group, a mother and toddler group and also teaches re childcare at the local college.

I think the most important thing for me is the way they rush in in the morning and forget about me. I have to virtually beg for a kiss goodbye before leaving for work. I know they are happy there and that means I'm happy.

She is bloody marvellous and I don't know how she does it. I'm just very, very glad she does.

StNickschik · 01/12/2004 15:37

I 2nd, 3rd and 4th the pat on the back for nursery staff. I've never had any problems with the staff at dd's nursery - they always tell me what she's been up to and seem to display just the right level of acceptable affection. It's so good to see dd making friends and becoming indepednent and enabling her to do the things that are impractial at home - ie. most things to do with large bits of paper and lots of paint/messy substances!

sponge · 01/12/2004 16:22

I have a childminder who has just started today and she's just texted me to let me know that she and dd got home safely from school. I'd never have thought of doing that - so simple and yet so reassuring. I love her already .

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread