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Original poster

Ski Chalet nanny is only 21! would you be concerned?!

16 replies

kb101 · 11/03/2008 18:46

oh dear. i have just found out that our chalet nanny is 21 which seems young to me to be looking after 3 kids (2.8 years, 19 months, 11 months).

the agency manager said she is an older nanny as most are 19! the agency came recommended through various contacts.

would you be concerned? does anyone have any experience of 'young' nannies, good or bad? maybe 21 is a normal nanny age for ski resorts?

thanks.

OP posts:
NomDePlume · 11/03/2008 18:48

I would be looking for experience of lookign after 3 small children (in sole charge?) rather than worrying too much about her age.

alittlebitshy · 11/03/2008 18:49

Not sure - but a lot of nurseries have staff that young (younger!). My cousin is 20 this year and has been working in a nursery for a year or so, and is now in charge of a room there... I'd assume and hope that experience is what counts!
But i totally understand your worry!

beautifuldays · 11/03/2008 18:52

don't judge her solely on her age. i was 21 when i had my ds and 24 when i had dd, just because you're young doesn't mean you can't look after kids. i also know lots of primary school teachers who are 22/23.

i would be looking into how much experience she has looking after kids. she might have been doing it since she was 17 and be very experienced, she'll also have lots of energy to keep them entertained

LIZS · 11/03/2008 18:54

sounds about par for the course. Which company ?

NorthernLurker · 11/03/2008 18:55

I was 21 when dd1 was born - she's ok. If you've got recommendations from a reliable source and she's used to looking after more than one child at once I'm sure it will be fine

AbbeyA · 11/03/2008 19:00

I don't see what is wrong with 21yrs-teachers can be only 22 yrs. Some people are mature at 18-some won't be mature at 31!

Psychomum5 · 11/03/2008 19:29

don;t worry.

I nannied twin boys and their older sister straight from being trained at the age of 18, and their parents left me alone with them 2mths after I started, when they went on their holiday!!!

I then at the age of 20 went with them on their ski holiday, and then had to also look after the entire party's kiddies.........I had 8 to care for !

AND.......I hate to say this, but.......

I was a fasr better nanny than I am a mum.

much calmer, much better at adhering to decent diet etc (mainly cos they were able to afford decent food and I didn;t have to cook for a 'family', just the kiddies IYGWIM), and as I didn;t have to panic about housework etc (they had cleaners[winks]), I could do crafty stuff to my hearts content.

please don;t worry about age........best nennies are young

Psychomum5 · 11/03/2008 19:30

and I also spelled better then too

iamdingdong · 11/03/2008 19:32

we employed a 21 yo nanny to look after our twins when they were about 20 months, she was great, until she got pregnant!

newgirl · 11/03/2008 19:33

i think it is normal - nannies in resorts will be younger - pre mortgages etc!! i have always been impressed by the nannies with mark warner - full of enthusiasm and very lovely to the children

Original poster
kb101 · 11/03/2008 21:14

thanks all - that is great feedback and reassuring. will try to relax a bit more now!

guess it goes to show how old i feel, as 21 seems like light years ago for me, and i definitely would not have known a nappy from a nit back then!

OP posts:
Mrspanic · 11/03/2008 21:33

kb are all the children yours or is your party 2 families sharing ? especially if there are 2 sets of parents it would be easy surely to pop back from the slopes to check how things are going in a relaxed way ? My concern - if there was to be a concern at all, I'm sure it will be fine - is not the nanny's age per se, but the fact the children being so very close in age are all at a very dependent stage. But a lively 21 year old could be a better bet than a more sedate mature nanny ! Enjoy your holiday...

Original poster
kb101 · 12/03/2008 09:08

yes that's a good point mrspanic as there are 2 families' kids being looked after by the nanny. and i doubt i will be up to skiing all day anyway!

OP posts:
BecauseImWorthIt · 12/03/2008 09:19

She could have had 3 years' experience by now, which is more than you have had!

My second nanny started with us straight out of college at 18. She was fantastic and worked for us for 9 years.

(I had to teach her to cook, but that was a different matter!)

PerkinWarbeck · 12/03/2008 09:29

Agree with the others. My Dsis was an nneb qualified nanny with 3 years exp by that age.

And my MIL had 3 kids of her own by then, all of whom have turned into tremendously well-rounded, functioning adults. even if one in particular never remembers to put the bins out.

Squiffy · 12/03/2008 09:56

Kb, one thing I would do in this situation is to double check that she is qualified. The age wouldn't bother me at all, but I would worry if I was paying for a nanny and getting a chalet girl who might not know what to do in an emergency.

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