Gift Ideas from Nanny to Parents

Picture on Art.com


      It can be particularly tough for a nanny to find an appropriate gift to give a parent who seems to "have it all."  However, if you have a good relationship with your employer it is worth the effort to make a gesture of appreciation.  Good nanny jobs are a treasure for all involved and fostering kindness and respect is always a good example to set.


      So the question remains, what make, or buy for someone who has significantly greater means than you do?  My answer is generally to avoid buying and turn instead toward the making end of the spectrum.  Making something allows you to showcase a particular skill and is especially meaningful if you can involve the children in the gift's production.

     If your skills are cooking or baking, go for it!  If you have a few special recipes you make for your charges consider printing or handwriting a mini cookbook of those recipes for days you are not there.  Sometimes the simplest recipes might be the hardest for a parent to guess without your special instructions.  If Mary Jane likes the way you mix up hot cocoa with just the right amount of mix, write it down!  If you have a special way of making a treat that is healthy and low in sugar, write it down!   Whether typed up in a fancy font and printed or written on pretty recipe cards these little recipes may be invaluable someday either on a weekend.  They may even serve as a snapshot of what the children loved to review someday when they are older.

     If you skills are the needle crafts, such as knitting or crochet, there are lots of wonderful free patterns available for small gifts.  I love to crochet and find great patterns on the Lion Brand website.  If the children are five and over many times you can teach them to help with a small part of that project.  If the children are old enough to put beads on a string and not in their mouths, you may be able to help them pick out a couple strings of silver, glass, or crystal beads to put together a very special piece of jewelry for mom.  They may even enjoy making the beads out of polymer clay that hardens when baked.  As long as they are poked with a toothpick before baking they can be strung onto jewelry elastic after they have hardened.  Gifts from both  Nanny and the kids are often greatly appreciated. 
   
     If you are an artist or photographer, parents would usually adore a portrait of their child.  If you don't consider yourself particularly artistic or crafty there are lots of kits available in craft stores for under ten dollars that can be used to create something memorable such as a plaster handprints with young children, or mosaic stepping stones, or  painted, durable picture frames, or Christmas ornaments.  These don't require artistic skill on your part, only your patience and supervision.   Don't forget, after the children have done the painting seal the craft with ModgePodge for durability and date it with permanent marker.  These keepsakes will probably be treasured for a very long time!  As long as you are making easy crafts you could also consider allowing the children to make multiples to go to grandparents or other family members.  This can be a big help at the holidays, alleviating some of the parental gift giving stress.  Anything that serves to reduce their stress you know will be appreciated!
    
     Whatever you choose take the pressure off your mind and realize that these gifts are primarily tokens of your appreciation.  If you are running out of time, money, or both don't panic!  Simply purchase or make nice holiday cards and help the children sign them with you.  Use the opportunity to teach the children in your care that the holiday is about sharing loving-kindness rather than stuff and that they too can be givers.

More on Reaching Potty Training Success

ChelB. left me a lovely comment, which is always great motivation to post! She said, "Hi! I'm also a nanny as well.... I noticed your little snippet about potty training so I wondered if you could provide some more insight!"

Thank you, ChelB. for your comment :) Well, the second go around at potty training with Miss T. was approached differently than the first, primarily because her parents were far more on board, but also because we used a few new tools. In thinking through the problems or set backs we'd had in potty training I came to a few realizations and Miss T.'s mother came up with some good ideas too.

Each child is unique when it comes to any kind of training but those differences are often amplified when it comes to potty training. In Miss T.'s case, she has a very high need for independence and also a need for privacy when it comes to toileting. This came into play when potty training because there are no readily accessible toilets on the main floor. This meant she was struggling with having to ask to go to the toilet and needing assistance to get there. Plus needing help to get up on the potty as the available step stools were too narrow for her to do that safely. By the time she got around to asking, it was way too late. My normal use of a schedule was not working this time because she needed to be left alone to go, she withheld if an adult placed her on the potty, and the schedule was not being used when I was not there so each weekend undid any progress. She was eventually relaxing enough to go when I placed her regularly but she never asked to go and would not be asked to go after I left for the day and eventually ended up wet and/or soiled.

We took a break from potty training all together as Miss T. was obviously frustrated and she has a kidney condition that makes it dangerous for her to hold for extended lengths of time, which is exactly what she was doing in the evenings and weekends.

The second time around two big helps to Miss T. were added. I requested a potty chair to be kept in Miss T.'s main play area, I also taught her how to ask for privacy and worked with her on undressing by herself before the Big Day arrived. Her mother also found this great video which despite its corny name really motivated Miss T.. All things fell together quickly after that. As I usually do, as soon as the Big Day arrived I switched her to "big kid underpants" with lots positive wording to go with it. She got to open her new chair and her video as presents and watched her new video immediately.

There was no looking back. She asked for privacy used the potty and was thrilled that she could do it herself. Within about a month she felt confident enough to go on the grown up toilet with an insert to prevent falling in and actually prefered not to use a step stool for this at all. I allowed her more independence, encouraged her to be a big girl and extended "priviledges" such as going upstairs all by herself to go potty. The potty chair is still sometimes in use if she feels a sudden urgency to go or she is travelling with her parents.

So... here are my potty training tips ;)

• First, switch to underpants or cotton training pants with plastic pants over them. I don't recommend disposable training pants for use during the day. They keep kids as dry as a disposable diaper making it hard for then to tell when they have gone therefore keeping them from making the connection between the sensation of having to go and the result. They lengthen the process considerably and are usually a kind of permission between adult and child not to take the process seriously.
  
• Second, try going with your child's normal schedule. This, of course, is much easier if your child is on a schedule to begin with. I recommend having a child sit on the potty as soon as they wake, a few minutes either before or after meals, and before leaving the house for a trip.

For many children that is all it takes! Consistency and positive verbal reinforcement go a long way for them. If your child or the child in your care is not responding take a step back and reassess. Think about your child's personality and their usual response to expectations or demands placed upon them. Ask yourself what physical barriers may be contributing to the problem and how they can be corrected. It doesn't ever have to be a power struggle because this is one of those instances when the responsiblity can be placed in their little hands as long as they are physically capable. If they are not physcally capable of performing steps such as taking off clothing as necessary then they are probably not ready for potty training either. Give whatever necessary instruction to make their independence possible then try potty training.

My Poor Babes

We've all been sick this week. I've been keeping my own cold at bay since Tuesday, it had overtaken me over the weekend but bit by bit I have been working on sending it packing. A neti pot, sea salt, a supple of Vicks Vaporub, along with a steady intake of clear liquids helped a lot! My poor hubby got it pretty badly and little Miss T. has had it too. As often happens it seems I live two days in one, back to back. I mean the events of each day feel like they repeat themselves. I go the work and nurse someone with soup and broth; I come home, make another pot of soup to nurse my dear hubby. I often wonder if it feels this way when you are home with your own little ones.

I do think I need to cut back some hours from work. I am feeling too pressed for time to come home and not be able to make a dent in getting dinner cooked before hubby gets home. It is also that I have a harder time getting things done as the day winds down. When I started working for my current family it was part time but my job has become full time as their situation has changed. Mrs. T. works a very demanding job and it used to be that Mr. T. took care of little Miss T. after I left in the afternoons. Now Mr. T.'s new position involves a lot of travel and overnights away and Mrs. T.'s job has become no less demanding. While I accepted for a time the increase in my hours, running from work to home with no time to be making my own house a home is not the way I want to choose to live my life.

Anyway, I'm running for now to take care of hubby and home. Oh! I wanted to share, we have potty training success at last! Next time I let you in on what did the trick.

Brothy Soup for Colds

2 quart filtered or spring water
2T Better than Boullion- I use the organic vegetable base but you may use chicken flavor or equivalent in boullion cubes but be aware the cubes usually contain MSG OR replace all the water with homemade broth
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 celery stalks chopped (small if the sick person likes celery, large if they don't)
1 onion chopped or halved to be removed later
2 cloves garlic peeled but left whole to be removed before serving

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional additions:
parsley (1-2 T fresh or 1 t. dry)
a pinch dill
2 leeks sliced
a handful or two of medium egg noodles
3-4 potatoes peeled and cubed instead of noodles
fresh lemon

This soup is about the broth and the disinfecting power of alliums. It should be kept simple and if any textures are bothersome to the "patient" strain them out or cut them large enough to be kept out of the soup bowl. You can also strain out everything and serve up only the broth in a fancy teacup, which is Miss T.'s favorite way to drink her "medicine."

Put all ingredients in the soup pot except for potatoes, noodles, or lemon and simmer until veggies are tender at minimum and keep on low or in a crockpot to drink broth as needed throughout the day. Add noodles or potatoes 15-20 minutes before serving and sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice in the soup bowl as it is served for a refreshing tang if liked and desired. If you simmer this soup for a long time taste test and add more water if it gets too salty from cooking down.

Would You Hire Yourself?... Discipline Part 2

Whether you are a parent or a nanny please ask yourself this question. Would you hire yourself to nanny your own children? Do you display the kind of characteristics you would want your children to learn from and emulate? Are you even tempered and kind, neither overly indulgent nor overly controlling? Do you plan for a fun successful day?

The crux of child discipline is often a healthy dose of self discipline mixed with some fun. Without self discipline it is too easy to overboard in many directions, such as being too lenient, or too harsh, or too smothering. It takes self discipline to act like an adult every day but it is the sense of fun that allows you to laugh with the children in your care and not take mistakes (neither yours nor theirs) too seriously.

I don't use any magical behavioral techniques with children. Though I have taken plenty of classes on the matter, there are differing points of view on the subject. I keep things pretty straight forward and simple. It is the same stuff I think we've all heard by now. I use a schedule and properly used time-out are the mainstays (for ages 5 and under) or a sensible, logical consequence for children over 5 years.

"Properly used time-out" IS effective.  Some adults misinterpret and misuse time-out is various ways leading to the idea that it is not effective.  Each step must be followed for maximum effect. 

• To start, a child may not follow a rule they are not aware even exists.  We can't assume that Janey knows drawing on furniture is not OK.  Therefore, a child first has a rule explained to them age appropriately.  Explain the rule, and in the case of drawing on furniture, supervise closely.  

• If they break the rule, such as under your acute supervision Janey tests some crayon off the paper she has been given, they are give one warning face to face at their eye level to make sure they have heard it.

• If it is broken again they MUST be given a time-out, no second, third, and fourth chances. They are told why they are receiving a time-out, placed in a safe area within eyesight but not being given any extra attention for a specific amount of time, generally one minute per year of age, set on a timer.  I have used microwave timers and little portable egg timers.  

• After, they must apologize with appropriate attitude and make amends as appropriate. Amends in this example would include Janey scrubbing the crayon off with adult help if necessary. 

• No anger or frustration is shown on the part of the adult either before or after but a stern voice is used in placing the child in time-out.  Stern isn't yelling.  Stern is the kind of firm voice teachers use that let their students know they won't take no for an answer.

I don't overuse the word no or time-out. I prefer to use positive phrasing when possible, especially with children 5 and under who tend to concentrate on the last few words of a sentence. For example, instead of of saying "No, don't play there." As soon as I see them heading in that direction I would say "Stop. Come play here." At the table I would "Here, use your napkin and dab your chin" over "No, don't use your sleeve." It seems like a subtle difference but it emphasizes what they should do rather than what they shouldn't which gives them clearer direction. I reserve "No" for a firm, direct command, especially when there is no readily apparent redirection. I also don't raise my voice unless the house is on fire or a child is running into the street (would you hire a nanny who yelled at your kids?). It is actually more effective to lower your voice and force them to lean in to listen to you rather than tuning out lots of yelling in an already noisy environment. This is where self discipline comes in.

Concerning other discipline techniques, for nannies spanking is never, never, never appropriate! A parent may be able to use it in a calm, relatively non-violent manner but I won't even discuss its use here because I am not a parent, do not use it, and have never felt the need in any situation I have ever come across. This includes working with "behaviorally challenged" children, strong-willed children, children with developmental disabilities, manipulative children, and having to institute discipline in a household where none was previously used. What has worked in every one of those situations was consistency, stability, and the self discipline to repeat a lesson over and over until it is learned in a consistent, calm, and loving manner.

I hope I am not making it sound more difficult that it actually is because the reality is that with the vast majority of children respond positively to this type of discipline very quickly which then frees you up to enjoy them more. When it becomes very predictable to them how you will handle a given situation, the challenges will grow fewer and farther between, although most children will challenge rules periodically just to see if it still stands.

This is what happens when a child who went to bed without a hitch for months suddenly decides to fuss about it. A few days to a week of consistency, things generally fall back into place again. A single instance of inconsistency however can dramatically draw out this time frame because now the child believes they may have found a way to either wear down your will or they have found some loophole.

There is a lot of good news with this. By getting over the rough spots with consistent use of sensible discipline frees both you and them to enjoy each other more, to be more caring and develop a genuine relationship. This is a way more rewarding relationship that you can get by simply indulging a child until they become unbearable, difficult, spoiled, and embarrassing in public! I look for a balance in discipline that shows respect for a child as a person. They may be a developing person but they are still a person with dignity. No type of discipline should shame a child or make them feel less. Being under the authority of an adult should be a protection to them from that kind of injury.

Cooking for kids

Miss T.'s mom and I have been taking the book Deceptively Delicious for a test drive. I have to say that so far we have been pleasantly surprised. The main idea is not rocket science, it mainly involves using vegetable purees to enhance the health quotient of some kiddie staples so as to avoid the fight to get them to eat their veges straight.

I have done similar by incorporating extra veges into sauces and such but this book had a few great ideas for other combinations I hadn't thought of yet. Who knew cauliflower was so versatile? I personally have done a little tweaking to the pancake recipe, kicking up the spices, and have been enjoying it at home with my hubby as Pumpkin "pie" pancakes. Yum!

The only tip I can really add to this idea is to make sure to take the time to get the purees extra smooth. I have been using the water from steaming the veges for this by adding a tablespoon at a time until they get to a very creamy consistency.

Mrs. Seinfeld's tip on making a couple purees at a time at the beginning of the week is helpful too. Personally I'd stock up on the canned pumpkin purees while they are on sale at this time of year. You'd be amazed what they can be added to that will get gobbled up with kids none the wiser.

My only exceptions to the recipes are the use of lowfat fake foods and margarine. I use the real thing and tweak slightly to compensate. Otherwise I think kids and adults alike could benefit from the addition of extra veg to our everyday food.

Ricotta Banana Pancakes (adapted from the Cottage cheese apple pancakes in the Moosewood Cookbook)

In a bowl, food processor, or blender mix together:

• 1 cup flour (unbleached all-purpose or 1/2 whole wheat or spelt)
  
• 1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tbs. pure maple syrup or honey or other natural sweetener
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese
  
• 2 bananas, ripe and well mashed (or frozen then defrosted for 10 minutes in a bowl of water, when you snip off one end you can easily slip the banana out of its peal right into your bowl and it will be very soft, almost liquidy, and ready to use)
  
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  
• a dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of milk (more or less- check as you mix or blend, it should be pourable but not too runny)

Cook until browned on a hot griddle coated with a small amount of butter or vegetable oil just like regular pancakes, except these are slightly more delicate. They are truly dreamy, melt in your mouth consistency. No need for butter on top and very little syrup on top will do. Perfect with my homemade turkey sausage patties (I will post this recipe sometime soon!) or a fruit cup. Serves 2 very hungry people who love to eat, or 3-4 normal people.

False Starts

I don't think Miss T. has a grasp yet on what this school stuff is supposed to be. Today was another day of refusing to even enter the classroom. We sat out in the hall a while. It was three of us: Miss T., her mommy, and I. Miss T. ran back and forth down the hall a while peering into the classroom but each time decided she'd rather stay in the hall. After about 20 minutes of this the Miss T. was given the choice to go into class or go home. She wanted to stay in the hall which eventually amounted to going home.

I have mixed feeling on the whole thing. I think she is too young, especially to have this kind of decision on her hands. She is independent at home within the safe watch of her parents or myself and loves doing many of the same things she would be doing at the school at this point. I personally plan to homeschool once I am blessed with little ones so my input here is pretty negligible. However, I think even if I was going to have my children trained by a school I would not send them so young that they have no way of comprehending what is going on. On the other hand many parents would believe my decision to homeschool to be overprotective and try to get their children in school and "socialized" as early as possible.

Her school directress told us that even if Miss T. goes in for as little as 15 minutes a day eventually her interest will grow and she will become more capable for classwork, gradually moving into it for the full schedule. We will see in the coming weeks if we can first work up to the fifteen minutes.

School Dazed

Miss T. started school for the first time on Monday. She is a bit young for it, not even 2 1/2 yet. The first day was only 1 hour long and went by fairly uneventfully, except for her being exhausted come nap time and really over sleeping. The second day she bumped her head on a door handle and cried inconsolably until she was brought back to her parents. There are still three more days to try this out this week but I honestly do not think she is ready for it. She has no enthusiasm for going, no clear idea of what is going on, and her attention span is lacking for the type of serious Montessori environment the school has set up. I have not actually been there yet but I have read up on the school quite a bit and Miss T.'s mom has already had indications from the staff there that they feel Miss T. may not be ready. The rigorous 5 day a week schedule is a bit much for Miss T., in my opinion.

This is really the first family of toddlers where I was not asked to assess the school or the child's readiness. It does not surprise me too much because in the area I am in there are quite a few "nannies" that really are not qualified to be called such. They are many babysitters/housekeepers. I find it disappointing but that's reality. We will see if Miss T. can manage even partial days for now, otherwise her parents will pull her now and restart later in the year or early next year. At this point I'm not sure which course I'd recommend.