Glowing Bath Time Fun

Creative Wednesdays

At every nanny job I have worked at it has been my responsibility to bathe the kids left in my care. In my early days working as a nanny I wasn't too creative if a child complained about taking a bath. I would sing songs and try to distract them. Now, there are tons of bath toys to use to help children enjoy their time in the sudsy water.

Currently, the four-year-old I care for loves having glowing LED ice cubes in the bath. As long as the sun is still up and there's some daylight, I turn off the lights in the bathroom and throw these Water Submersible LED Ice Cubesin the bath.

What ideas can you share with us to make bath time fun? You can answer below or on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

You can purchase your own Water Submersible LED Ice Cubesby clicking links above or below.

Water Submersible LED Ice Cubes

Making Strombolis

Cooking for Kids

Visit our new blog address to see how to make chicken parmesan strombolis and gooey spinach and cheese strombolis at bethebestnanny.com

Aesop's Fables

Weekly Trip to the Library

Aesop's Fables are stories that teach morals through the use of animals and nature. These stories have been passed down from one generation to the next over the course of thousands of years.

The animals in fables are representative of the most powerful human emotions – both positive and negative – including love, fear, generosity, and greed. This helps to highlight the underlying moral of each story; it’s easy for both children to immediately recognize the foolish or the wise characters.

Aesop is undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous fabulists. More than 2,570 years ago, this Greek story teller created hundreds of tales, which are now known by the collective title of Aesop’s fables. Aesop’s fables feature inanimate objects and animals that are able to speak and interact with each other in the same way that humans do.

Aesop’s fables continue to be read and adored, as these stories are still relevant to our modern lives, despite being written several hundred years ago. They not only portray common experiences, but also teach children valuable life lessons, in a way that is easy for them to understand.


The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop's Fable
There are many examples of fables with morals, but perhaps one of the most well known is Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare, in which readers learn that slow and steady wins the race. The hare is naturally quick, so when he is asked to have a race with a tortoise, he is adamant that he will win, without even trying. He is so confident that he decides to take a quick snooze in the middle of the race. The tortoise, moving along slowly but consistently, passes the Hare out and wins.


The Lion and the Mouse
The Lion and the Mouse is another favorite fable that teaches children about the importance of kindness and that even seemingly powerful creatures need help sometimes. In this tale, the mouse accidentally wakes up the sleeping lion. The lion then considers eating the mouse, but decides against it after the mouse convinces him that he is not good enough to be the prey of a lion. Later, the Lion becomes entangled in a hunter’s net – the mouse spots the trapped lion, remembers the mercy the lion showed him, and decides to free him, by chewing through the ropes.


The Fox and the Crow
The Fox and the Crow is another well-known fable which illustrates the dangers of falling prey to flattery. A crow discovers a small piece of food, and flies up to a tree where he can eat it. However, a fox comes along and, wanting to steal the food, tells the crow how lovely he is, and asks him if his voice is as impressive as his appearance. The crow believes the fox’s words, and tries to impress him further by singing. As soon as he opens his beak, the food falls to the ground, enabling the fox to snatch it up and keep it for himself.

You can purchase any of these stories by clicking the links above or below:


The Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables

English Muffin Pizzas

Cooking With Kids

Visit bethebestnanny.com to see how to make these mini pizzas.

Footprint Ladybugs, Butterflies and Bluebirds

Grandparent's Day Footprint Cards

This upcoming Sunday, September 7 is Grandparents Day. There is no need to buy a pricey card to celebrate the occasion. Instead, make these cute craft card ideas from nanny and mother Heather Marincovich with the kids. This is a super project to do with babies since they cannot draw yet but you can still give the grandparents something from their grandchildren. Here is how to make these cute cards:

You Will Need:

Washable paints
Heavyweight paper
Paint brushes
Bins of soapy water or bathtub
Paper towels
Sharpie marker

Ladybug Footprint (see above)

When making a card, fold a piece of paper in half then reopen the paper and lay if flat on the floor. If just making a picture, there is no need to fold the paper. Paint the child's foot with red paint. Stamp the red foot on the left side of the card which will be the cover of the card (or center it on the paper if just making a sign). To make more ladybugs paint the foot again with more red paint. Flip the paper around so the lady bug will be in a different direction and stamp the foot on the paper. Repaint the foot as many times as you wish to make as many bugs as you wish. Clean the foot by dipping in a bin of soapy water or in a bathtub and dry with paper towels. Paint black paint on the child's finger and let them stamp black dots on the red foot on the paper. Wash the child's hand. Once dry use a black Sharpie marker to draw antennas and legs on the lady bugs. Write the message for grandparents with markers.

Butterfly Footprint

Use purple, pink, and light blue paint to make butterflies. Fold the paper into a card and unfold it before placing it flat on the floor or don't fold the paper if you are just making a sign. Paint the child's feet with purple paint and stamp them on the paper. Have the toes facing up with the arches facing out and the heels touching one another to make butterfly wings. Then repeat with other colors of paint for different colored butterflies. Wash the child's feet by putting them in a bin of water or in a bathtub. After paint dries, use a Sharpie marker to draw the body and antennas of the butterflies. Use markers to write a message for the grandparents.

Bluebird Footprint

If making a card, fold a piece of paper in half then reopen the paper and lay if flat on the floor. If just making a sign just put the heavyweight paper on the floor. Paint the child's foot with blue paint. Stamp the child's foot on the paper. Once dry, use paint or markers to draw the wings, beak, eye, and branch for the bird to stand on. Soak the child's foot in bin of soap and water or in the bathtub. Use markers to write a nice message to the grandparents.

The Woombie Swaddler

Products Nannies Love

Please visit bethebestnanny.com to see our review on the Woombie Swaddler.

Children's Books for Labor Day

Weekly Trip to the Library

We celebrate Labor Day as the last weekend of summer by having picnics, barbecues, parades, and water sports. Here are some children's books from Amazon.com and the book reviews included on Amazon.com to share with children about the holiday.

Labor Day by Robin Nelson

This children's book is a basic overview of Labor Day for new readers. Color photographs reflect the short, easy-to-understand sentences that improve vocabulary and comprehension.


Labor Day by Mir Tamim Ansary

This book introduces Labor Day to children entering Kindergarten to second grade. It explains the historical events behind it, how it became a holiday, and how it is observed. Labor Day reminds readers that the labor-union movement brought about laws keeping children out of the workplace and in school.

Community Helpers from A to Z by Bobbie Kalman and Niki Walker

This book shares information about many careers. Occupations are enhanced by the photographs of workers. A great book to share with small children to teach about the many jobs that different people do.


Jobs People Do by Felicity Brooks
Daisy the Doctor (Jobs People Do)

For any kid who has ever wondered about what their Moms and Dads do when they are gone all day, this book provides some answers. Kids who have a working parent or who are curious about various professions will enjoy this introduction to a variety of jobs. They will learn about farmers, chefs, doctors, firefighters, teachers and veterinarians—some of whom they will have encountered early in life, like a doctor. There is a good range of professions, men and women, and ethnic groups. All of the scenes include models which are then photographed to become the images shown on the pages. The stories are interesting, fact-filled, and even have little extras at the end of each. At more than 100 pages, this is a big book. It looks like an oversized board book with its padded cover, but while the pages are sturdy, it is definitely not a board book. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot

Patriotic Parfait

Cooking With Kids

In preparation of the nation celebrating Labor Day on Monday there's still time to share a patriotic treat with the kids. Check out how to make it at bethebestnanny.com

Have a Taste Test

Fun Way to Get Kids to Eat Healthy Produce

A fun way to get kids to eat healthy foods is by having a taste test. Use at least two types of food that are similar but slightly different tasting such as: cantaloupe and honeydew melon, or red and green apples, or broccoli and cauliflower. We used three different colored types of grapes for our recent taste test.

When using produce such as red delicious apples and granny smith apples, cut up the apples into bite sized chunks and if the children are young cut the grapes in half so they aren't a choking hazard.

With young children you may need to use a blindfold to ensure they keep their eyes closed. The kids I care for are old enough to trust to keep their eyes closed so we didn't use a blind fold. Put one tiny piece of produce in the child's mouth and have them guess if they are eating the red apple or the green apple; cantaloupe or honeydew, melon; broccoli or cauliflower; or red, blue, or green grape.

The best part results of having a taste test is getting kids to eat healthy snacks with enthusiasm. But, the girls I care for spent 40-minutes last week playing the game by themselves while I cleaned up the kitchen and folded laundry making the game a way to keep kids busy as well.

Use Natural Consequences to Discipline Children

Respecting Professional Boundaries

The time to discuss with your employers how you will discipline their children is during the job interview -- well before starting a nanny job. For discipline to be effective it is essential that parents and nannies are on the same page. All caregivers must be consistent and back one another other up.

To see this entire article visit our new blog address at bethebestnanny.com.

Should Boys Be Allowed to Play With Baby Dolls and Dress Up In Heels?

Professional Nannies Don’t Overact to Cross-Over Play

Last week while at a play date with 4-year-old girls and one boy a nanny reacted very negatively towards the boy when he wore a princess costume while all the kids were playing dress up at a girl's house.

I think it's okay to let boys play with baby dolls and dress up like a princess and for girls to pretend to be football players or firefighters. But, for caregivers who are afraid of letting their charges play cross-over play here are some thoughts I found online.

Lawrence J. Cohen, author of Playful Parenting and psychologist writes, “Dressing as the opposite sex doesn’t indicate a child’s gender confusion. Nor will it influence their sexual preference as an adult."

The author suggests caregivers keep a positive attitude and a sense of humor about the way children dress. Kids may pretend to be someone of the opposite sex.

He says, "Don’t ever forbid this — join in on the play and let them wear what they choose. It’s simply of expression."

Greg Uba, Children’s Services Coordinator for Connections for Children says, “When children are allowed to play outside their gender roles, it gives them the opportunity to go beyond gender bias. Cross-over play allows kids to develop skills they traditionally aren’t encouraged to develop."

He explains that it’s common for children to experiment with different roles. Boys can learn to be more nurturing and verbally expressive and girls can learn spatial skills when they’re playing outside of their role.

He continues, "Child care providers should mix together gender-typed materials and toys. All kids love dinosaurs, trucks, trains, dolls, and dress-up. Put dolls in the block area and transportation toys in the dress up area."

Mr. Uba recommends child caregivers initiate and encourage group games that are inclusive, provide pictures and role models of non-stereotypical behaviors such as jobs like male nurses and female firefighters.

Have you ever over reacted when a child played outside of their gender role?

You can purchase Playful Parenting by clicking the links above or below:

Playful Parenting

Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

Should We Hide, or Not Hide, Veggies in Kids' Food?


I love the cookbook Deceptively Delicious. Jessica Seinfeld, the wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and a mother of three, shows us how to add vegetables that kids find unappetizing on their own, to foods kids love.

To see this entire book review or purchase the book please visit bethebestnanny.com

Pasta Primavera

Cooking for Kids
Check out how to make this healthy dish at our new blog address at bethebestnanny.com

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Weekly Trip to the Library

See our review on our blog at bethebestnanny.com

Jamberry