Best Nanny Newsletter

What Advice Do You Have When Caring for a Child After the Death of a Family Pet?

2012-01-31T05:59:00.013-05:00

Losing the Family Pet

By H.J. Fracaro

For many children their first experience with death is the loss of a pet. Although it is devastating for children of all ages, it does allow them to understand the process of death and grieving. They observe the deceased will not be coming back and find a way to cope.

If a pet has to be put down, it is best to allow the child to say goodbye first. Give them truthful, uncomplicated answers about the process and help them remember the positive impact the pet made on their lives. It the pet is buried, plant a tree, flowers, or a marker in the yard in tribute. If cremated place the urn on a bookshelf or mantle with a photograph or collar but make sure not to turn it into a shrine to the lost pet. It is important they feel the loss and move forward instead of replacing the pet with the shrine. This is also why you should not replace the pet immediately.

There are many helpful books for children addressing pet death. Some of the most popular are: Newberry winner Cynthia Rylant’s Cat Heaven and Dog Heaven I'll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm, and The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst. Compassion, the passage of time and books like these can help heal a child’s broken heart.

What to Expect if There is a Death in Your Charge's Life

2012-01-30T05:30:00.001-05:00

Children and Grief
By H.J. Fracaro

Most children have an encounter with death, whether it’s the death of a pet, grandparent, friend, or parent. Children of different ages understand death to varying degrees and express their sadness in different ways.

Babies and toddlers under age two cannot comprehend death but are upset by the change in routine and the emotions of the people around them. They may cry more often, have difficulty sleeping, throw fits, rock back and forth, or have tummy trouble due to anxiety. The best way to offer comfort is to maintain their routine, offer lots of physical contact like cuddling, and be patient and gentle with the behavior changes.

Preschool age children can understand when something is dead, however they think it is a temporary state like sleeping and can be reversed; much like the characters in the cartoons they watch. They may ask questions repeatedly such as, “When is Grandma coming back?” or “What is Grandma doing right now?” Answer these questions as simply and honestly as possible. Acting out the events surrounding the death, such as playing hospital, or crashing toy cars can also be a behavior associated with grief. Crying, withdrawing, nightmares, fighting and regression, such as baby talk, thumb sucking, or bed wetting are also common. Allow these behaviors and encourage play and fun.

Kids six- to 12-years old have a more adult concept of death. They understand the body has ceased to function and the person will not be coming back. They are also capable of thinking of the future, realizing their loved one won’t be attending their future birthdays, graduation, or wedding. They worry their angry thoughts or bad behaviors could have caused the death and are aware it could happen again. Often they worry what will happen if their caregiver were to die. Common reactions to grief include regression, denial, poor or markedly improved performance in school, aggression, being protective of loved ones, and nightmares.

Teenagers have the same reactions as the previous age group but also ponder their own mortality, hide their feelings to appear strong and can utilize spirituality to cope. They may fight, scream, argue, engage in high risk behavior, change their eating habits, and change their group of friends.

With teenagers and children of any age, include them in the rituals of grieving but do not force them to participate. Having a separate mourning ritual such as releasing balloons, lighting candles, or creating a memory book can often offer closure and comfort to the child without being overwhelming.

Above all remember to be available when they want to talk or just spend time together so they are reminded they are not alone and are loved.

Working Overtime Doubles Depression Risk

2012-01-29T08:02:00.000-05:00

Do You Work More Than 40-Hours Per Week?

A study released this week shows that working overtime doubles depression risk. Most nannies I know work more than 40-hours per week. And if you think the link between depression and work exists only in those who are unhappy with their jobs -- think again. The study finds that working long hours -- regardless of job stress or satisfaction - increases a person's risk for depression.

The study was published in the January 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE. "Although occasionally working overtime may have benefits for the individual and society, it is important to recognize that working excessive hours is also associated with an increased risk of major depression," study author Dr. Marianna Virtanen, an epidemiologist at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, said in a written statement.

Although the findings are "consistent with previous studies, the degree of increased risk was surprising," Dr. Bryan Bruno, chair of the psychiatry department at Lenox Hill Hospital, N.Y., told CNN. "The biggest condition that I work with is depression, and it is often related to work stressors."

Depression affects an estimated 1 in 10 U.S. adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depression can worsen common chronic conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and can also result in increased work absenteeism and decreased productivity.

Silikids Siliskin Bottle Covers

2012-01-29T05:30:00.000-05:00

Product Review Sunday

We have compared and reviewed baby bottles on this blog. But we forgot to recommend Silikids Siliskin. If you use a glass baby bottle such as the Evenflo Classic Clear glass nurser simply slide on the custom silikids silicone sleeve. The innovative sleeve allows babies to grab hold and avoid slippage when feeding from a glass bottle encased in a colorful siliskin. It is microwave safe, keeps heat from transferring from bottle to hands, hypo allergenic, and dishwasher safe. This translucent silicone sleeve allows you to see measurements and liquid in the bottle.

Cleaner than any plastic, glass bottles are the best. The secret is silicone. It is safe, pliable, and stylish. Due to recent concerns regarding BPA, many parents are switching to BPA Free children’s products. Silicone offers just that solution. Silicone does not contain toxic chemicals like bisphenol-A, lead, PVC, and phthalates.

Silikids Universal Wideneck Large Siliskin, Yellow is basically made up of silicon, a natural element present in sand, quartz and rock, which, after oxygen, is the most abundant element on earth. Silicon is transformed into silicone when combined with oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. Because it is an inert material, it does not react with food or beverages, or produce any hazardous fumes. It’s non-toxic, hypo allergenic, does not promote bacteria or fungus growth, and it does not transmit taste to food.

Silicone does not decompose but it is recyclable -- although probably not through your city-wide recycling program. There are many specialty recycling facilities that recycle silicone. (Send your Silikids products back to the company and they will recycle it for you!) Silicone is very durable so you won’t have to worry about disposal for a long time, thus promoting reuse and less waste.

* Silicone is hygienic and hypoallergenic. Its rubber like material is safe, durable and pliable, there are no open pores to harbor bacteria.
* Silicone is easy to use and to clean. Microwave or freezer safe/dishwasher and washer and dryer friendly.
* Silikids products are all made from food grade silicone.
* Silicone does not fade or scratch.

The Skinny on Bullying by Mike Cassidy

2012-01-28T07:27:00.002-05:00

Weekly Trip to the Library

By Elizabeth Kennedy, About.com Guide

If you are looking for a kids' book about bullying that provides a lot of information in an easy-to-digest format, I recommend The Skinny on Bullying.

This 214-page book is subtitled The Legend of Gretchen and uses a comic book-style story to introduce key information about bullies and bullying, including the different forms of bullying, how to avoid being bullied (or being a bully), helping friends who are being bullied, avoiding cyberbullying and talking to an adult when you are being bullied.

The Skinny on Bullying would be particularly helpful to the student entering middle school, although I would also recommend it for younger and older kids.

After [the] introductory messages to those being bullied and to bullies, and an author's note, the story begins. Presented in comic book form, the story centers on two popular fifth graders, friends Billy and Beth, who are getting ready to start middle school. They have to deal with the transition to a new school and to new people, some of whom are bullies.

Types of Bullying and Avoiding Bullying
As the story continues, the author points out the four main types of bullying: physical, verbal, indirect and cyberbullying. He emphasizes what he calls The Golden Rule for dealing with bullies: "Talk to an adult." Cassidy also stress the importance of standing up to bullies and helping other kids who are being bullied.

Cassidy cleverly introduces the topic of how to avoid bullies by wrapping the subject around a lesson in Billy and Beth's science class during which the teacher shows how kids can avoid bullies by "using the rules of the ocean." This includes staying in groups like fish do, avoiding places bullies (big fish) like to congregate, and standing up for yourself like the puffer fish does when confronted by a predatory fish.

The Legend of Gretchen - A Bully in Middle School
I found the rest of the book, which centers on the legend of Gretchen, to be particularly enlightening because of what it reveals about bullying and bullies. Rumors are flying about a new student who is transferring to their school. According to the legend Billy and Beth hear (and share with others), Gretchen is a monster, "born with razor-like horns, fangs and claws," and raised by wolves until she became so powerful the wolves sent her back home. When Gretchen enrolls in their school, she brings a flood of bullying with her in all its forms: verbal, physical, indirect (spreading nasty rumors) and cyberbullying, with nasty comments about Billy and Beth and others on her Facebook page.

As the story unfolds, information about each type of bullying is provided, along with appropriate responses. There are also several pages of photos and comments from such celebrities as Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner about being bullied as kids. In another section of the book, there is the inspiring story of swimmer Michael Phelps who was bullied as a kid but went on as a young adult to win 14 gold medals in the Olympics.

When Billy and Beth finally talk to the principal about Gretchen, they are surprised to find out that they, too, have been guilty of bullying by telling everyone the legend of Gretchen when they knew it wasn't true. With the help of the principal and a new understanding of what bullying is and why people bully, Gretchen, Billy and Beth all learn some good lessons about bullying and getting along with others.

However, as the author points out, not all bullying problems end in friendship. Cassidy concludes with a further reminder to use the strategies outlined in the book to stop bullying.

I recommend The Skinny on Bullyingfor middle grade readers (grades 4-8), particularly kids in, or starting, middle school, as well as adults. It can also be helpful for readers, including younger children who are being bullied (or are being bullies), and their parents to read and discuss the book together.

What Advice Would You Give a Child About Bullies?

2012-01-27T06:02:00.000-05:00

There Are No Innocent Bystanders When Kids Are Being Bullied

This whole week we discussed bullies because it is No Name-Calling Week. Nannies must teach children to help stop a bully.

In a bullying situation, there are usually bystanders, but they aren't exactly innocent. Bullying usually happens with other kids around. Having an audience is very important to a bully. She wants people to see what she's doing, and that she has power over the person she's bullying.It's usually because a bully wants a reputation for being tough or strong, or because she thinks it'll make her more popular.

So what about the people watching the bullying? Why are they letting it happen? Here are some possible reasons:
• The bully is someone other people look up to and want to hang out with.
• They want to "side" with the bully because to do that makes them feel strong. Siding with the bully's victim, on the other hand, would make them feel weak.• They're entertained by the bullying.
• They don't think speaking up will help.
• They're afraid that if they say something, the bully will turn on them.
• Watching the bullying is a way to bully vicariously. This means that they feel like they're getting their frustrations out by hurting someone even though they're not doing the hurting, just watching the hurting.

Research shows that if one person watching a bullying situation says, "Stop it!" half the time the bullying will stop?This can be hard to do, but it's important to try. When standing by and do nothing, that's saying that bullying is okay. It makes the by-stander no better than the bully himself.

Remember the Golden Rule: to treat others the way you would like to be treated. Stand up for someone when he needs it, and when you need it, someone will stand up for you.

Reference: Public Broadcasting System, PBS ONLINE® and pbskids.org, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria VA 22314

Did You Ever Think Your Charge Might Be a Bully?

2012-01-26T05:26:00.000-05:00

No Name-Calling Week

FOR THE KIDS:

Are you a bully and don't know it? Maybe you know you're a bully, but don't know how to change your ways?

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does it make you feel better to hurt other people or take their things?

2. Are you bigger and stronger than other people your age? Do you sometimes use your size and strength to get your way?

3. Have you been bullied by someone in the past and feel like you have to make up for it by doing the same thing to others?

4. Do you avoid thinking about how other people might feel if you say or do hurtful things to them?

If you have bullied other people, think about why. Think about how or what you were feeling at the time. Think about how you felt afterwards.

How can you stop being a bully?

1. Apologize to people you've bullied, and follow it up by being friendly to them. They may not trust you right away, but eventually they'll see that you're for real.

2. If you're having a hard time feeling good about yourself, explore ways to boost your self-esteem. Pick up a new hobby, do volunteer work, or get involved with a sport.

3. If you feel like you're having trouble controlling your feelings, especially anger, talk to a school counselor about it.

There are many reasons to kick the bully habit. Many bullies grow up into adults who bully their families, friends, and co-workers, causing all sorts of problems with relationships and careers. It's hard to think about the future when you're feeling something here and now, but take a moment to see how your behavior may be laying down some pretty negative groundwork.

Is Your Charge Being Bullied?

2012-01-25T05:31:00.000-05:00

No Name-Calling Week

Are school bullies bothering the children you care for?
By Dianne Hadaway, The New York Times Company

When children are bullied, physically or mentally, they may be fearful of talking about it. They don't want to make the situation worse, or could be afraid no one will help or take it seriously. If a child has ever witnessed emotional or physical bullying in her own home or with other family members, she may react grievously to this kind of treatment from peers.

Teaching children how to assert themselves effectively and how to cope with their feelings is essential. The child who bullies also needs to be given caring guidance, along with discipline, because the problems won't just go away without some kind of intervention.

Here are some lessons you can teach a child:

Teach Children the Difference Between Assertive and Aggressive Behavior.
Children should be taught to ask nicely for things and to respond directly to one another. They need to know that it's okay to say, "no," to an unfriendly demand. Allow children to role-play with you, with each other, or with dolls.

Teach Children How to Ignore Routine Teasing.
Help children understand that they do not have to respond to rude remarks or mean questions. Many times a bully will give up if they are ignored or don't get the reaction they expect.

Help The Child Label Different Behaviors.
Help children think of effective ways to respond to bullies. Help them recognize and label different behaviors as acts of aggression, jealousy, bossiness, or just attempts to get attention, then discuss appropriate ways to respond to each kind of behavior.

Encourage Children to Express Feelings in a Positive Way.
Role-play with children to help them think of ways to work out problems with classmates. This kind of "rehearsal" can help children to remain calm and confident when facing a similar situation in school. Responding with a simple, "I'm sorry you feel that way," to someone who is insulting or rude can disarm the bully and help targeted children control their own reactions and emotions.

Teach Common Courtesy Skills.
Children should know how to ask nicely and to respond politely to reasonable requests. Have the children you provide care for pleasantly suggest using good manners, such as, "I'll be happy to share my markers with you if you just ask politely."

Teach Children to Trust and Value Their Own Feelings.
Teach children to take pride in not giving in to bullies, and to handling problems in a positive, respectful manner. This will build self-esteem, which helps children reject negative peer pressure. Children who feel secure and confident in standing up for themselves and others are less likely to be targeted by bullies.

Teach Children About Respect and Rights.
Kids need to understand and know that they have a right to their personal space, their belongings, and that they should not to give up possessions or territory to bullies. Discuss what children should do if other children take their things, invades their personal space, or threatens them physically. Tell children that they should ask an adult in charge to intervene when someone is threatening or disrespecting them. Give children examples to help them understand that bullies need to face consequences of their actions.

Encourage Children to Ask for Help.
Assure children that they can and should tell someone they trust when they feel scared, threatened, or so annoyed that they cannot concentrate on their work. Even at the risk of being reprimanded for disturbing the class or interrupting the teacher, it is important not to allow a bully to exert that kind of control.

Pay Close Attention to Each Child's Behavior.
Watching for changes in a child's natural emotional rhythm will alert you to possible difficulties.

Most Important of All -- Listen to the Child.
Let children know that you are interested in what they have to say and that you support them. Listening to children is vital in building a sense of self worth. Create a comfortable atmosphere for talking with you about both the good and bad things going on in their world. If teenagers can trust you to listen to their latest drama, or if younger children get some undivided attention to ceaseless chatter, or if you can feign interest as children repeat their favorite movie dialog for the 100th time, then when it comes time to tell you about a problem, children will feel safe to do so.

Teaching Your Charge to Stand Up to Bullies

2012-01-24T05:40:00.000-05:00

No Name-Calling Week
We can teach children that are being bullied to respect themselves by standing up to bullies.

There is a lot of new information about dealing with bullies all over the Internet, journals, and textbooks. The current belief of many child psychologists, teachers, and guidance counselors today is to teach children to stand up for themselves.

The best way to teach children to stand up for themselves is to role-play with the child to practice speaking assertively to the bully. Have the child practice telling the bully to stop.

Here are some things Lois Flaherty M.D. of the American Psychiatric Association says kids can do about being bullied:

1. Tell the bully to stop. You can say, "Cut it out! That's not funny,” “You are being mean,” or “Don’t speak to her that way!” Children should do whatever they can to let the bully know that what he or she is doing is stupid and mean. Many bullies may not realize their words and actions are mean and once confronted will stop.

2. If you feel like you can't speak up, walk away from the situation and tell the nearest adult.

3. Make sure to tell your parents and teacher.

4. Involve as many people as possible, including other friends or classmates, parents, teachers, school counselors, and even the principal.

5. Do NOT use violence against bullies or try to get revenge on your own.

In How to Say it to Your Kids, Dr. Paul Coleman says what not to say to kids who are being bullied is:

"Just ignore him. He’ll go away eventually." It is impossible to ignore a bully unless you spend your time in hiding, Fear is best overcome by teaching assertiveness.

"But you’re so tall and strong! You don’t have to be pushed around by anyone." Size and strength are less a factor than [a] child’s personality. Shyer or more sensitive children can easily be intimidated. It is better to coach him in effective responses and praise that performance.

"You're getting older now. I can't solve all your problems for you. I'm sure you can figure this one out [yourself]." The consequences of being bullied can be devastating. At best, kids are humiliated. At worst, they harbor deep resentments and may take matters into their own hands by finding a weapon. [Children] need your full support, the support of the school, and sensitivity to the feelings of humiliation or anger that can result.

"He didn't hit you, he just called you names," of "He didn't tease you, he just stared at you." Don't underestimate how intimidating non-physical forms of bullying can be.

Best Nanny Newsletter would like to add, "Just hit him back next time." Violence is never an appropriate way to solve a problem or deal with anger or frustration.

What do you tell children to do if they are being bullied?

No Name-Calling Week: Has a Child in Your Care Been Bullied?

2012-01-23T05:30:00.001-05:00

This week is No Name-Calling Week. No Name-Calling Week is a week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communitie based on the book The Misfits by James Howe.

Each and every person has the right to feel safe in their lives and good about themselves. So, pbskids.org It’s My Life web site put together a guide to share the basics of dealing with bullies.

The different types of bullying are:

1. Physical bullying means:
• Hitting, kicking, or pushing someone, or even just threatening to do it,
• Stealing, hiding or ruining someone's things,
• Making someone do things he doesn’t want to do.

2. Verbal bullying means:
• Name-calling,
• Teasing,
• Insulting.

3. Relationship bullying means:•
• Refusing to talk to someone,
• Spreading lies or rumors about someone,
• Making someone feel left out or rejected.

The reason why one kid would want to bully another kid is that when someone makes another person feel bad, they gain power over him. Power makes people feel like they're better than another person, and then that makes them feel really good about himself. Power also makes the bully stand out from the crowd. It's a way to get attention.

There is much more to share about bullies, why children bully, and how to cope with bullies tomorrow. Has a child in your care ever been bullied?

Nannies Love the Purseket Purse Organizer

2012-01-22T07:36:00.000-05:00

Product Review Sunday

I like to carry my wallet, cell phone, and keys with me to my nanny job. Then, wherever I take the kids out during the work day I throw my personal belongings in my employer's diaper bag. I don't know if you are like me, but too often I forget to pull out my wallet, cell phone, or keys from the diaper bag.

That's until I found the Purseket. This purse organizer allows you to transfer the goods from handbag to diaper bag in one fell swoop, and the multiple pockets make it easy to locate what you're looking for. Big plus: The Purseket comes in a range of mod prints as well as four sizes, making it an easy upgrade for any bag. I highly recommend the Purseket for any nanny or au pair that has to transfer their personal items to the diaper bag and back, like me.

How The Misfits by James Howe Inspired No Name-Calling Week

2012-01-21T10:35:00.001-05:00

Far too many children experience some form of bullying and name-calling. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, between 15 and 30 percent of all students are either bullies or victims of bullying. It begins in the elementary school and peaks during middle school years.

No Name-Calling Week is January 23-27, 2012. No Name-Calling Week is a week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.

No Name-Calling Week was inspired by The Misfitsa young adult novel by James Howe. The book tells the story of a group of friends who struggle to survive the seventh grade due to their experiences of being harassed because of their weight, height, intelligence, sexual orientation, and gender expression.

Motivated by the inequities they see around them, the protagonists - “The Gang of Five” - create a political party during student council elections with a platform aimed at wiping out all forms of name-calling. In the process, they win the support of the school’s principal who helps them establish a “No Name Day” at school.

Motivated by this simple yet powerful idea, a coalition of over forty education, youth advocacy, and mental health organizations have partnered to organize an annual No Name-Calling Week in schools across the country.

The project seeks to build awareness of, dialogue for and action against name-calling in schools.Throughout the week schools there will be activities and classroom lessons on understanding name-calling and how it impacts others. Family members play an integral role in shaping children’s attitudes towards name-calling. The No Name-Calling Week website www.nonamecallingweek.org has many tips and resources for parents and students that you may find helpful.

Snow Star Craft for Nannies and Au Pairs

2012-01-20T05:35:00.000-05:00

Have You Had Snow Yet This Winter?
With paper folded the right way and a little ‘cutting edge’ imagination, you can create something better than your typical paper snowflake — you can make Snow Stars!Younger kids may have a little trouble with this craft, but it’s like magic when they open them up. Well worth the work! If you’ve got bigger kids, then they can really get creative and have a lot of fun with these.

What You’ll Need:
Paper, Scissors, Pencil, The Templates Below

Version 1:

1. Measure and cut your paper so that it’s square. Then fold it according to the diagram below. Using thinner paper and a larger square makes the folding and the cutting in step 2 a lot easier.

2. Once your paper is folded, you can cut it anyway you want. Unfold when complete.This is pretty much the standard way of making paper snowflakes. Now let’s take a look at a different variation.

Variation 2:

1. Cut your paper into a circle. Fold the circle in half. Fold the half circle into thirds, one side over the other, as in the diagram below.
2. Once you have the paper folded, you’ll have a cone shaped piece of paper. Use the diagram as a guideline and cut out the shape you want for your snow star. The more smaller cuts on the folds, the more intricate your design will turn out. Unfold when complete.

Beware Using Supplements

2012-01-20T05:23:00.004-05:00

All last week we posted articles about the dangers of using dietary supplement. There are only five dietary supplements approved by the FDA. Here is a short news report confirming our conclusions.

585,922 Reasons to Be Wary of Dangerous Medication Side Effects

2012-01-19T05:30:00.001-05:00

Has a Child in Your Care Ever Had an Allergic Reaction to Medication?

Each year, more than 500,000 children under six years of age suffer side effects to medications that are serious enough to require treatment. Be aware that each person is a unique chemical factory. Therefore, interactions between chemicals, whether the chemicals are from medications or food, cannot be predicted with full accuracy.

Nannies must know and follow guidelines on written authorization and communication with parents, storage, and disposal of medicine, and documentation. All this is in addition to the actual administration of medicine or procedures.

To safely administer medication, the nanny must know the type, the purpose, and the name of the medication, proper storage and proper dosage. Paramount to safety is that liquid medicines should be measured in a device intended for dispensing medication. Household spoons are not appropriate for administering liquid medicines.

A common example that highlights the possible pitfalls with medications occurs with widely prescribed liquid antibiotics. Typically, these medications are stored in the refrigerator, administered one hour before or two hours after meals, not taken with dairy and used until all doses are taken. If any of these steps are not followed, treatment may not be successful. Diarrhea is a common side effect which can be anticipated but does not always occur.

Combining prescription and over-the-counter drugs may increase the threat of over medication. Rashes, breathing difficulty, and sleep disturbance are among the most serious signs of side effects. The physician and the pharmacist are your best sources regarding correct use of medications.

According to the healthychild.net common signs of an allergic reaction include rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, or breathing difficulties. If a child has an allergic reaction, the doctor should be notified immediately. As in any emergency situation, if the child is having breathing difficulties, call 911 or emergency medical help immediately! Some children with allergies may have an "Epi-Pen" auto-injector. An Epi-Pen has lifesaving epinephrine, a drug used to counteract severe allergic reactions. Parents should show childcare providers how to use an Epi-Pen. Providers should always call 911 after using an Epi-Pen.

In giving medicines to children, attention to the Five Rights can help protect against serious incidents:

1. Right child: Check the name on the medicine label and the child's name twice!
2. Right medication: Medicine should be in the original labeled container -- check the medication name against the parent authorization form twice!
3. Right dosage: Practice measuring dosages using a medicine spoon, dropper, or syringe. Check the dosage on the label, the authorization, and the spoon twice!
4. Right time: Know when the medicine was last given. Make sure the parent authorization for time of dosage matches the label on the medication. Look at the clock and document the time.
5. Right route: Check the label and the parent authorization. Know how the medicine is to be given. Is it by mouth? Eye drops? Nose drops? Ointment for skin?

Do You Have a Charge With Skin Allergies?

2012-01-18T05:30:00.003-05:00

Skin Allergies in Children

There are many types of allergies that cause rashes or hives on the skin of children. Some are caused by reactions to medications (like antibiotics), some to foods (like peanuts), some are caused by bacterial infections (impetigo) or viral infections (like chicken pox), some are fungal (like athlete's foot), and others are caused by parasites (like ringworm), but today we list just a few of the most common skin allergy reactions, their causes, and treatments.

Laundry Detergents
Allergies to laundry detergent or fabric softeners are easy to identify and easy to fix. These allergies are more common in individuals with sensitive skin, but anyone can suffer from laundry detergent allergies. Sometimes, hives may develop on the skin, or make the skin very dry, it may even cause eczema, or the allergy may cause sneezing. Several laundry detergents are allergy free. These detergents clean clothes without using the dyes and perfumes that cause laundry detergent allergies. If there is no regular detergent you can find, see a dermatologist. This type of allergy is more severe than just having to avoid a single detergent and may require additional testing or treatment.

Dust Mites\ Allergies
Skin allergies to dust mites may cause a rash in children that is more pronounced while sleeping, as dust mites thrive in bedding, pillows and mattresses, infiltrating a child's skin and resulting in intense discomfort and itching while sleeping or upon waking up.

Insects
Fleas, mites, ticks ,and other insects cause skin irritation in children allergic to pest saliva, resulting in blisters, redness, swollen skin, welts and hives, with anaphylaxis potentially occurring in children with severe insect allergies.

Hives
Topical skin allergies can be caused by sensitivity to temperature changes, physical exertion, anxiety, sun exposure, chalk dust, animal dander, and materials such as wool, metal, and plastics, causing chronic hives that may be itchy and painful because of inflammation, scabbing, and spreading.

Treatment
Skin allergies in children can be treated with over-the-counter topical ointments, creams, and salves containing antihistamines for short-term reduction of symptoms, while allergy testing and follow-up care through prescription oral or topical antihistamines, corticosteroids, inhalers, immunizations and EpiPen injections for emergencies, is recommended for children with genetic predispositions and chronic allergy symptoms. Click here for our favorite products for eczema.

Do Your Charges Have Food Allergies?

2012-01-17T05:30:00.000-05:00

Food Allergies in Children

By H.J. Fracaro

January 5, 2012 a seven year old girl allergic to peanuts died of anaphylaxis because her school was not prepared for an allergic reaction. Being educated and equipped about food allergies can save a child’s life.

Ninety percent of allergic reactions occur due to cow’s milk, eggs, soy, wheat, nuts and seafood. Symptoms can range from mild, such as hives or a rash, to severe. If diarrhea, vomiting, fainting, swelling of the face, lips or tongue occurs call 911 immediately, as there may not be sufficient time to drive the child to the hospital yourself.

Even if the child has no known allergies they can develop at any time. Symptoms do not appear the first time a food is ingested, the body must first make antibodies that will react to the food the second time it is eaten or even later. For babies and toddlers it is best to introduce only one new food per week in order to easily identify foods that do cause symptoms.

If your charge has a known food allergy make sure it is not a hidden ingredient in prepackaged or restaurant foods. You will be surprised how many foods contain the above offenders; Chic-fil-a chicken is cooked in peanut oil, many cookies contain soy ingredients and yogurts designed specifically for babies use fish oil for its omega 3 properties. If an EpiPen has been prescribed in case of a severe reaction keep it handy at all times and know how to properly administer it.

Whether mild or severe, any kind of allergic reaction should be followed by a trip to the doctor so an emergency plan can be put in place.

Do You Have MLK Day Off as a Paid Holiday?

2012-01-16T05:45:00.000-05:00

If Not, Here Are Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities to Do With Kids

Today we are asked to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. Many schools have are in recess today. So, there is no better time then to engage the children in activities and age appropriate discussions about the civil rights movement in American history. These activities and discussions perfectly parallel the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States of America.

Here are our suggestions:

COMPARE BROWN EGGS AND WHITE EGGS:
You will need: brown eggs, white eggs, and a bowl.
Hand each child a brown egg and a white egg. Have them observe the difference between the two eggs. Allow the children to crack the eggs into the bowl. Have the children observe the eggs after being cracked. While the eggs were different colors on the outside, they are the same on the inside, just like people. Then use the eggs in the cake or cupcakes for the birthday party described below.

MLK BIRTHDAY PARTY:
You will need: red, white and blue colored balloons, streamers, party favors, a cake or cupcakes, and red, white and blue candles.
Have a Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday party to celebrate the works of this great man. Let the children hang balloons and streamers to decorate the house or playroom. Bake a cake and use inexpensive party favors to enjoy the party.

MLK BRACELETS:
You will need: red, white and blue beads, construction paper, scissors, hole-punch, and yarn.
Cut out construction paper hearts and punch a hole in the center using a hole-punch. String the red, white and blue beads and construction paper hearts onto a piece of yarn that is about six-inches in length. Tie the ends of yarn together making a bracelet.

PEACE HEADBAND:
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/
You will need: small white paper plates, scissors, pencil, glue or stapler.
Doves symbolize peace. Draw a line down the middle of small white paper plates. On one half draw a second perpendicular line to the first line. Cut along the lines. The small sections form the dove wings and tail. The larger section is the dove’s body. After the children cut and glue the dove, attach it to a headbands. If you do not have a headband you can make one with heavy weight paper. Simply measure the circumference of the child’s head with a tape measure and cut a two- to three-inch strip of heavy weight paper about an inch larger then the length of the child’s head. Staple the ends together to make a headband.

MARTIN LUTHER KING SONGS:

Dr King Had a Dream (Sung to: Old MacDonald)
Dr. King had a dream for p-e-a-c-e.
He wanted people to be friends and live in harmony.
He had lots of love to share.
He spread kindness everywhere!
Dr. King had a dream for p-e-a-c-e!

A Song About Martin Luther King (Sung to: Yankee Doodle)
Dr. King was a man
Who came from Atlanta Georgia.
Had a dream that he preached
For all men to be equal.
Dr King was so brave
Martin was a hero.
Won the fight for everyone
To end discrimination.

MLK Jr.by Jacqueline Woodson (Sung to: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Freedom, freedom, let it ring.
Let it ring said Dr King
Let us live in harmony.
Peace and love for you and me.
Freedom, freedom let it ring.
Let it ring said

CHILDREN'S BOOKS:
Click here to see our recommendations for children's book about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

References:
1. http://www.childfun.com/
2. http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/

Nannies Love the Lorex Live Snap Video Monitor

2012-01-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

What's Your Favorite Baby Monitor and Why?

All of the families I have worked for as a nanny over the past 19-years have used baby monitors. For this Product Review Sunday I want to share my favorite baby monitor of all, the Lorex LW2003 LIVE snap Video Baby Monitor.

Not only can you hear what is going on in four different rooms on one monitor, the color is sharp and clear, there is automatic night vision, the 100% digital technology ensures the signal is secure, interference-free, and has a wireless range of up to 450 feet, but you can also use this monitor as an intercom as well.

At my current job we have one camera set up in the playroom so I can talk to the older boys via the camera. I can tell them when it's dinnertime via the monitor instead of yelling through the house. I also love the I can also see and speak to the baby to settle her down when she is restless and having difficulty falling asleep. I can see, hear, and speak to all of them from one tiny, lightweight, portable, rechargeable monitor.

Another bonus is you can snap, store, and share your precious moments with microSD™ recording. Instantly capture those special events in the child's life with one-touch snapshot recording. View images on the handheld monitor, or transfer them easily to a PC or Macand share them on sites such as Facebook, Flicker, and Picasa.

Most of my employers have used the Safety 1st brand of video baby monitors which I haven't liked as much. The battery life wears out within one-year and last year when I ordered the replacement battery it took four-months to receive the replacement that we were required to buy. The image quality of the Safety 1st brands I've tried weren't as good as the Lorex brand either.

If your employers are looking for a baby monitor I high recommend the Lorex LW2003 LIVE snap Video Baby Monitor. With the great intercom features I'm sure you will use it with the older kids as well.

Chidren's Books About Martin Luther King Jr.

2012-01-14T09:33:00.001-05:00

Weekly Trip to the Library

On Monday Americans honor the great civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birth date of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15.

Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights nonviolent activism movement of the 1960's. At the age of 35, Martin Luther King Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of over $54,000 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in April 4, 1968.

Here are some books to use with children to learn more about the nonviolent civil activist:

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Doreen Rappaport

This picture-book introduces Martin Luther King Jr. to young children. It uses quotes from King's writing and speeches from King's life, beginning with his childhood experience of seeing "White Only" signs sprinkled throughout his hometown. He questions his mother about their meaning, and she assures him, "You are as good as anyone." Listening to his father preach, the boy asserts that "When I grow up, I'm going to get big words, too."

The author also discusses King's role in the Montgomery bus strike that followed Rosa Park's 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger and his subsequent efforts as a civil rights crusader. After briefly describing the circumstances of his death, the story concludes, quite abruptly, with the statement, "His big words are alive for us today."

The author relies on Martin Luther King's own words to show his power, passion, and pacifism. Watercolor and cut paper collage art feature closely focused, lifelike images of King and other individuals against an inventive montage of patterns and textures. The portraits of the civil rights activist exude his spiritual strength and peaceful visage.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Apostle of Militant Nonviolence
By James A. Colaiaco

This short book for older children discusses all the main issues and themes of the life of King. The author traces the course of events from the emergence of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a national black spokesman during the Montgomery bus boycott to his radical critique of American society and foreign policy during the last years of his life. He also provides the first in-depth analysis of King's famous Letter from Birmingham Jail - a manifesto of the American civil rights movement and an eloquent defence of non-violent protest.

Kid's Guide to African American History: More than 70 Activities
By Nancy I. Sanders

Reveiw by Carolyn Phelan
This large-format paperback introduces many aspects of African American history, from Africa to colonial America, from plantations, to emancipation. There is also information about the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the achievements of black Americans, the civil rights movement, and hopes for the future. Throughout the book, crafts and other projects offer nannies, parents, and teachers practical ways to involve children in African American heritage.

Included are activities such as making a bead necklace, constructing a star-watching chart, and various recipes and crafts that revolve around the symbols of Kwanzaa. The pages are well designed, with illustrations in shades of gray and plenty of white space.

Young Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" by Troll Associates
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler
What is Martin Luther King Day? by Margaret Friskey

Stop by tomorrow for Product Review Sunday and next Saturday for another Weekly Trip to the Library.

Properly Administering Medicines to Children

2012-01-13T05:15:00.001-05:00

Reading Medicine Labels

Parents, family, nannies, and au pairs devote themselves to the welfare of children. Yet, even with love and devotion, 80 percent of deaths of children under five-years of age are avoidable.

More than half of those deaths are caused by mistakes in the administration of medications given to benefit the child. An even greater number of children are injured or suffer serious side effects from inadvertent errors of common health aids found in most homes.

Before administrating any prescription medication to a child, the caregiver must assess the child's needs: know what to give, why the child needs it, how to contact the professional that is prescribing it, when to give it, how to store it, where to refill it, and at what cost the medication can purchased.

Caregivers should be aware of probable side effects and how to manage them if they occur. Know whether to give the medication until it is finished or only until symptoms abate.

Keep the phone number of the prescribing physician and pharmacy visible in the event of questions regarding reactions or directions.

Since each person has a unique chemical composition, side effects and each individual's reaction to a medication cannot be anticipated. Therefore, unexpected reactions must be reported to a licensed medical provider.

Over-the-counter, (OTC), preparations pose a special challenge for child care providers. They require no prescription are widely available, and are relatively inexpensive. Yet, they can be hazardous if used inappropriately. Adults must carefully read and understand the labeling found on every package.

The following categories are found on every medicine package label:

Active Ingredients: The first panel on the label lists the active ingredients and their purpose(s). This section provides the chemical name of the active chemical and how it is intended to work for the patient.

Uses/Indications: The next panel named uses or indications explains which symptoms the active ingredient is supposed to treat.

Warnings: The warnings section of the label alerts the caregiver to conditions, or people, that should not use the particular medication without the specific advice of a physician.

Directions: The directions explain the dosage and administration of the medication. Adults should always use a manufacturer provided measuring device and not a kitchen teaspoon, tablespoon, or dropper. Household goods vary widely in size and cannot be depended upon for proper dosage. Never dispense medicine in low or poor light, and certainly not in the dark. Always read the label and be sure you are using the intended medicine.

Other Information: The other information listed often notes proper storage and gives pertinent information about how and when the product should be taken.

Inactive Ingredients: The inactive ingredients listed on the medication label are the chemicals in the compound that are presumed to have no effect on the body. Dyes, preservatives, fillers, and food colors are among the compounds listed on this part of the label. A child may be allergic or sensitive to any of these ingredients, even though they are called "inactive." That also explains why one person may have a reaction to a generic drug but not the brand name of the same product.

When treating sick children remember that kids are not small adults. Do not dilute or reduce the dosage of adult products and dispense them to children.

Always check ingredients to be certain that there is no duplication or conflict between ingredients of different products.

Pediatric oral medications are often sweetened to make the palatable. However, they are not candies and like all medications, should be kept out of the reach of children.

Always record the type of medicine you give to a child, the time the child took the medicine, and the amount you administered to a child in your care so there is no chance of over medicating a child.

Do You Take Weight Loss Supplements?

2012-01-12T05:57:00.004-05:00

Discussing Diet Supplements and Weight Loss Supplements

All week we have been discussing the dangers of using dietary supplements. It's important to remember that the FDA has only approved the use of five dietary supplements to help prevent or treat disease. So, caution should be used when taking weight loss supplements.

Dietary supplements are products designed to enhance the intake of nutrients normally obtained from food. Our discussion today will focus on so-called diet supplements, that is those products intended as appetite suppressants, and those that are self-described as weight loss aids or fat burners. These claims can be listed under the law even without scientific evidence of efficacy.

No weight loss or diet supplements are FDA-approved because the FDA reviews evidence supplied by the manufacturers and no manufacturer has done the necessary double-blind placebo research suitable for peer review. The FDA does no independent research.

The only non-Rx weight loss product approved by the FDA is Alli brand of Orlistat, a fat absorption blocker. Orlistat is not found in the human diet. The studies cited by the manufacturers of the weight loss products often cite animal studies in Italy or China as their evidence of usefulness.

This is hardly an exhaustive list but we hope it helps demystify available weight loss supplement choices:

Stimulants
Rationale: Said to increase metabolism, burn fat, and aid in energy while reducing appetite
Typical ingredients: cocoa seed, green tea extract, white tea, oolong tea, camelia sinesis, theobromine, skullcap, rhodiola rosea

Amino Acids
Rationale: Retain or increase lean muscle mass
Typical ingredients: Carnitine, taurine, leucine, hmb

Vitamins and Minerals:
Rationale: Increase energy
Typical ingredients: Various, especially B vitamins and calcium

Antioxidants
Rationale: Burn fat cells
Typical ingredients: Bioflavonoids, quercetin, ginger, raspberry, vitamin C

Carbohydrate Suppression
Rationale: prevents absorption of carbs and reduces appetite for carbs
Typical ingredients: Various forms of garcinia cambogia

Serotonin Enhancers
Rationale: Overeating occurs if a person is feeling depressed
Typical ingredients: Tyrosine, SamE, St. John's Wort

Blood Sugar Stabilizers
Rationale: Normalizes insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases sugar cravings
Typical ingredients: Gymnema sylvestre, chromium, vanadyl

Hormone Boosters
Rationale: Increasing testosterone levels increases lean muscle and burns belly fact
Typical ingredients: Yohimbe, magnesium, dhea, 7-keto, pregnenolone

Fat Blockers
Rationale: Inhibit absorption of fat
Typical ingredients: chitosan, kale extract, iodine, clam shell extract

Diuretics
Rationale: Excreting water causes weight loss
Typical ingredients: dandelion, uva ursi

Protein Shakes
Rationale: Meal replacement and/or increase lean muscle
Typical ingredients: Whey, soy, egg or milk protein

Thyroid Enhancement
Rationale: Increase thyroid hormone to burn fat
Traditional ingredients: Tyrosine, guggulipid, kale extract, iodine

Emulsifiers
Rationale: Liquifies body fat so fat can be burned more efficiently
Typical ingredients: Lecithin, phosphatidyl serine, ps, fish oil, dha, epaes

Using Herbs and Homeopathic Preparations

2012-01-11T05:47:00.001-05:00

Discussing Herbs, Homeopathy, and Self-Administered Remedies
You decide that you are weary of the health care system: endless waiting, bureaucracy, and high costs. So you decide to go to a GNC or health food or vitamin store to buy some herbs for your health complaints.

The first challenge you face is to correctly diagnose your ailment. Your next decision is to select the proper herb for your problem, with the knowledge that you cannot anticipate side effects from manufacturers who do not adhere to the strict reporting standards required of producers of prescription medications. For some degree of protection, check that the label notes that the manufacturer follows the Good Manufacturing Practice so that you can have some assurance of strength and purity. Your choice then is to decide whether to use the whole herb or the standardized extract.

The label is unlikely to note interactions with other herbs or medications you take. The label may also make vague or unsubstantiated claims, such as, "May boost the immune system," or, "May increase metabolism." Even if the claims are true, the benefits may be questionable. Boosting the immune system might prevent colds but may increase histamine responses and allergic reactions. Increasing metabolism by use of herbs may speed fat burning a bit, but it may also cause jitteriness and sleeplessness.

Do your research. Do not depend solely on the advice of a salesperson whose compensation depends in part on PMs, or push money (a commission paid to the salesperon based on products sold). Therefore, the more they sell you, the more money they make.

Homeopathic preparations are another popular choice. The counter-intuitive concept of homeopathy is that the chemicals that mimic your health complaints will remedy the ailment when taken in ultra-minute doses. According to another counter-intuitive concept of homeopathy, the less chemical in the preparation, the stronger it becomes.

Homeopathic preparations are very unlikely to cause side effects, but they also lack scientific evidence of efficacy. A user of homeopathic preparations may feel better, perhaps because of a placebo effect, but the products do not alter the organic causes of disease and can delay appropriate treatment. (For example a friend of mine took homeopathic preparations to cure diabetes. You can treat diabetes but there is no cure).

Other remedies offered are found in the broad categories of essential oils, aromatherapy, and floral essences. Orange oil (used for cleaning), Vicks Vaporub, and lavender are mainstream examples of these type of products. They may relieve certain symptoms or be useful for other purposes but they are not known to cure anything.

Never use any of the these products, or any other medication, for your charges without the specific permission of the parents. Even with the parents' permission, extreme caution must be used when treating illnesses with medication. Click here to be certain you always follow proper nanny and au pair medical practices.

Tomorrow: Diet and Weight Loss Supplements

Do You, Your Kids, or Your Charges Need to Take Vitamins?

2012-01-10T05:30:00.000-05:00

More accurately, do you need to take vitamin-mineral supplements? You already get these nutrients from food.

The answer is, it depends. It depends on your diet, exercise, and family history. This decision should be made in consultation with a physician or a trained medical specialist. Likely, you will be told that you get sufficient nutrition from food but should supplement additional vitamin D and calcium. Therefore any extra supplementation, while not likely to be harmful is probably of no benefit.

Online, people often state that they take supplements as a form of health insurance. They note something like "I take vitamins and never get sick." They could also place garlic on their doors to keep thirsty vampires away and claim 100% success.

What about the kids: your own or your charges? That too is a decision that should be customized with the advice of a pediatrician or a physician. Knowledge of the fluoride level in the local water supply and family history and mediacl conditions are vital for the practitioner to select proper supplementation.

Make a thoughtful choice with your medical advisor. Do not be swayed by advertisements or salespersons.

Tomorrow: Discussing herbs, homeopathy, and other self-administered remedies.

Only 5 Dietary Supplements Proven by FDA to Prevent or Treat Disease

2012-01-09T05:30:00.006-05:00

The Reason Supplements Must Include This Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

You're in the pharmacy, the health-food shop, or the grocery store and you approach the aisles containing vitamin-minerals and various remedies. Have you ever thought, well, this stuff must be okay because they must be FDA approved?

Looking through all these shelves and products, you might be surprised that there are just five products that are scientifically proven according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards to prevent or treat a disease.

1. Folic Acid prevents certain birth defects when taken during pregnancy.

2. Vitamin D is known to aid in the absorption of calcium and therefore helps prevent osteoporosis.

3. Calcium prevents osteoporosis when taken at appropriate dosage with vitamin D throughout a lifetime.

4. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to enhance brain development and to lower triglyceride levels.

5. Niacin has been proven to increase "good" cholesterol.

That is why vitamins, minerals, herbs, and combinations of these products display the disclaimer in the headline of this blog on their packaging.

You might also notice that you pay a premium for formulas that are marked "natural" or "organic." But the fact is that all manufacturers must process chemicals so that they can be made into tablets, capsules, or gel caps. The body does not use the same chemical differently whether it is synthetic or natural, regardless of the source.

Purchasing supplements at a so-called health food store, (such as GNC, or the Vitamin Shoppe), is no guarantee of purity or potency. Vitamin-mineral formulas can be purchased with unwanted metals such as tin and antimony included as ingredients. Further, high prices and high stated potencies equal expensive urine, not better health.

Why doesn't the FDA judge the effectiveness of the supplements and remedies that are available over-the-counter? The law governing these products, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHE) allowed manufacturers to sell these products without the oversight of the FDA because Senator Orrin Hatch (R.-UT), the author of the bill, did not want to burden the growers of herbs and the purveyors of these products that headquarter in his home state.

Tomorrow: Do you, our kids, or your charges need to take vitamins?

The Best Products for Sick Kids

2012-01-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

Cold Remedies for Kids: What Works

When a child catches a cold, you can expect them to be sick for one- to two-weeks. But that doesn't mean you both have to be miserable. These remedies may help:

Water and other fluids.
You can't flush a cold out of your system, but drinking plenty of liquids can help. Water, juice, clear broth, or warm lemon water helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration. Avoid alcohol, coffee, and caffeinated sodas, which make dehydration worse. To get kids to drink more water use 12 Fun Loop Straws, fun sippy cups like Mickey Mouse Fun Sip Cup with Ears, and cool water bottles like Wildkin Trains, Planes and Trucks 12-Ounce Steel Water Bottle.

Salt water.
A saltwater gargle — 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in an eight-ounce glass of warm water — can temporarily relieve a sore or scratchy throat.

Saline nasal drops and sprays.
Over-the-counter saline nasal drops and sprays such as Little Noses Saline Spray/Dropscombat stuffiness and congestion. In infants, experts recommend instilling several saline drops into one nostril, then gently suctioning that nostril with a bulb syringe (push the bulb in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, or about six- to 12-millimeters). Saline nasal sprays such as Neil Med Nasa Mist Multi Purpose Saline Spray All in One, 6.0 ounces Unit may be used in older children. Unlike nasal decongestants, saline drops and sprays don't lead to a rebound effect — a worsening of symptoms when the medication is discontinued — and most are safe and nonirritating, even for children.

Chicken soup.
Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children. Chicken soup may be soothing because of its possible anti-inflammatory and mucus-thinning effects.

Over-the-counter cold and cough medications in older children and adults.
Nonprescription decongestants and pain relievers offer some symptom relief, but they won't prevent a cold or shorten its duration, and most have some side effects. If used for more than a few days, they can actually make symptoms worse.

Experts agree that these medications are dangerous in children younger than age two. The FDA is evaluating the safety of over-the-counter cold and cough medications in older children.

Keep in mind that acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can cause serious liver damage or liver failure if taken in doses higher than recommended. It's common for people to take Tylenol in addition to flu medications that also contain acetaminophen, which can lead to acetaminophen overdoses. Read the labels of any cold medication carefully to make sure you're not overdosing.

If a cough lasts after your other cold symptoms have resolved, see your doctor. In the meantime, try soothing your throat with warm lemon water and honey and humidifying the air in your house. Avoid giving honey to infants.

Humidity.
Cold viruses thrive in dry conditions — another reason why colds are more common in winter. Dry air also dries the mucous membranes, causing a stuffy nose, and scratchy throat. A humidifier can add moisture to your home, but it can also add mold, fungi, and bacteria if not cleaned properly. Change the water in your humidifier daily, and clean the unit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Click here for our favorite humidifiers and how to use them.

Cold Remedies: What Doesn't Work

The list of ineffective cold remedies is long. A few of the more common ones that don't work include:

Antibiotics.
These destroy bacteria, but they're no help against cold viruses. Avoid asking your doctor for antibiotics for a cold or using old antibiotics you have on hand. You won't get well any faster, and inappropriate use of antibiotics contributes to the serious and growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Over-the-counter cold and cough medications in young children.
Over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medications may cause serious and even life-threatening side effects in children. The FDA warns against their use in children younger than age two-years. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has voluntarily modified consumer product labels on over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines to state "do not use" in children under four-years of age, and many companies have stopped manufacturing these products for young children. The FDA is evaluating the safety of these medications in older children.

References:
photo from realbollywood.com
tips from Mayo Clinic

Why "The Help" Hurts the History of Black Domestics

2012-01-07T05:30:00.133-05:00

Sister Citizen: Slave, Shame, Stereotype and Black Women in America by Melissa Harris-Perry

First, try to evoke an image of a nanny. Next, think of a black nanny. Now, search your mind for a picture of an African-American domestic worker. Most people, at some point, envision a stereotypical "Mammy": a large, dark-complected woman who is always smiling because she is so gratified to be satisfying the needs of the white family she serves.

Melissa Harris-Perry examines the Mammy stereotype, as well as Sapphire, the Hottentot, the Welfare Queen, the Superwoman, and other media-promoted images of black women. In her book, the author investigates the debilitating political, cultural, and social pressures put upon African American women.

Your interest in this book by Professor Harris-Perry will be piqued by her views on the movie "The Help," which can be seen online on C-Span.

She explains real black women who worked as domestics when Medgar Evers died didn't have a Miss Skeeter. She encourages us to read the facts and explore the history. In reality, black domestics walked out of their jobs and protested in the streets themselves without help from any white people.

She suggests that Minny Jackson didn't need to find the courage to leave her abusive husband only after her white boss, Celia Foote, cooked her a meal.

When Viola Davis's character, Aibileen Clark walks out of her job in the oppressive South at the end of the movie, audiences cheer as if the character is a strong woman. But, Professor Harris-Perry questions why we applaud. In reality, Aibileen was walking into the oppressive South and would not have been hired again after being fired at that time and place. In reality, she actually may have been arrested because the white character Hilly Holbrook accuses her of stealing her silver.

Harris-Perry states her perspective about the movie just past the halfway point on the show, but we found the entire hour provocative and insightful. Please click here to see the entire program.

The author's strict adherence to analysis of empirical evidence and data is as welcome as it is uncommon. The concepts of fictive kinship, linked fate, and the crooked room are intriguing enough to justify purchase of the book.

The point of her book is that media-driven stereotypes lead to misperceptions by the public. Harris-Perry helps you understand race does matter. Gender does matter. She helps you see the importance of the structural barriers to individual achievement and the inherent inequality of using stereotypes to judge an individual. All women, especially black women, can benefit from reading this book.

How Nannies Should Report Child Abuse or Mistreatment

2012-01-06T06:14:00.000-05:00

Have You Ever Suspected a Child You Knew Was Being Abused, Neglected, or Mistreated?

Our New Year's Resolution for nannies is to Be the One to protect children. If you suspect a child (any child) may be abused or neglected, nannies should discuss their concerns with a the children's teacher, doctor, and law enforcement for support from professionals that can assess the situation. Many States have a toll-free number to call to report suspected child abuse or neglect. To find out where to call, consult the Information Gateway publication, State Child Abuse Reporting Numbers.

In some States, any person who suspects child abuse or neglect is required to report. To see how your State addresses this issue, read the Information Gateway publication, Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Childhelp® is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The organization is staffed 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, with professional crisis counselors who have access to a database of 55,000 emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD (1.800.422.4453).

Here are the general definitions of child abuse by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Physical abuse is physical injury as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, shaking, throwing, stabbing, choking, hitting (with a hand, stick, strap, or other object), burning, or otherwise harming a child, that is inflicted by a parent, caregiver, or other person who has responsibility for the child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caregiver intended to hurt the child. Physical discipline, such as spanking or paddling, is not considered abuse as long as it is reasonable and causes no bodily injury to the child.

Neglect is the failure of a parent, guardian, or other caregiver to provide for a child's basic needs. Neglect may be:

Physical (e.g., failure to provide necessary food or shelter, or lack of appropriate supervision)
Medical (e.g., failure to provide necessary medical or mental health treatment)3
Educational (e.g., failure to educate a child or attend to special education needs)
Emotional (e.g., inattention to a child's emotional needs, failure to provide psychological care, or permitting the child to use alcohol or other drugs)

Sexual abuse includes activities by a parent or caregiver such as fondling a child's genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, and exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials.

Emotional abuse (or psychological abuse) is a pattern of behavior that impairs a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth. This may include constant criticism, threats, or rejection, as well as withholding love, support, or guidance. Emotional abuse is often difficult to prove and, therefore, child protective services may not be able to intervene without evidence of harm or mental injury to the child. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms are identified.

Abandonment is now defined in many States as a form of neglect. In general, a child is considered to be abandoned when the parent's identity or whereabouts are unknown, the child has been left alone in circumstances where the child suffers serious harm, or the parent has failed to maintain contact with the child or provide reasonable support for a specified period of time.

The Nanny's Dilemma: When to Report or Not to Report Child Abuse?

2012-01-05T05:30:00.001-05:00

Would You Be Strong Enough to Be the One Who Starts the Process That Separates a Parent and Child?

In most states, the nanny is legally a Mandatory Reporter. That is, the nanny must report abuse or suspected abuse with no fear of legal liability. However, states provide little or no training for nannies regarding what is abuse or when to report abuse.

The dilemma for the nanny can be daunting. Egregious cases of abuse are obvious. More vexing
is the affectionate hug, a temper tantrum directed at a child, or a spanking.

The instinct is to err on the side of caution. If you suspect something, report it. Easily said, but in some states, a report of suspicion of abuse, even if proven false, will forever appear on a person's record.

You may be a heroine for alerting authorities to abusive behavior but you might be self-righteous, intrusive, and unemployed if you make a false accusation.

Some politico decry, rightly or wrongly, what they term as a "nanny nation." In either case, no one can deny that government as parent is not desirable.

Would you want to be the one who starts the process that causes the separation of parent from child? Or deprive a teacher of her career? Or alienate a neighbor? Or involve yourself in legal wrangling?

All this with the sure knowledge that kids are suggestive and that they often lie for their own benefit.

So, when to report and when not to report? As a moral guardian and as a Mandatory Reporter, and if you reasonably certain of abuse, you MUST report the behavior. Period.

As a nanny, you should be aware of any of the changes in behavior we have mentioned this week and in previous blogs, and use these behaviors as red flags of possible mistreatment.

This is not an easy or simple topic, but it is a part of being the best nanny.

Be the One to Protect a Child

2012-01-04T05:46:00.001-05:00

"Unpredictable" Consequences of Abuse

Our New Year's Resolution for all nannies is to Be the One to protect a child, any child. This year, nannies should be heroes for all children.

Due to the Penn State scandal we posted the predictable signs of abuse of a child. But, there can be a huge difference between expected rational behavior and the actual behavior of a victim of abuse.

Perhaps the most astonishing reaction of a victim of abuse is that the victim becomes an abuser. Whether corporal punishment, verbal abuse, or sexual inappropriateness, one victimized by such actions may commit the same action on others. Simply, abuse begets more abuse.

A scared, desperate child prays to God for God to stop the abuse. Nothing changes so the child experiences a loss in faith.

A victim of abuse may seek protection from harm by joining a gang. Or seek affection by becoming promiscuous. Or seek escape by using drugs. Or give in to shame by engaging in criminal activity.

Ending an abusive relationship is beneficial but does not necessarily stop the cycle of harm caused by abusive behavior. Usually, the emotional pain is more enduring than the physical pain.

Tomorrow: The Nanny's Dilemma

"Predictable" Consequences of Abuse

2012-01-03T05:30:00.033-05:00

For our New Year's Resolution we have asked nannies to Be the One to protect children.

Recent well-publicized events have focused attention on sexual abuse of children by trusted adults. The disgust accompanying these reports tend to overlook the problems and pain of physical and verbal abuse. While the reactions of any sort of abuse cannot be predicted with certainty, there are typically certain physical and emotional red flags among victims. Today, we will discuss what we perceive as the psychological behavior that many people expect from victims of abuse.

-- Abuse promotes fear: fear for adults, fear of peers, and fear of authority figures.
-- Fear promotes anxiety which can lead to psychosomatic illness, isolation, and depression.
-- Fear promotes rage, anger, and hate.
-- The insecurities caused by abuse can lead to a lifetime of shame, joylessness, and unfulfilled potential.

Healing can be achieved, but prevention is better. Lifetime internal scarring is impossible to easily treat.

Tomorrow: "Unpredictable" consequences of abuse

In the New Year, Be the One...

2012-01-01T05:30:00.008-05:00

You Can Be the One to Help a Child

We like the first column of each month to focus on an easy-to-implement, yet important, issue to nannies, which we call our To-Do list. Due to the timeliness and seriousness of the Penn State scandal, we decided to discuss the topic of being mandated reporters as the most important topic for nannies in this New Year. As nannies we have a duty to protect and help all children (not just our charges). As part of your New Year's Resolutions we hope you commit to being the one...

1. Be the one your charge, or other kids, can turn to when there is a problem, a worry or a concern.

2. Be the one who has good judgment but is non-judgmental.

3. Be the one who can keep a secret but know when to seek help.

4. Be the one who knows when to offer unsolicited advice to allay anxiety yet be a confidante and advisor.

5. Be the one who is the defender, protector, and advocate for your charge, or others, against sexual, physical or verbal abuse.

6. Be the one who your charges and employer knows is trusted, respected, and dependable.

7. Be the one whose mere presence empowers your charges to act on their own behalf if they perceive a problem.

Activities for Nannies to Do With Kids on New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T05:30:00.003-05:00

What games or activities do you play with kids on New Year's Eve?

When nannies are paid handsomely working on New Year's Eve they ought to put some effort into their job to keep the kids entertained. In fact, a subscriber of Be the Best Nanny Newsletter who works and lives in the Atlanta area says she works her employer's New Year's Eve Party each year. The parents give her a flat rate of few hundred dollars and she also charges $75 for each child brought to the party. Last year she made $800 in one night. If you are working for New Year's Eve, here are some ideas to use with children as midnight approaches. For kid friendly drinks click here. For New Year's Eve arts n' crafts click here.

If possible, rent some holiday movies such as How the Grinch Stole Christmasor The Polar Express [Blu-ray] so kids can watch movies if they start to get tired. Be prepared to supervise games such as Wild Planet Hyper Dash, Pictionary Junior, Twister, or Guessing Resolutions (see below). Print out free coloring pages and age-appropriate word searches from children’s web sites so children can color when they first arrive or at anytime during the party.

Games to Play with a Group of Children

Jack Frost: Have everyone stand in a circle and chose a volunteer to play Jack Frost, who will stand in the middle of the circle. Jack Frost runs around the inside of the circle and picks someone at random to touch. The person that Jack Frost touches must then start shaking that body part, such as the left hand, and cry out ‘Jack Frost nipped my hand.’ That person must keep shaking their hand for the rest of the game.Meanwhile, Jack Frost continues to run around the inside of the circle touching people’s hands, feet, arms, and legs. Each person must cry out which body part Jack Frost nipped and start shaking it. The game is only over when Jack Frost has managed to nip the arms, legs, hands, and feet of someone in the circle, so that his or her entire body is shaking.

Guessing Resolutions:
Make each of your guests write down five resolutions, each on its own slip of paper. Pull one slip of paper out of a basket at a time and read it out loud. Everyone has to write down who they think made each resolution. At the end of the readings, the person who guessed the most correctly wins a prize. Read some of the wrong guesses out loud for fun!

Sardines:
This is a hide-and-seek game in which only one person hides at the beginning. As the others find the hiding person, they squeeze into the hiding spot. The last person to find everyone hides in the next round. If you have a big, nook-filled backyard, and it’s not too cold outside, this is a great game when everyone needs a breath of fresh air.

What to do as Midnight Approaches

Candlelight Resolutions: Set a kitchen timer for 30-minutes. Turn off all the electric lights. By candlelight, talk about your hopes and resolutions for the year to come. Of course if there are young children at the party use flashlights instead of candles. When the bell rings, it’s midnight, and everyone flips the lights back on to toast to the new year.

Bubble Wrap Stomp: FamilyFun's Parties: 100 Party Plans for Birthdays, Holidays & Every Day (FamilyFun Series, No. 3) suggests doing “The Bubble Wrap Stomp.” Pick up several yards of the large-bubbled Bubble Wrap used in shipping packages. Just before midnight, unroll the wrap on a hard surface, such as a wooden floor or driveway. When the New Year’s countdown concludes, your party guests can stomp on the bubble wrap to make a lot of noise.

Gather Alarm Clocks: Gather all the alarm clocks in the house and set them to go off at exactly midnight.

What games do you play or activities you do with kids on New Year's Eve?

Do You Charge More on New Year's Eve?

2011-12-30T05:51:00.000-05:00

Have You Ever Charged More for Babysitting on New Year's Eve?

In 1999 babysitters made $300 for New Year's Eve in San Francisco. According to the The New York Times, more than a decade ago, babysitters were earning up to $100 an hour, some $250 for five hours, with a 13-year old charging $135 per child. If sitters could earn that much more than 10-years ago, nannies can certainly ask for more than the usual rate when working on New Year's Eve in 2011.

A nanny can charge more when her services are likely to be in higher demand, such as on holidays. We recommend you charge more than your usual rate if you plan to work on New Year’s Eve.

Ask yourself if you even want to work on New Year’s Eve. If you would rather have the evening off simply say, “I’m sorry I already have plans that evening.”

If you would like to work New Year’s Eve determine the rate you would feel comfortable making. Would you like an hourly rate (such as $25 or $30 per hour) or would you prefer a flat rate (such as $150 or $200 for the night)?

Have you ever charged more than your typical rate when babysitting on New Year's Eve?

Another Tell-All Book: Could You Ever Tell Secrets About a Former Employer?

2011-12-29T20:13:00.000-05:00

Kardashian Nanny Writes Tell-All Book

Pam Behan, the nanny who helped raise the Jenner and Kardashian kids, has written a tell-all book detailing her time working for the family. For years, she cooked, cleaned and worked as a personal assistant for Bruce and Kris, and during that time, she apparently uncovered a whole lot of secrets and built up a whole lot of resentment for almost everyone in the family save one person.

That one person, of course, is reportedly Bruce Jenner who not surprisingly, she got along with swimmingly. According to TMZ, Behan claims in the book that the family’s patriarch even spoke up on her behalf after she got pulled over for driving while intoxicated. Unfortunately, that good will apparently did not extend to the Olympian’s sons, who the nanny describes as “spoiled and disrespectful”. Behan even owns up to once slapping Brandon in the face, a breach in etiquette that almost got her fired.

As for Kris and the girls, she was reportedly hot and cold on mom and privy to some of Kim and Kourtney’s secrets. It’s unclear what exactly she thought of the girls, but considering she hasn’t publicly bashed them, one would assume she had at least a decent relationship with them.

A New Year, A New Financial Beginning for Nannies

2011-12-29T05:41:00.000-05:00

How to Spend Your Holiday Bonus

The start of a new year is a great time to take control of your financial life.

If you worked hard and the parents rewarded your good work with a holiday bonus, don’t spend the extra income frivolously. Use the extra money to pay-off debt, build an emergency fund, make some investments, or even give to charity.

Pay-Off Debt:
First, if you have outstanding credit card debt use the money to pay-off as much debt as possible. Determine which card has the highest interest rate. That is the debt you want to satisfy first. See how to pay off credit card debt with our article, "Who to Pay First - Yourself."

Build an Emergency Fund:
Once you have paid-off your credit card debt then look for the best possible savings account. Financial planners have been warning Americans to build a three-to eight-months worth of emergency cash in case they get laid-off. If something unexpected and expensive were to happen, that's the cushion that will soften your blow. The savings is for emergencies (like if you are unemployed or sick) only. Click here to learn more about building a savings.

Make Retirement Investments:
If you have no outstanding debt and already have a savings account for an emergency fund then you should consider making some investments. An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a personal retirement savings plan available to anyone who receives taxable salary during the year. Click here to learn about retirement plans.

Give to Charity:
If you're already debt-free, have fully funded your investment accounts, and have your emergency funds are in order, you've got it made. There are plenty of deserving, but under-funded, charitable causes that could use some support. Stop by next Friday to learn how to get tax write-offs when donating to charities. Click here to learn more about getting tax write-offs by donating to charities.

Did you get a holiday bonus?

7 Chidlren's Books for the 7 Days of Kwanzaa

2011-12-28T06:05:00.001-05:00

Kwanzaa is a non religious celebration s

tarted by Dr. Maulana Kareng, a professor of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, in 1966, as a way to bring together the African-American community. Here are our picks for some children's books about Kwanzaa to share with your charges.

Celebrate Kwanzaa
Celebrate Kwanzaa: with Candles, Community and the Fruits of the Harvest is part of National Geographic's Holidays Around the World series for children in grades 1-4. Like the other books in the series, Celebrate Kwanzaa is - a nonfiction book illustrated with striking color photographs, designed with a picture book format, includes facts about the holiday, and feature photographs of people in different cities and countries celebrating the holiday, as well as additional resources in the section at the end of the book.

It's Kwanzaa Time by Linda Goss
This book has it all: history, stories, crafts, games, recipes, and songs. It was written by Linda and Clay Goss. The stories, one for each day and principle of Kwanzaa, include illustrations by award-winning artists, including Ashley Bryan, Leo and Diane Dillon, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, and Jerry Pinkney. The stories range from folktales to true stories.

Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney
In this 63-page nonfiction book, Andrea Davis Pinkney provides a straightforward account of the celebration of Kwanzaa that provides a good introduction to Kwanzaa for all ages. What sets the book apart are the illustrations by Brian Pinkney. Using scratchboard and oil pastels, the artist provides striking illustrations to accompany the information about the origins and activities of Kwanzaa, illustrating each day with family activities.

The Gifts of Kwanzaa by Synthia Saint James
Synthia Saint James' artwork, with its bold colors and simple shapes, will immediately engage young children's attention. A young girl's family prepares for, and enjoys, Kwanzaa. Along with an explanation of the family's activities, the author provides examples of what the principles of Kwanzaa mean that even quite young children should be able to understand.

Seven Spools of Thread
The story, the striking artwork, and the clever way both are used to illustrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa make Seven Spools of Thread an exceptional children's Kwanzaa picture book for all ages. The author is Angela Shelf Medearis, the popular author of numerous children's books. Daniel Minter's linoleum block prints complement the story, yet stand alone as dramatic pieces of art.

Kwanzaa Karamu: Cooking and Crafts for a Kwanzaa Feast by April A. Brady
The subtitle of this book, Cooking and Crafts for a Kwanzaa Feast, provides an accurate description of its contents. After a description of Kwanzaa's origins, symbols, and principles, there are lots of recipes (breads, soups, main dishes, vegetables, and desserts), illustrated with photographs, a section on crafts, and a glossary. The 64-page book was written by April A. Brady, with artwork by Barbara Knutson and photographs by Robert L. and Diane Wolfe.

Crafts for Kwanzaa by Kathy Ross
This book provides directions for 20 Kwanzaa crafts. Sharon Lane Holm's colorful sketches and Kathy Ross' clear directions make it a joy to use. Included at the beginning of the book is an overview of the holiday. Throughout the book, Ross introduces Swahili words and describes the relationship of the crafts to the celebration of Kwanzaa.

Sophos Uncovers Fresh Nanny and Au Pair Job Scam

2011-12-27T19:11:00.000-05:00

Security researchers at Sophos have detected one spam outbreak, which offers a salaried work for au pairs or nannies where the salary stated is absolutely unimaginable.

Essentially, probable victims through the spam mail are presented one simple work of minding two kids. Craftily written, this email is tempting enough for anybody to abandon their existing job. The job offers a high salary, also provides a separate room containing a laptop, TV, as well as other essential electronic devices.

The email informs the reader that the job isn't very difficult. And while the recruiter doesn't think it necessary for monitoring or supervising anyone for performing her job, he expects the person will be capable of doing fine without any instructions.

The anticipated web-link or attachment that could be malicious.

Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley with Sophos elaborates that answering the email could facilitate the scammers to enquire any amount of private details from the user. While that could prove sufficiently harmful, yet circumstances may become still trickier with au pair/nanny spam campaigns.

In addition Cluley says that the probable recruiter may dispatch payment in advance to the employee telling her about depositing it into her bank account. But, prior to the check's clearance, she may get another email from the fraudster telling that an awful misfortune (like some steamroller on the runaway killing his wife and kids) has taken place and so doesn't any longer need her service.

The scammer, pretending to be terribly grief-stricken, may request the victim to return the greater part of the cash, possibly through Western Union and help solve the tragic situation he was in.

Nevertheless, the victim, assuming that she has got the check, which will get credited to her account, may even proceed to wire the requested money, ultimately losing on both ends.

Distance yourself from job emails, which appear unbelievably true.

Are You Celebrating Kwanzaa with Your Charges?

2011-12-27T05:30:00.001-05:00

Learning About Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States honoring African heritage and culture. It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting of a kinara and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift giving. It was created by Ron Karenga and was first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967.

These seven principles of Kwanzaa comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:

Umoja (Unity) To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Do You Have the Day Off as a Paid Holiday?

2011-12-26T06:15:00.020-05:00

There are 11 federal holidays in the United States. Christmas Day is one of those days.

Government offices, organizations, businesses, and schools are closed, almost without exception. Many people visit relatives or friends and are out of town. Public transit systems do not run on their regular schedules. In general, public life closes down completely.

Since Christmas Day was on a Sunday this year the holiday is observed today -- the Monday following the holiday. Do you have the day off from work. If so, are you paid for the holiday?

What's Your Favorite Christmas Book?

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Reading Christmas Books Make a Great Family Tradition

Reading Christmas books to children is a great holiday tradition. It enhances their beautiful memories of Christmas, as they are snuggled up close and warm, feeling secure, and loved. Reading Christmas books add to that certain magic only a child's imagination could create.

The best fictional Christmas books are the classic ones. You don't have to buy them, because they are usually found in the library. But, owning the books makes a Christmas tradition of reading it during the holidays. These make great Christmas gifts for your charges.

Here are our favorite Christmas books. What are yours?

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..."Thus begins the famous Christmas poem that describes St. Nick and his reindeers' visits to drop gifts inside kids' stockings. This, to me, is the definitive version of the Santa story. Little children love to hear stories told in rhymes, and Clement Clarke Moore's classic fascinating verse, along with illustrations by Jan Brett featuring two stowaway elves, makes this an enjoyable read.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
This classic tale about the infamous old grouch Scrooge who learns the true meaning of Christmas is one of the most famous Christmas stories, and a great introduction to Charles Dicken's literary work. Mr. Scrooge, who says "Bah! Hambug!" whenever somebody greets him "Merry Christmas," transforms into a loving and giving person after he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. The combination of Ghosts and Christmas is intriguing to kids, and the story may teach your kids profound Christmas life lessons.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May
The original Rudolph story about the most famous reindeer of them all will capture your kid's heart. Rudolph is made fun of by his peers because of his bright red nose, but ends up to be Santa's hero. The original story is much better than the movie that it inspired. And it gives its popular song more meaning and stirs up a richer imagination for a child.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
Kids are fans of Dr. Seuss because of his fanciful, funny rhymes and wacky characters and situations. It doesn't get wackier than this tale of the Grinch, a nasty creature who hates Christmas and stole children's presents in Whoville so that Christmas wouldn't come. It comes anyway, and the Grinch discovers the true meaning of the holiday. The fun illustrations in this book perfectly suit the wonderful and crazy story.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
This award winning book is about an old-fashioned steam train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to meet the red-suited gentleman and to see him off on his annual sleigh ride. This is a more sophisticated children's story about belief in Santa. With wonderful illustration that takes kids to a land they have never visited before, it is an unforgettable read for kid's five and older!

What is your favorite Christmas story book?

What Are Your Favorite Christmas Eve Traditions?

2011-12-24T06:00:00.005-05:00

Leaving Santa Cookies

On Christmas eve, the night before Christmas, children expect a visit from Santa. It is customary to read children some Christmas stories to complete their evening. The classic The Night Before Christmas is by far, the most popular short story of all. Reading stories in front of the fireplace with some hot chocolate will get the kids settled down and ready for bed. Then leave cookies for Santa and he will leave some crumbs and a note behind.

Make fresh cookies. Whether you plan on leaving chocolate chip or Santa's favorite, frosted sugar cookies, Santa prefers homemade to store-bought cookies. Put the cookies on a decorative Christmas plate. Leave at least ten cookies. Make sure that there will still be cookies for Santa after Mom and Dad have eaten a few themselves.

Leave a glass of milk or eggnog with the cookies. Keep the milk or eggnog in the refrigerator and have Mom and Dad put it out before they go to bed. Santa loves icy cold milk.

Leave the cookies in a place where Santa will see them. Place them on the fireplace hearth or near the Christmas tree. Leave a note to tell Santa where the cookies are if you have to hide them from the dog.

Leave a note by the cookies. Let Santa know how thankful you are for his visit to your house. Sometimes Santa has been know to write notes back to good children.

You can also have the kids throw Reindeer Food out in the yard for the reindeer before bed. See our recipe posted yesterday. If the reindeer do not eat it the squirrels and birds will.

Click here to see original article at ehow.com

Last Minute Christmas Fun With Kids

2011-12-23T06:00:00.009-05:00

Magic Reindeer Food and Treats

Many families leave cookies and milk for Santa, but what about his reindeer? Sprinkled on the lawn on Christmas Eve, Magic Reindeer Food leaves a glittering path -- and a sweet snack -- for Rudolph and friends. Package Magic Reindeer Food recipe in zipper food storage bags.

In a small zipper food storage bag or empty shaker container, mix:

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup red

or green sugar crystals (as used for cake decorating)

Add this poem to copies of the Magic Reindeer Food gift tag:
Be sure to take this magic food and sprinkle on the lawn,On Christmas, Santa's reindeer travel miles before the dawn.The smell of oats and glitter path will guide them on their wayAnd you'll wake up to Santa's gifts next morn on Christmas Day!

Note: many recipes for Magic Reindeer Food call for craft glitter, which can harm birds or wildlife if ingested. For safety, substitute colored sugar crystals and be kind to animals!

Reindeer Mix Recipe for Kids to Eat:

Reindeer Mix for Kids:

3 cups of Rice Chex

3 cups of Corn Chex

3 cups of Cheerios

3 cups of stick pretzels

2 cups of dry roasted peanuts

16 oz bag of M & M's
(3) 12oz packages of white chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, except for the white chocolate chips. Melt those in the microwave, one bag at a time, until soft. Be careful not to over do it, they burn easily. Pour melted chocolate over the mixture and work together. Lay snack mix out on a wax paper to set. Once it's hard, break up into chunks.

Gingerbread Man

2011-12-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas Crafts

Run, run, as fast as you can… You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man. This is a great way for younger kids to make a pretty realistic gingerbread man without all the mess and hassle of making them in the kitchen. This also makes a great bulletin board display or Christmas Ornament!

If you happen to be reading one of the many stories about gingerbread men, then this project would be ideal to go along with the story and reinforce what you’ve read with your charge.

You’ll Need:

Brown sandpaper
Scissors
Markers, crayons, pom poms, glitter, buttons, etc. to decorate
Hole punch (Optional)

What to Do:

1. Print out the template below and trace it on to the back side of the sandpaper. Cut it out (a grown up may have to do this for younger children).

2. Decorate the gingerbread man any way you desire.

We used glitter glue in the example, but here are some other suggestions:

Color with crayons or markers
Use pom poms or real buttons to make the man’s buttons and eyes
Glue on pieces of cereal to make the features
Glue on pieces of real candy
Embellish with yarn or ribbon
Use glitter or confetti to “shine” up the gingerbread man
Glue on cotton ball hair

3. Punch a hole and tie on a ribbon to make an ornament or to hang from the ceiling. Most sandpaper is stiff enough without having to glue it onto another piece of paper or cardboard.

The Template
Be sure to enlarge the template on a copier to make it larger if desired.

Easy Star of David for Hanukkah

2011-12-20T07:14:00.000-05:00

Easy Craft for Nannies and Au Pairs

The Star of David is named after King David of ancient Israel. With the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 the Star of David on the Flag of Israel has also become a symbol of Israel.

You will need:
6 Popsicle sticks
Glue
Glitter
Yarn or ribbon

Directions:

Glue Popsicle sticks into two triangle shapes.
Place one triangle upside down on the other. Spread glue at the points where the triangles meet.
Let dry.
Paint the Popsicle sticks or dab glue onto the star and sprinkle on glitter.
Use yarn or ribbon to hang.

The Tzedakah Box: Spirit of Giving for Hanukkah

2011-12-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

No Matter Their Religion, Teach Kids About Charity: Make a Tzedakah Box

With Hanukkah starting this Tuesday at sundown, this is the perfect time to make tzedakah boxes with your charges.

In modern Hebrew tzedakah refers to charity – giving to those in need. Giving tzedakah in Judaism is not voluntary, it’s considered an act of justice. Every Jewish household should have a tzedakah box. The tradition of giving are a basic part of Jewish living.

The giving of charity can often be just as rewarding to the giver as to the receiver. The spiritual reward for giving can often just as great as the benefit the receiving party will gain.

The tzedakah box can take almost any shape and form. The easist tzedakah box to make is simply letting kids decorate an empty tissue box with stickers. There are round boxes, square boxes, long ones and flat ones. They can be made of all sorts of materials. For example, glass, ceramic, silver, pewter, wood and even paper maché. The boxes are usually decorated with Jewish motifs or general motifs such as nature.

The tzedakah box makes a great gift. If it’s of high quality it can even last for ever and maybe be passed on as a family heirloom. Giving it as a gift is most appropriate on almost any occasion: Hanukkah, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, new babies, weddings, birthdays or even when visiting friends and family.

Make a Tzedakah Box to remember the needy during the holiday season.

You Will Need:

Empty, Clean Nut Container
Silver Paint and Foam Brush
Sequins
Tacky Glue and Toothpick
Small Craft of Shiny Blue Wrapping Paper
Craft Knife and Adult
Scissors

Instructions:

Remove lid.
Remove label from container and paint it with silver paint.
Let dry.
Use dabs of tacky glue to attach blue sequins in rows along the top and bottom.
Cut two stars of David out of blue wrapping paper and glue them on each side of the box.
Only an adult should use a craft knife and cut a slit in the top for your spare change.

Nannies Love Little People Hanukkah Play Set

2011-12-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

Product Review Sunday

Little People Hanukkah Play Set
My favorite part of this adorable Little People Hanukkah Play Set is that the menorah lights up! It plays music too! Just look at the photo and do we need to say more? This is the cutest little toy for children celebrating Hanukkah. The characters are adorable. The presents are fun to open and close and the music is cute. Definitely a fun toy that provides lots of entertainment for any child.

Menorahs in December: How the People of Billings Montana Rejected Religious Hatred

2011-12-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate by Janice Cohn

In 1993, in Billings, Montana there were displays of bigotry based on religion, race, and sexual orientation.

White supremacists desecrated a Jewish cemetery, made harassing phone calls to Jewish homes, painted swastikas on the home of an inter-racial couple, and so on. But then something happened in 1993 involving a Jewish menorah that triggered a positive reaction by thousands of people.

On December 2 of that year, a brick was thrown through the bedroom window of a 5-year-old Jewish boy, Isaac Schnitzer, who was displaying a Hanukkah menorah.

When the Schnitzer family reported the incident to the police, law enforcement recommended removing the menorah from their window.

Horrified, the town responded. The Billings Gazette printed a full-page menorah, which thousands of citizens pasted in their own windows in a show of solidarity that was trumpeted by the world media as an example of how one small community stood up to hate.

The story inspired books, articles, a Life magazine photo spread and the 1995 documentary "Not In Our Town" by California filmmakers Patrice O'Neill and Rhian Miller.

That prize-winning film - and a follow-up documentary a year later - galvanized community-based tolerance campaigns based on the Billings model in hundreds of U.S. cities.

Town leaders were feted at the White House, and the city received national awards from Jewish groups, including the American Jewish Committee and the Raoul Wallenberg Committee.

To commemorate the 1993 year of violence and the anti-hate campaign that followed, church leaders, police, and administration officials, and representatives of local rights groups showed up to talk about how the city could still improve. A reinvigorated Not In Our Town Committee is moving forward to address lingering minority grievances.

The brick-throwing incident at the Schnitzer home catapulted the community into the national limelight.

"In 1993, there were 80,000 residents and just 50 Jewish families. Most of the people in Billings had never met a Jew," says New York psychotherapist Janice Cohn, author of "The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate," a children's book based on the Billings incident.

The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate by Janice Cohn

This picture book tells the true story of an inspiring event: when windows with Hanukkah menorahs become targets for rock throwers in Billings, Montana in 1993, thousands of non-Jewish people put pictures of menorahs in their windows, dramatically reducing the number of hate crimes in their city. The story itself is so compelling and heartwarming it has its own power. Great for children aged five- to 10-years old.

Do You Know a Live-In that Isn't Going Home for the Holidays?

2011-12-16T05:08:00.000-05:00

What Tips Do You Have for Live-Ins Feeling Homesick During the Holidays?

It is only natural that live-in nannies and au pairs that move cross country or from another country to work and live-in another family's home will feel lonely and homesick at times. But, homesickness is at an all time high when live-in domestics can't travel home for the holidays. Loneliness can lead to isolation and even depression when nannies and au pairs stay at work instead of spending the holidays with their family and friends.

The best way for live-ins to cope with feelings of homesickness is to keep busy. Nannies and au pairs should get out of the house on days off. They should travel to the closest metropolitan city and visit museums, landmarks, ethnic restaurants, and any tourist attractions they would regret not experiencing during their stay. They can attend religious activities at houses of worship and volunteer as ways to keep busy with people who share similar interests.

Another important way to combat homesickness is to make new friends. In-home child care providers can make friendships among other staff members at the home they work in. If there is a chef, housekeeper, driver, or dog walker the nanny or au pair likes they should make plans to socialize after work. Be careful not to spend too much time chatting when you're working though.

Nannies and au pairs should ask the nanny referral agency or au pair agency that placed them, for a volunteer list of names and phone numbers of the other childcare providers they have placed in the area.

But, the best advice is for homesick live-in caregivers is to keep in touch with family and friends from home. The quickest and cheapest way to stay in contact with family and friends far away is by email. Nannies and au pairs can download Skpe for free and stay in contact using a web cam.

It may be inevitable that live-in nannies moving across country and au pairs moving to a new country will feel homesick, especially during the holidays. But it may help to follow the tips above so that these feelings are temporary.

What tips do you have to battle homesickness for live-ins who aren't traveling home to be with friends and family this holiday season?

If Your Boss Didn't Give You a Holiday Gift, Would it Hurt Your Feelings?

2011-12-15T05:31:00.000-05:00

Other Than a Cash Bonus, What Holiday Gift Do You Want from Your Employers?

Many nanny agency owners have been asking Be the Best Nanny Newsletter what parents should give their nannies as holiday gifts. So, we though we should ask nannies to answer the question themselves.

Undoubtedly, when asked, many nannies will say they want a cash bonus (for example, see our quotes in The Wall Street Journal articles "Cash is King" and "What to Give Nanny?").

True, cash is king. But what if your employers only gave you cash and no other gift, wouldn't that be upsetting? Be honest, tell parents now, what do you really want for the holidays?

What do you really want (along with the cash) for the holidays?

Don't Forget to Tip the Nanny Who Ensures the Health, Safety and Happiness of Your Child

2011-12-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

The Most Important People to Tip this Holiday Season

CBS Money Watch listed the six most important people to tip this holiday season. Below is what they recommend giving for nannies, babysitters, and housekeepers. Click here to see entire article and the other four most important people to tip.

Nannies/babysitters.
If there's any tip you shouldn't skip, it's the one for your nanny or babysitter. This person has perhaps the most important job in your life: ensuring the health, safety and happiness of your child when you're not there. You may already pay your child's caregiver a solid wage throughout the year, but a tip is still necessary to show your appreciation and avoid hurt feelings. According to BrickUnderground, full-time nannies generally earn a tip equal to one or two weeks' pay. Alternatively, they receive one week's pay plus one week's vacation. For your regular babysitter, consider tipping $25-$50 in cash or gift card, the equivalent to one night of babysitting.

House cleaners.
If you employ a regular cleaning person daily, weekly or monthly, you should present a tip around the holidays. The more responsibility this person has and the more frequently they visit, the more you should tip. A part-time housekeeper earns about $9 an hour with 10 percent of income derived from tips. (Although in metro areas like New York and San Francisco, it's common to pay $20 to $25 an hour for weekly or monthly house cleaner). According to BrickUnderground, a regular housekeeper or cleaning person may earn about one to two week's pay in the form of a holiday tip. So, if your housekeeper comes once a month and you pay an average $100, then $100 would be an average bonus.

Click here to see how much to tip others during the holidays./

What Was the Best Holiday Gift From Your Employers?

2011-12-14T05:43:00.001-05:00

Holiday Gift: What to Give Your Nanny?

A few years ago we were quoted in The Wall Street Journal in an article asking, "What to Give Nanny?"

The author recommended that parents give their child’s nanny cash for a holiday gift. But, there were some other ideas too. Here is the article:

When I asked our family’s tutor what he’d like this holiday season, he asked straight-out for a cash bonus. Even though cash isn’t exactly the most personal gift, as we’ve discussed before, currency is the No. 1 choice of nannies and sitters too, based on a poll by the sitter-finding site www.SitterCity.com. The No. 2 pick was multi-purpose gift cards from such vendors as Amazon.com or American Express, followed by bath and body products, gourmet food items or clothes, writes Genevieve Thiers, SitterCity’s CEO.

Nannies expect at least a week’s salary as a bonus, says Stephanie Felzenberg, executive editor of “Be the Best Nanny Monthly Guide.” During these tough economic times, if you can’t afford this (as we discussed earlier this week) Ms. Felzenberg says, you should “speak to the nanny so that she isn’t insulted” or left wondering whether her performance has fallen short. Nannies also like “any gift that could be considered a benefit of the job,” such as help with the car or health insurance.

Among other ideas, says Judi Merlin, director of A Friend of the Family Home Services, Athens, Ga., a placement agency, are spa services, a gym membership or tickets to a concert or show. Other possibilities: frequent flier miles, a tuition payment, a time-share week, a gas card or help buying a computer. If your budget won’t stretch any farther, consider a gift of time; wangle a few hours off work and fill in for your nanny for a while.

Of course, nannies and sitters also appreciate gifts that bespeak their bond with the children — a photo book, scrapbook or locket with the child’s photo, says Pat Cascio, owner of Morningside Nannies, a Houston agency.

What was the best holiday gift your employers ever gave you?

How Much Do You Spend on Holiday Gifts for Your Charges and Their Parents?

2011-12-13T06:08:00.001-05:00

How Much Nannies Spend on Gifts for the Family They Work For

We started of this week with our suggestions of what to give as gifts to the family you work for in our 2011 Be the Best Nanny Newsletter Holiday Gift-Giving Guide.

Today we share the results of a holiday gift-giving survey on how much nannies and au pairs spend on gifts for their employer's family.

Of the nannies that took our Be the Best Nanny Newsletter holiday gift-giving survey, 59% give a holiday gift to each member of their employers' family (both children and parents). Although it is completely appropriate for nannies to give one gift to the entire family rather than individual gifts, only 3% of survey participants give one gift to the entire family.

Whether you give gifts only to your charges, to both your charges and their parents, or just one gift for the entire family, the most important thing to remember when buying holiday gifts this season is that it is fine to keep to a budget. Consider that the sentiment and meaning of the gift is much more important than the price tag.

How much do you spend on gifts for the family you work for?

44% No more than $75.
31% No more than $50.
19% Under $30.
6% I have no budget, I just but what I think they will love.
0% No more than $100

2011 Best Nanny and Au Pair Gift Guide

2011-12-11T05:00:00.063-05:00

What Are You Giving Your Charges and Their Parents this Holiday Season?

I have yet to meet a nanny or au pair that hasn't bought the kids they care for a little gift for the holidays. When choosing a gift for your employers and their kids this holiday season remember the main goal of giving them a holiday gift is to show your appreciation and respect. That doesn't always require much money.

For example, I always suggest that in-home child care providers give their charges children's books. Simply read our reviews of children's books in our Saturday column, "Weekly Trip to the Library." Click here to see our list of the best books for gift giving. Click here for a list of interfaith children's books you can give to your charges.

You also can't go wrong giving the children matching, snuggly jammies. Other great gift choices include inexpensive board games, puzzles, Legos, or hobby models the family can do together. See if a local theatre group is putting on a production of "The Nutcracker" or other holiday themed show. Tickets to a ballet, concert, or play make a terrific gift for the entire family to experience together.

Not all nannies and au pairs buy the parents that employ them a gift, but I still like to give the parents an inexpensive, sentimental gift. The gift of time is the cheapest gift to share with your employers. Make up a gift certificate for free babysitting one evening so the parents can go on "date night." If you have enough in your budget you can give them a movie theater gift card for them to use on their date night, along with your free babysitting gift certificate.

Since the best gifts come from the heart it is appropriate for nannies and au pairs to share handmade gifts with their employers because they work very closely with them and their children. Handmade gifts should either appeal to the personal tastes or interests of your boss, or have some practical use. You can't go wrong snapping photos of the kids over the year and making a small scrapbook for the family of the children. Knitted scarves, mittens, or hats or baking a favorite dessert make great gifts too.

Here are some inexpensive gift ideas I've found online for nannies and au pairs to share with their charges and their parents this holiday season.

If you want to purchase your gifts online better buy them in the next few days. Most online stores say you only have five more shopping days to gaurantee getting your online gifts in time for Christmas.

For the Kids:

Melissa & Doug Shape, Model and Mold $14.60

Shape, Model and Mold set includes five easy-grips, wooden stamping cubes, three rolling pins, four modeling dough tubs with molding lids and a patterned wheel press. Recommend ages three-years and above and for $14.60 any nanny or au pair can afford this gift.

Alex Tub Tunes Water Flutes $11.03

My charges love these bath toys. With these five Water Flutes, kids can experiment with music and learn to play songs during bath time. They will discover different sounds and tones with these real musical flutes that can be tuned with water to create a variety of sounds. For older kids Play the real flutes for the tub are tuned by filling them with varying amounts of water to produce multiple tones. The gift ncludes easy-to-follow, waterproof, song sheets as well.

Wild Science Worm Farm $15.09

This worm farm teaches children about earthworms and their importance in our ecosystem. Grow vegetation and watch how earthworms help to move soil and help the plants to grow. There are removable privacy screens for the side of the habitat allow you to see how the earthworms live. The farm includes tank, two packets of colored sand, tweezers, pipette and a 24- page booklet.

Lego Creator Street Speeder $13.55

Some Lego kits are expensive but there a plenty of affordable options too. This Lego Creator Street Speeder provides three ways to cruise the city in style! Kids can hit the road in this sporty green street machine with opening doors. Then they can rebuild it into a cool hot rod or a lightning-fast race car! Instructions included for all three models. Provides multiple building opportunities for beginner and intermediate builders alike! Vehicles have opening doors, loaded with details, and sporty green and white striping color scheme.

EverEarth Amazon Blocks $15.07

These adorable building blocks are eco-friendly and child safe.This solid wood toy is from the new Ever Earth line by Maxim Enterprise. Create your very own jungle layout with these 25 fun building block shapes. Made of sturdy durable wood, fun brightly colored screen printed chunky shaped blocks. Ever Earth Toys are made from renewable forests. Solid wood from renewable forests. Water-based, non-acrylic, non toxic paint and the packaging is made of attractive recycled materials. Perfect for kids 18-months and up.

For the Entire Family:

i Tunes $25

This is the perfect for almost any child (or parent). Each gift card includes an iTunes store code redeemable for music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, games, and more. Recipients can sync to their iPod, iPad, or iPhone, burn music to CD, and watch or listen on their computer-Mac or PC.

Blokus Classics Game $14.40

Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more possible moves.

Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it can be just as fun for two or three players. Blokus has come up with a number of different ways to play the game to make it more thrilling when playing with less than four players. Draft Blokus allows a player to use more than one color and Reverse Blokus reverses the entire game so that the person who places the least amount of tiles on the board is the winner. It can even be played in a solitaire version when one player attempts to place all of their pieces in a single sitting. A game of Blokus typically lasts a 30 minutes. As a practical feature, raised edges on the board help keep the tiles in place and allow convenient clean-up. This game includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction guide, and one gameboard with 400 squares.

Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games. Blokus is a catalyst for spatial thinking, as players form images in their mind before placing the pieces on the board. Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. As Europe's 2003 Game of the Year, Blokus is adored by many and even played in professional tournaments.

Rory's Story Cubes $6.86

Rory's Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages. There are infinite ways to play with Rory's Story Cubes. You can play solitaire or with others. Here are some suggested uses: party game or ice-breaker, literacy development, speaking and listening skills, creative inspiration, mental workout, problem solving. Rory's Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages. With Rory's Story Cubes, anyone can become a great storyteller and there are no wrong answers. Simply roll the cubes and let the pictures spark your imagination.

For the Parents:

Godiva Chocolates $25 and Under
The best chocolatier in the world has 50 chocolate gifts for under $25. Check them out by clicking here.

Wine Gift Sets $40 and Under
If the parents love a nice glass of wine with dinner after a hard day at work wine.com has great gifts sets that many nannies and au pairs can afford. Click here to see the gift set choices.

Hand Print Stepping Stone

Packed with recycled, earth-toned stained glass and letter stamps, you'll have everything you need to make a unique decoration for your employer's garden. Kit includes plastic reusable stepping stone mold, seven pounds of stepping stone mix, recycled stained glass pieces, letter stamps, mixing and writing tools, and easy to follow instructions.

Magazine Subscriptions:

1. Be the Best Nanny Newsletter $10
2. Working Mother $10
3. Parenting Magazine $10

Mom's Ultimate Family Organizer

This comprehensive, one-stop organizer is an essential tool for the busiest person of them all -- mom! Inside the sturdy binder is a system for managing motherhood: calendar pages to keep track of family members' schedules, directory pages to locate everyone from the kindergarten teacher to the carpet cleaner, and planning pages for birthday parties or the family vacation. Helpful sticky notes and tear-out lists make it easy to stay organized, while survival tips and tricks from real moms offer encouragement. When life gets hectic, this binder is in control. This binder includes: a month-at-a-glance and week-at-a-glance calendar pages, fold-out summer break planner, catchall pockets, perforated tear-out lists and notes, and sticky notes.

Movie Date Night:

1. AMC gift card $25
2. Regal Entertainment Gift Card$25

Books for Parents:

1. Father for Life: A Journey of Joy, Challenge, and Change $18.96
2. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Magic: 101 Holiday Tales of Inspiration, Love, and Wonder $10.17
3. The Working Parents Cookbook: More Than 200 Recipes for Great Family Meals $10.36

What are you giving the kids you care for and the parents you work for this holiday season?

As Teachers Get Laid-Off, Are They Are Taking Our Nanny Jobs?

2011-12-10T12:14:00.001-05:00

Do You Know Teachers Who are Working as Nannies?

In the Chicago Tribune, Vikki Ortiz Healy reported online today that unemployed teachers are finding jobs as nannies.

This is no surprise to me as last year I needed help driving my older charges to activities that overlapped, while I cared for a newborn. Although my employer and I met through a high end nanny placement agency, the mother hired a high school teacher with a Master's Degree to help drive kids to activities after school easily online. But, she hired a working teacher! The teacher was employed! Even with a Master's Degree and a job, the high school teacher needed more money! And this treasured teacher (and part-time nanny) and my employer found one another easily on sittercity.com.

The Chicago Tribune article explains, "As job prospects across the state and nation remain bleak for new and laid-off teachers — more than 8,800 Illinois teachers received pink slips in 2010, according to officials — many are finding welcome work as nannies and baby sitters."

The article continues, "Nannies increasingly say they have found that parents jump at the chance to leave their children with someone with a teaching background, offering generous incentives such as signing bonuses and extra time off. The popularity has inspired the creation of one local website — sitterworks.com, which plans to launch soon — specifically for unemployed teachers and nurses hoping to find work in child care."

But, this is bleak for nannies! During the economic recession parents are losing jobs as well. There are less nanny jobs in total. Of course parents will hire the most experienced and educated nanny they can find for the same price.

Erin Krex of owner of First Class Care domestic placement agency in Chicago explains the problem with hiring teachers as nannies is that teachers may always want to be get back in the classroom. Parents are often concerned that if they bring on a nanny that is a teacher, it will be only a one-year-solution to their child care needs.

Meanwhile, qualified nannies with 20-years of experience are being overlooked.

Read the entire article here.

What do you think? Are there less nanny jobs available? Do you know teachers who are working as nannies?

"The Polar Express" By Chris Van Allsburg

2011-12-10T10:30:00.001-05:00

Weekly Trip to the Library

This is a wonderful book to read with kids that are not too young because the book questions if Santa is real. My nanny employer has told me the phrase, "There is no Santa," will never pass her lips. So, it might be better to read it to older kids who may be questioning if Santa is real arleady. They will beleive by the end of the book.

It is far too easy to express cynicism about Christmas. Likewise, it is far too easy to put down the Christmas season as too commercial. And it is far too easy to dismiss a seasonal gem such as The Polar Express as simplistic and sentimental. But this tale is one of belief, of keeping something which is childlike, not childish, and that just doesn't grow old.

The narrator, a boy, lies awake listening for the sound of the bells on Santa's sleigh, a sound a friend who doesn't believe in Santa Claus says that he won't hear. Indeed, he does not, but what he does hear is even more wonderful and remarkable. He hears the hiss of steam and the squeak of metal, and when he looks out the window, he sees a train outside his house. It is the Polar Express, heading for the North Pole.

Once aboard, he finds that it is full of children, all in their nightclothes. They sing Christmas carols, drink cocoa and eat candies as the train races northward. Finally, they arrive at the North Pole, and the narrator is selected to receive the first gift of Christmas. He asks for, and receives from Santa Claus himself, a silver bell from the sleigh.

Although the boy loses the bell on the way home, kindly Santa returns it to him, and the boy discovers that the bell has a remarkable quality. Only those who still believe in the wonder of Santa and the spirit of Christmas can hear the bell. His friends and his sister eventually cannot hear the bell, but even when he grows up "the bell still rings for [him] as it does for all who truly believe."

The story is accompanied by beautiful pictures that capture the nighttime journey. The author employs somber tones in most of his scenes, speckled with snow and highlighted with starlight and the glowing lights of the train. He captures the cold and mystery of the night, contrasting it with the warm interior scenes.

Every child should own this book. It is a magical story that they can appreciate for the rest of their lives.

The Nanny Contract – All Good Things Must End

2011-12-09T05:30:00.030-05:00

By Guest Blogger Nathan Hammons, Esq.

Today, in our fifth and final post, we address ‘termination’ or ending a nanny contract.

It’s not an enjoyable topic to think about. But you need to, as all parent/nanny work relationships end at some point. Advanced planning can ensure that everyone is treated fairly. It can also help avoid unnecessary hurt feelings.

At-Will Employment

In most states, nannies are ‘at-will’ employees by default. That means the parents can fire the nanny on the spot for a good reason (e.g., endangering the children), a bad reason (e.g., hair color), or no reason at all. The parents, however, cannot fire the nanny for an illegal reason (e.g., racial discrimination).

At-will employment has advantages, as problem employees can be terminated quickly. It also has its disadvantages. Most nannies, for example, depend on their jobs. They have bills to pay and plan their lives accordingly. If they’re fired on the spot, their lives will likely be thrown into turmoil. Similarly, a nanny walking off the job puts parents in a bind, as they’ll have to find a new caregiver on short notice.

Importantly, a written work agreement – such as a nanny contract – can replace at-will employment. That’s good news, especially given how parents and nannies rely heavily on one another.

For Cause Termination

With a written work agreement, termination comes in two flavors – ‘for cause’ and ‘without cause’.

‘For cause’ means the employer has good reason for ending the contract, such as illegal activity. It usually allows for immediate termination. ‘Without cause’ means the employer, for whatever reason, decides the employee’s services are no longer needed. It normally requires prior notice of a specified time (e.g., one-day, one-week, etc.).

With nanny care, there is a variety of behavior that might justify ‘for cause’ termination. For example, the nanny may compromise the children’s safety, steal from the parents, use illegal drugs, or fail to perform his or her job duties.

All of the ‘for cause’ behavior – that is, actions that allow the parents to fire the nanny on the spot – should be spelled out clearly in the nanny contract.

Without Cause Termination

‘Without cause’, as noted, means that an employer has simply decided to let an employee go. Parents, for example, might no longer need a nanny’s services because the children are of school age. Or the family may need to move because of a job transfer.

Whatever the reason, the key question for ‘without cause’ termination is how much ‘prior notice’ is needed to end the contract. Simply put, when do the parents need to tell the nanny that his or her employment will end? And when does a nanny need to tell the parents that he or she will be quitting?

It takes time to find a replacement caregiver. It also takes time for a nanny to find new work. That said, it’s usually best to require at least two- or three-weeks’ prior notice to end a nanny contract without cause.

Putting It Together

Next, combine your ‘for cause’ and ‘without cause’ language in your nanny contract, and your termination provision is complete. Here’s sample language you can use:

Termination Without Cause. Parents may end the nanny’s employment for any reason by giving him or her at least three-weeks prior notice. Likewise, the nanny may discontinue his or her employment for any reason by giving the parents at least three-weeks prior notice.

Termination For Cause. The parents may immediately terminate the nanny’s employment for cause if the nanny:
• violates the nanny contract
• allows the children’s safety to be compromised
• fails to perform his or her job duties
• lies or is dishonest to the parents
• steals from the parents
• is convicted of a crime, or
• uses illegal drugs.

This language can be inserted anywhere in a nanny contract, but it usually goes at the end. And don’t forget – the nanny and one or both parents need to sign the nanny contract.

Parting Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed our five-part series on nanny contracts. If you missed our prior posts, click here to learn why you should have a nanny contract, click here to read about keys to a good work agreement, click here to learn about common mistakes, and here to discover three things that can make a good nanny contract great.

If you have questions about nanny contracts, contact your nanny placement agency or an attorney licensed in your state. If you don’t have an attorney, your local bar association should be able to refer you to a good one. And best of luck with your nanny care!

This post is fifth post of a five-part series on nanny contracts. Nathan Hammons is an attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s also a father and the creator of MyNannyContract.com website with information about the legal ssues of nanny care and providing a professionally written nanny contract. He can be contacted at nathan@mynannycontract.com.

DISCLAIMER: This post provides information only and not legal counsel or advice. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney licensed in your state.

Nanny Contracts 202 – Advanced Topics

2011-12-08T05:30:00.024-05:00

By Guest Blogger Nathan Hammons, Esq.

Previously, we covered the key ingredients to a good nanny contract and mistakes that are commonly made.

Today, we delve into a few things that can turn your good nanny contract into a great one.

# 1: Trial Period of Employment

It’s stressful when a nanny begins a new job. The children meet and hopefully bond with their new caregiver. The parents pass on a great deal of information and hopefully come to trust their new employee. And the nanny enters a household, hoping to bond with the child as well as the parents.

Normally, the stress lessens after a few weeks, when trust forms and everyone gets used to their new roles. In some cases, however, it comes to light that the nanny is not a good fit.

For that reason, it’s wise to include a trial period of employment in your nanny contract. A trial period allows parents and the nanny to part ways quickly and without too much pain, if things aren’t working out. It also gives a nanny a vote of confidence, once he or she makes it to ‘full’ employment.

To include a trial period in your nanny contract, address two things. First, state the length of the trial period. One month is usually fine, but it can be shorter or longer if desired.

Second, state specifically what it takes to end the nanny contract during the trial period. For example:

During the trial period of employment, the parents may end the nanny’s employment for any reason by giving him or her at least one-day prior notice. The nanny may discontinue his or her employment for any reason by giving the parents at least two-days prior notice. The number of days required for prior notice can be changed, if desired.

# 2: Transportation

Your nanny contract needs to have a section about transportation, if you expect that that nanny will ever drive the children, even to a nearby park.

To address transportation, keep two things in mind. First, ensure that the nanny is properly reimbursed. If the family’s car is used, the nanny should be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., gasoline). If the nanny’s car is used, the nanny should be reimbursed for gasoline, depreciation, insurance, and other costs. A complex calculation isn’t needed – simply multiply the IRS standard mileage rate (currently 55.5 cents a mile) by the number of miles the nanny has driven the children. (The 55.5 cents a mile includes gas, so don’t double pay.)

Second, ensure that motor vehicle insurance is properly in place. If the nanny’s car is used, the nanny should contact his or her insurance company and ask if an ‘endorsement’ or ‘rider’ is required because the nanny will use the vehicle during employment. If the family’s car is used, the parents should have the nanny added as an ‘occasional operator’ to their insurance policy. The parents should also ask if an endorsement or rider is needed because a household employee will be using the vehicle. In both cases, review insurance limits to make sure they are adequate.

# 3: Confidentiality

There’s a good chance a nanny will come across sensitive information while working. A nanny might hear about family finances or medical issues. Or perhaps an oddball relative that did something embarrassing.

Whatever the situation, it’s usually wise to address confidentiality in your nanny contract. For example, you could include the following:

The nanny acknowledges that information he or she obtains about the parents and the children, including but not limited to information about their health, finances, career, and household, is confidential. The nanny agrees not to disclose that information to anyone for any reason, unless legally required.

While most nannies keep sensitive information to themselves, the provision serves as a helpful reminder. It also allows parents to sue for breach of contract, in the unlikely event a nanny tells a family secret.

This post is the fourth article of a five-part series on nanny contracts. Nathan Hammons is an attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s also a father and the creator of MyNannyContract.com, a website with information about the legal issues of nanny care and providing a professionally written nanny contract. He can be contacted at nathan@mynannycontract.com.

DISCLAIMER: This post provides information only and not legal counsel or advice. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney licensed in your state.

4 Common Mistakes With Nanny Contracts

2011-12-07T05:30:00.023-05:00

By Guest Blogger Nathan Hammons, Esq.

Nanny contracts don’t need to be intimidating or hard to understand, as we discussed yesterday. Mistakes are nevertheless made, and the consequences can be severe – back taxes, fines, audits, and more.

Today we address four common mistakes with nanny contracts that can land you in hot water:

# 1: Employee vs. Independent Contractor

Some parents think they can avoid ‘nanny taxes’ by calling their nanny an independent contractor. They’re wrong.

The IRS has two categories for workers – independent contractors and employees. Generally, an employer must pay certain taxes on wages paid to an employee. An employer doesn’t owe taxes, however, for payments to independent contractors.

To figure out a classification, the IRS looks beyond labels and examines whether an employer has the right to control or direct work performed and how the work is performed.

For nannies, parents exercise significant control – they tell the nanny when and where to work, what child care to provide, what house rules to follow, and more. Consequently, nannies are employees in most cases, and the parents must pay ‘nanny taxes’.

In short, don’t use a contract calling the nanny an independent contractor.

# 2: Salary Without Hourly Wages

Many parents pay their nanny a weekly or biweekly salary. It’s quick and easy. Parents who do so, however, should be careful.

Live-out nannies must be paid at least the minimum wage as well as overtime. Live-in nannies are generally exempt from overtime requirements, but they still must be paid at least the minimum wage. (For a useful chart of state requirements, click here.)

Parents who pay a flat salary can easily run afoul of minimum wage and/or overtime requirements. They might neglect to pay their live-out nanny overtime for a week where the nanny put in extra time. Or a live-in nanny’s wages might drop below minimum wage for a particularly busy workweek.

To avoid these problems, specify hourly and overtime rates of pay in your nanny contract. Also, track hours worked, and make sure that extra pay is provided for additional work.

Because wages and taxes can be confusing, it’s usually best to work with a good accountant or nanny payroll company. You can also consult an employment attorney licensed in your state.

# 3: Illegal Pay Withholding

In general, parents must pay a nanny for the hours worked, regardless of whether the nanny’s job duties were completed in those hours. That means parents can’t withhold pay if the nanny did a poor job or violated the parent’s rules (e.g., no texting while driving).

Parents also generally cannot withhold pay because of lost or damaged property, absent proof that the loss or damage was intentional. Thus, a nanny must be paid even if he or she breaks a $100,000 antique vase while playing with the children.

In sum, don’t agree to a nanny contract with illegal pay withholding.

# 4: Forgetting About It

The fourth and final mistake is what’s done with a nanny contract – forgetting about it.

Legal contracts should be read and followed. Too often, however, they’re jammed into a file cabinet and forgotten about until spring cleaning. Or worse, they’re left untouched until a problem arises. By then it’s too late – chances are one or both sides have been failing to follow it as they should.

The same goes with a nanny contract. If you forget about it, there’s a good chance you’ll start straying from its requirements, even if you don’t mean to.

It’s easy to avoid this problem. Obviously, read the contract from start to finish before signing it. After signing it, re-read it a week or two later. Then re-read it again after a couple months and at the end of the first year. During the process, if you see you’re not following the contract, either change your behavior or, alternatively, change the contract. Be sure to get any changes to the contact in writing, signed by those who initially signed it.

This post is the third article of a five-part series on nanny contracts. Nathan Hammons is an attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s also a father and the creator of MyNannyContract.com a website with information about the legal issues of nanny care and providing a professionally written nanny contract. He can be contacted at nathan@mynannycontract.com.

DISCLAIMER: This post provides information only and not legal counsel or advice. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney licensed in your state.

Nanny Contracts 101 – Key Ingredients

2011-12-06T05:30:00.028-05:00

By Guest Blogger Nathan Hammons, Esq.

Yesterday, we looked at why you should have a nanny contract. Today we explore the key ingredients to a good one.

# 1: Easy to Understand

Do you shiver at the thought of reading a legal contract?

You’re not the only one. Sadly, too many legal contracts continue to use outdated, confusing words like ‘whereas’ and ‘hereinbefore’. There’s no good reason or excuse for that, and definitely no need for it in a nanny contract.

A good nanny contract is easy to understand. While it won’t be like reading a celebrity gossip magazine, it shouldn’t come across like Shakespeare or the ‘click to agree’ jargon for software and online banking.

If you come across a nanny contract that makes your head spin, toss it in the garbage. Ask an attorney or nanny placement agency for one, or find a good one online. It’s worth the time and effort.

# 2: Comprehensive

As a rule of thumb, a nanny contract should be short enough to be practical, but long enough to cover all the important issues of nanny care.

Those issues generally fall into one of the following categories:

Employment length: start date, end date (if known)
Schedule: work hours, live-in or live-out
Pay: hourly wage vs. salary, overtime wages, pay frequency
Taxes: federal, state, and local (if applicable)
Time off: holidays, vacation, sick leave
Job duties: changing diapers, feeding, laundry, etc.
Benefits: meals, health insurance, etc.
Other: house rules, transportation of children, confidentiality, performance reviews
Termination of the contract: who may end the contract and how

It should be noted, however, that the issues will vary based on the specific situation. Seek professional help if you have questions about what should or shouldn’t be included.

# 3: Fair

A good nanny contract should also be fair to everyone involved.

For example, a nanny should be compensated for extra work, such as caring for another child. With respect to termination, the parents should not be allowed to fire the nanny for no reason and without notice. Likewise, a nanny should not be able to quit without notifying the parents a reasonable time in advance.

Fairness is generally one of those things you know when you see. If something doesn’t seem right or fair, raise the issue. If the road gets bumpy, you’ll be thankful for it.

This post is the second article of a five-part series on nanny contracts. Nathan Hammons is an attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s also a father and the creator of MyNannyContract.com a website with information about the legal issues of nanny care and providing a professionally written nanny contract. He can be contacted at nathan@mynannycontract.com.

DISCLAIMER: This post provides information only and not legal counsel or advice. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney licensed in your state.

A Nanny Contract – Worth the Paper It’s Written On?

2011-12-05T05:27:00.000-05:00

By Guest Blogger Nathan Hammons, Esq.

Legal contracts can be a pain. They’re intimidating to read, not to mention boring. They’re also extra pieces of paper to deal with in our already busy lives.

That raises a question: Is a nanny contract – also called a work agreement – worth the paper it’s written on?

Despite the ‘pains’ of legal contracts, the answer is a resounding YES. Let’s look at the main reasons why.

# 1: Legal Protection

When a nanny and one or both parents sign a nanny contract, it becomes legally binding. That means one side can sue the other for failing to live up to a promise in the contract.

For example, a nanny could sue for not being given agreed to wages or benefits (e.g., time off, health insurance, etc.). Or the parents could sue if a nanny discloses family secrets or quits without notifying the parents as required by the contract.

It’s worth noting that, in many situations, a lawsuit is not worth the time or money. Nevertheless, people are more likely to fulfill a promise when it’s in a legally binding contract. For that reason, it’s much better to have a nanny contract than not to have one.

# 2: Prevent Disputes

What’s the number one reason why parents and nannies get into disputes? Miscommunication.

You know the story. One person says something, and a month later the other person remembers having heard something else. Or they don’t even remember a particular detail of the conversation.

While there isn’t a cure for miscommunication, having things in writing is an excellent start.

That’s why a nanny contract is a great tool for preventing disputes. First, it helps ensure that everyone is on the same page for the important issues (e.g., job duties, wages, scheduling, etc.). Second, if a question later arises, it can often be answered by re-reading the nanny contract. Even if it can’t, the process of reviewing the contract – calmly and professionally – can help ease tensions.

# 3: Address Important Issues

Parents and their nanny naturally want to discuss the most important thing of nanny care – the children.

But nanny care involves much more than that. It also things that aren’t exciting – like scheduling, benefits, preparing for emergencies, transporting the children, and more.

Having a good nanny contract can help ensure you don’t miss something important. For example, does the nanny have to work Veteran’s Day? The nanny contract can answer that. Whose car insurance will the nanny go under? The nanny contract can answer that, too, as well as the many other important questions that arise with nanny care.

Stated another way, a good nanny contract acts like a checklist – go through it from beginning to end, and you’re much less likely to miss an important issue.

# 4: Promote Mutual Respect

A thriving parent/nanny relationship is based on mutual respect. The parents respect the nanny as a professional caregiver with needs and wants, and the nanny respects the parents as individuals who, while busy, care deeply about how their children are raised and cared for.

A nanny contract enhances mutual respect. It sets roles for parents as the employer and the nanny as both the employee and professional caregiver. It helps everyone plan ahead through the setting of work hours, schedules, etc. Lastly, because it is a legal document (see above), it raises the level of professionalism.

In sum, the benefits of having a nanny contract far outweigh the pains of putting one in place.

This post is the first article of a five-part series on nanny contracts. Nathan Hammons is an attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s also a father and the creator of MyNannyContract.com, a website with information about the legal issues of nanny care and providing a professionally written nanny contract. He can be contacted at nathan@mynannycontract.com.

DISCLAIMER: This post provides information only and not legal counsel or advice. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney licensed in your state.

Women CEOs need nannies and housekeepers, not cars as part of their salary package, says Ita Buttrose

2011-12-04T16:52:00.001-05:00

Great article from Down Under.

WOMEN should demand nannies and housekeepers as part of their salary package to keep their careers on track, Ita Buttrose says.

The publishing queen said if Australia adopted more of a nanny culture, it would help women stay in work, continue to climb the corporate ladder and snare the chief executive's role.

"I am a great believer in packages that include some support for the mother, whether it is a nanny or a housekeeper or whatever," she said.

"You might not get the shares, or you might not get the car, but you balance one out against the other. Of course companies can do it."

"Women who want to continue their careers and have families should ask for that package from their employer and the workplace needs to think about how they are going to offer it."

Ms Buttrose, 69, who used a nanny to care for her young children while she founded the magazine Cleo, spoke to The Sunday Mail to promote the first Australian Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry poll to identify the challenges faced by Australia's 700,000 female entrepreneurs.

Ms Buttrose says businesses are mad not to have more women in decision-making roles and has urged them to pay for nannies to ensure their female staff don't fall off the career ladder.

"Having a nanny made my life infinitely easier and certainly having someone in my home caring for my son was much better than me dropping him into day care," she said.

"It means there is always someone with the child and if the child is sick and there's an important meeting, you can still get there."

"If you occasionally have to work back late your child is not going to starve."

"You are in charge of the routine then and you know what you are doing with your baby, whereas when you drop your baby into day care it is a different routine."

Ms Buttrose said big business needed to offer packages to female employees that included help at home - and women needed to demand it.

Ms Buttrose said she supported enforcing quotas of women in senior management and board positions because "the progress is just too slow".

She said Australia had been sidetracked by getting women on boards and should be concentrating on the more powerful CEO role.

"We got diverted with the boardroom argument."

"Don't forget running the business, being the CEO, is really the big role women should aim for ...It is the CEO that drives change in the business."

Please click here to see original article.

Mobile Loyalty Cards - A Product Nannies Love

2011-12-04T06:00:00.020-05:00

Download Loyalty Cards to Your Phone

Every Sunday we post a product review on the Be the Best Nanny Newsletter blog. Today is an ingenious free app to download to your smart phone to make sure that you never miss drugstore, grocery store ,or gas station discounts that are only offered to loyalty cardholders. Download all of your cards to your smartphone with the free Key Ring app, which saves the numbers electronically and lets you pull them up as a scannable bar code at the register.

Teaching Kids About Donating Money

2011-12-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Weekly Trip to the Library

Since the holiday season is the perfect time to teach kids about giving and money management last Saturday we recommended reading Not Your Parents' Money Book by Jean Chatzky with your charges.

One of the author's most basic lessons in the book is to be a financial success you must:

1. You have to earn money.
2. You have to spend less than you earn.
3. You have to save and invest the money that you don't spend so that it can grow into more money.

Here is another series of books written for children I highly recommend to help teach kids about money, saving, and sharing this holiday season.

The Millionaire Kids Club - Putting the "Do" in Donate by Susan Beacham

In this book Dennis can't wait to get to school on Monday to tell his friends about the amazing event that happened at church. On Sunday, Dennis was one of 50 people at church who received $100 from his pastor. But there's a catch: Dennis has to use the money to help someone less fortunate. With advice from his friends, Isaiah, Stephanie, and Sandy, Dennis is sure to think of someone in need. With a little creativity and hard work, the four pals might even figure out a way to turn Dennis' $100 into an even bigger donation. Children between the ages of five and 12 and parents, teacher,s and educators who want to encourage reading literacy and financial literacy will love this book.

Don't forget to stop by next Saturday for another Weekly Trip to the Library.

Babysitter’s Arrest Highlights Background Check Confusion

2011-12-01T21:14:00.001-05:00

“Nationwide” Computer Checks NOT What They Seem

We have often discussed misleading advertisements by nanny and babysitter web sites that claim they pre-screen job candidates, when we all know it's impossible for them to do so. The biggest danger of using job listing web sites is the lack of properly conducted screening and background checks of job applicants.

What separates reputable nanny placement agencies from nanny web sites is that nanny placement agencies screen job applicants with extensive applications, personally conducted phone and in-person interviews, and references calls for the parents prior to sending caregivers on job interviews. Then, nanny placement agencies conduct extensive background checks, which cannot be conducted instantly for $10 as offered on many nanny and babysitter web sites.

The Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA) raises this issue in light of this week’s news that two Glendale, California brothers may have been sexually molested by a 19-year-old babysitter. Investigators say the suspect may have communicated with more than 100 families using online childcare sites.

“Online babysitting sites give families a false sense of security by stating things such as the applicants are ‘mom approved’ or have gone through a nationwide background check, “says Daryl Camarillo of Menlo Park, California’s Stanford Park Nannies and president of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies – A Household Staffing Alliance (APNA). “Most online services are just electronic bulletin boards and the computerized background checks they suggest are not enough to ensure a family’s safety.”

“What most parents don’t know is that the quick and inexpensive computer background searches offered online can easily miss a problem,” adds Judi Merlin, owner of the Atlanta, Georgia nanny placement agency A Friend of the Family and an APNA board member.

“I’ve found that most nanny candidates with criminal records have committed misdemeanors which rarely show up on the low-cost, nationwide computer searches that are offered online. Felonies are more likely to be listed. So, the nationwide computer check sounds good, but it probably won’t find a person’s minor run-ins with the law which can tell you a good deal about their past and their character,” says APNA sponsor member Lynn Peterson whose Oakland, California company, PFC Information Services, offers comprehensive background checks.

“Because of the danger to families, APNA has worked for years to try to educate the public about the effectiveness of different types of background checks,” says Camarillo. “Hiring a professional background check company is the safest way.” While the cost is higher (hundreds of dollars typically), it is just one of the ways APNA agencies screen candidates before referring them to work in a home environment with young children.

Among the issues that can arise with an online background check:

1.) It might not cover every state (some post disclaimers listing the exempted states).
Top notch nanny agencies will require that applicants’ social security numbers are traced to identify every state in which they have lived. That information is used to check records in those states.

2.) Misdemeanor records that are supposed to be forwarded to state or national databases are not sent, get lost or misfiled.
A record search of each county where the person has lived is more likely to find them

3.) No personal screening
Professional household staffing agencies meet with each job candidate in person and know how to analyze resumes for red flags and ask the right questions during a reference check.

Concludes Camarillo, “After screening, my agency chooses to represent only about 15 percent of the people who come through our door looking for work. Most online sites will represent anyone who can fill out the form.”

Contacts:
•Daryl Camarillo, APNA president, (650) 462-4580 or apna@spnannies.com
•Judi Merlin, APNA ethics chair, (770) 725-2748 or judim@afriend.com
•Go to www.theAPNA.org to find an APNA agency in your community and valuable information for families and people seeking household employment

APNA is a self-regulating organization that helps set the bar for industry standards and practices. APNA member agencies have their contracts, applications and business practices scrutinized by peers to ensure they know and follow all applicable laws. You are dealing with a quality household staffing service when you see the APNA seal.

Your Innocents and Their Innocence

2011-12-01T05:30:00.003-05:00

Is There a Santa Claus?
December To-Do List

This time of year, the struggle between innocence and honesty may hinge around the question "Is there a Santa Claus?"

Your charge looks at you with a wondering gaze and a quizzical brow and asks a question. You answer and the face of the child comes alive with the joy of insight and knowledge. It is great for the child to discover understanding the world around them and for you to impart that knowledge.

Sometimes knowledge of the world can be infuriating and perplexing or even tragic. Previously, we have discussed in this blog how to give your child the tools to thwart abuse, whether sexual, physical, or verbal. We would all love to place all kids in a protective cocoon to shield them from all harm. But the best we can do is to inform them of dangers in an age-appropriate way.

So, when your charges ask you "Is there a Santa Claus?" be sure to answer, "Yes, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist."

Our to-do for December: Let children enjoy their childhood and revel in their innocence. At the same time, enjoy their innocence and their joy in discovery.

Review of America's Supernanny

2011-11-30T06:03:00.001-05:00

Did You Watch America's Supernanny?

Unlike many nannies on Facebook nanny groups and Yahoo nanny groups who said they would not watch America's Supernanny because the new host Deborah Tillman is a daycare owner and mother, rather than having experience as working as a nanny, I watched the show.

In this first episode of America's Supernanny I felt it was simply a carbon copy of the original Supernanny with Jo Frost. It followed the exact same format and the "nanny" spent most of her energy time dealing with the parents rather than the out-of-control kids.

The new show lacked as many creative teaching techniques as found in the original Supernanny with Jo Frost. I did feel like it was more scripted. In this first show I didn't feel a connection to Deborah Tillman like I used to feel with Jo Frost. Plus, I feel as if the new host wasn't as emotionally involved with the family as her predecessor. But, this was just the first show highlighting the new host's basic techniques, so I look forward to seeing if she uses more techniques in the shows to follow.

The problems the "nanny" tackled this week were kids that hit, experienced terrible separation anxiety, and an oldest daughter who had low self-esteem (I wasn't actually convinced she had low self-esteem but that Miss Deborah forced those answers from the child).

A common discipline technique used in the daycare centers is a Calm Down Corner when the kids misbehave. Miss Deborah showed the parents how to use a Calm Down Corner when their children misbehaved. When they were calm for three-minutes the parents explain why the child was put in the Calm Down Corner, then the child could apologize and play again. We never actually saw if the parents could use it successfully on their own, but the father worked up a sweat getting the son to sit in the Calm Down Corner (after more than 100 escaped from the corner by the child).

Again a common problem for children in daycare centers is separation anxiety. With a simple hug and a kiss, the distraction of a fun activity, and a quick exist by the parents her strategy of kicking separation anxiety worked.

The host and mother stuck post it notes with positive messages in the oldest daughters bedroom to help her feel better about herself.

Here are America's Supernanny, Deborah Tillman's Rules and Techniques:

America's Supernanny Discipline Rules

• Praise and encourage positive behavior
• Set clear guidelines and expectations
• Implement consistent consequences for choosing negative behavior
• Ask yourself “What lesson am I trying to teach my child?”

America's Supernanny Discipline Techniques

Calm Down Corner: Her fundamental discipline technique is intended for children between two- and eight-years-old. It’s a way to train and teach your child that there are consequences when a house rule is broken.

Lose What You Like: This is her fundamental discipline technique that works for children over eight-years-old. It teaches children that you will lose something that YOU value when a house rule is broken.

America's Supernanny Parenting Rules

• Provide routine and structure for children
• Model the behavior you want
• Cling to consistency
• Follow through
• Be responsible and accountable

What did you think of America's Supernanny? Did you like the show?

America's Supernanny PremiersTonight

2011-11-29T06:10:00.001-05:00

Will You Be Watching America's Supernanny?

America's Supernanny premiers tonight on Lifetime at 9pm, pm Central. There has been venom on private nanny groups on Facebook and nanny Yahoo Groups about the fact that Deborah Tillman, who has been casted as "America's Supernanny" has no nanny experience.

In fact, original "Supernanny" Jo Frost has publicly shared her disappointment in the show's choice of main character as well. Ms. Frost told the Daily Mail that Deborah Tillman doesn't have the right credentials for the job.

According tot he America's Supernanny official website, Tillman quit her job as an accountant to start a home-based school where she could provide quality daycare and instruction to her son and other children. An immediate hit among other families in the community, Tillman soon expanded her business into a 5,600 square foot space with a staff of six serving 45 children. Shortly after that, her center amassed a six-month waiting list and in 1998, she opened a second site to accommodate more than 100 students and 16 full-time staff. Today, Tillman operates three centers in Virginia.

Tillman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Upsala College and a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from The George Washington University. She also studied at Oxford University. Tillman has presented workshops on child care throughout the country and is the author of the book Stepping Out on Faith, a guide to opening a quality child care center.

Will you be watching the premier of America's Supernanny tonight?

3 Basic Skills to Teach Kids About Money

2011-11-28T05:30:00.027-05:00

Money Management Requires Basic Good Habits, Willpower, and Discipline

In the children's book, Not Your Parents' Money Book: Making, Saving, and Spending Your Own Moneyauthor Jean Chatzky explains money management to children. One of the most basic lessons in the book is that in order to be a financial success -- in order to be rich someday you have to do three basic things:

1. You have to earn money.
2. You have to spend less than you earn.
3. You have to save and invest the money that you don't spend so that it can grow into more money.

Think of these like directions on the bottle of shampoo: Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Do them over and over, again and again, and that's really all it takes.

The catch is that these steps may sound like easy things to do. But in practice? Doing them over and over, day in and day out, is not such a no-brainer. You need good habits, you need willpower, and you need discipline. Why? Because doing any one of these three things means choosing not to do something else that, at the time, you'd prefer to do.

The other way to think of these steps is like an equation. If you're going to be financially successful, the number one rule is that money in should equal money out. If you are bringing in less than you are spending, you are living beyond your means. and that's not sustainable.

Whenever you see a person or a family struggling financially, chances are it's because they didn't live by this principle. They spent more than they made -- sometimes by choice because they wanted things they couldn't afford and bought them anyway. Other times they lost a job and they had to rely on credit cards or stop saving because there was no other way to stay afloat. No matter the reason, the more you understand about these three steps -- and this one equation -- the better you will be able to manage them to your advantage and the better your financial life will be.

Toys and Games to Teach Kids About Money

2011-11-27T06:00:00.021-05:00

Product Review Sunday

During the holidays we spend a lot of money to share gifts with others, making this the perfect time to teach kids about money. Yesterday, we highly recommended sharing the children's book, Not Your Parent's Money Book by Jean Chatzky with your charges to help teach them about money management. Below are some super games and toys to help teach kids about money.

Learning Resources Money Bags A Coin Value Game

This is a fun way to learn about combining coins. The object of this colorful and compact board game is to earn money while winding along a cartoon path. Money is earned by landing on a square labeled with a practical chore, such as setting the table (31 cents), or an entrepreneurial endeavor, such as a lemonade stand (15 cents). In order to collect money, the spinner is used to determine which coins can or cannot be taken from the bank. If the spinner lands on "no nickels" then you collect your change with any coins except for nickels. There's an additional incentive to use critical thinking and coin combining skills. Extra money can be earned if you land on a "Bank Exchange" space and exchange your coins (for example, two nickels for a dime). As you may have suspected, the player with the most money at the end wins.

Learning Resources Pretend and Play Checkbook with Calculator

Kids love to play like they are a grown up. With this pretend checkbook they can fill out pretend checks, make payments, and calculate their balances as they learn about check writing. The calculator is battery-powered, and the checks are actual size for even more realistic play. Includes 25 checks, check register, pen, calculator, deposit slips, and an instruction card. Replacement set includes: three pads of checks, three pads of deposit slips, and three sheets of check registers.

Learning Resources - Buy it Right Shopping Game

Teach kids the importance of money recognition, adding, and making correct change through interactive game play. Kids can set prices, buy and sell items, and learn the value of money as they move across the game board. Includes game board, calculator, game pieces, 40 paper play bills and 100 plastic coins. Game board measures 19" x 19". For 2-4 players.

Learning Resources Cash N' Carry Wallet

Get set for a pretend shopping spree with this grown up wallet. Includes 30 bills, 40 coins, credit card, and bank card. Made of nylon fabric with Velcro close. Features driver's license window, zippered coin compartment and suggested activities. This toy is intened for children 4-years and up.

Summit Zillions Deluxe ATM

Smashing your piggy bank is a thing of the past with this ATM machine that works as a personal savings bank. The large screen welcomes you by name, then gives you all of your up-to-date account information. Its built-in camera and sound effects are so real, you'll think you just pulled into the bank! Requires 3 "AA" batteries (included).

Teaching Kids (and yourself) About Money

2011-11-26T08:08:00.001-05:00

Not Your Parents' Money Book by Jean Chatzky

Now that it is holiday season it's the perfect time to teach kids about giving and money management. Most books about teaching kids about money are written for adults. But, Jean Chatzky wrote Not Your Parents' Money Book: Making, Saving, and Spending Your Own Moneyfor children.

You will recognize Jean Chatzky as the financial editor for the Today show and frequent contributor to other talk shows and media. She draws on her expertise in personal finance, as well as research from a series of focus group interviews with middle school students, to write this crash course in economics and finance for children.

Many reviews of the book recommend it for young pre-teens and teens (about 12-years-old to 17-years-old) but my eight-year-old charge is reading it. Interestingly, the information at the end of the book, especially on how to spend smartly, how to use credit cards and debit cards correctly (avoiding high interest rates), investing, introducing stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, are lessons many adults have not yet learned. So, you may even learn a little when reading this with your charges.

The first chapter opens up the book by describing the economy at large, and particularly how the government influences the economy, from printing money to the basics of the Federal Reserve.

Chapter two looks closer at the basics of individual money management, noting some basic tips to do financially well in life.

Chapter three starts to cover the basics of earning money, from the importance of higher education in increasing your income prospects to the realities of taxes when you get into the work force. There’s also a list of possible ways for the target population to earn money besides baby sitting.

The fourth chapter looks at some of the ways young people can spend money after they make it, and includes ways parents can monitor the allowance they give their children. It also includes a table listing the average income for numerous professions.

Chapter five discusses how to spend less than you earn, providing ways to help control your wants and emphasizing the importance of saving.

Chapter six discusses the basics of banking, covering some of different types of banks, and similar organizations. It also provides some basic instructions on how to balance your checkbook.

The seventh chapter covers how to spend smartly, including how to comparison shop and other methods of saving while shopping. There’s also an introduction to credit cards and debit cards, both things people are using when they are younger and younger. There’s also a few warnings about gift cards, particularly the fact that they expire pretty quickly.

Chapter eight provides a crash course in investing, introducing stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, as well as providing some basic advice on how to invest given your time frame for needing the money.

Chapter nine finishes off the book by talking about the emotional aspect of money, particularly how it can drive people so crazy.

The book finishes with some advice on how to give back to charity. There are a few appendices at the end, including the history of money, how money is made in the U.S. today, and a glossary of terms used throughout the book.

I highly recommend this book for a brief, simple, easy-to-read and easy-to-understand resource for teaching youngsters (and some adults) about money.

Are You Shopping for Black Friday Deals?

2011-11-25T06:44:00.000-05:00

What Do You Think About Black Friday Shopping?

I wouldn't go shopping on Black Friday if you paid me.
If I can get a deal, I'll be there.
I'll go shopping on Black Friday, but don't shop on Thanksgiving Day.

Toys 'R Us probably opened the earliest this year at 9 pm Thanksgiving Day with items up to 50 percent off.

Macy's opened at midnight for the first time in the store's history with discounts between 20 and 50 percent off.

Walmart opened at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and is offering a number of deals for Black Friday shoppers including video games and big screen TVs.

Old Navy gave the first Black Friday shoppers who spend more than $40 free Kodak digital cameras (worth $100) when it opened at midnight.

The Gap is offering 60 percent off selected items.

From 6 m to noon, Staples is offering a Targus Leather iPad Cover for $9.99 (normally $50) and an HP Photosmart Plus wireless printer for $49.90 (from $149.99).

Amazon is offering smartphones for reduced online price of just one penny until November 28.

Despite a petition with thousands of employee signatures protesing the hours, Target opened at midnight. Target has many one day deals.

Why an Au Pair Loves the American Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:25:00.000-05:00

What Are You Grateful for This Thanksgiving?
By Nanami

Three-years ago I came to America from Japan to work as an au pair for a family with two girls in Morristown, NJ. It was a difficult adjustment.

Not only was there a language barrier, but I owned just a few non-Western clothes and I was not used to the American diet. In fact, the first dinner I ate in America was a half of one slice of pizza and my stomach was full. Today I can easily eat three slices of pieces of pizza at one time, (why I have gained nearly 15-pounds since coming to America).

The American family that hired me lives in a large home with more toys than I have ever seen in one place, even in a toy store in Japan. The girls’ closets were filled with clothes, some they had never worn before they had outgrown the outfits. The family with only four members had two refrigerators packed with food.

In Japan, my three sisters and I shared one bed in a small room. The home in America had extra rooms for guests, a room just for playing piano, two for the kids to play, one room for each parent to use as an office, another for movie watching, one for doing laundry, and so on.

The selection of food at the grocery store was overwhelming. I still do not understand why Americans won’t eat a bruised piece of fruit or need so many brands of the same product (for example, just think of how brands of toilet paper there are to choose from). It is also shocking how much perfectly good food the family I work for throws away.

I had to learn how to make pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, and waffles for the girls’ breakfast. All I have for breakfast in Japan is Miso soup. On a great morning we might add rice to the soup. Yet, even with so many breakfast choices the girls in America would complain. And it is the complaining and whining by the children who have so much that has been the hardest adjustment of becoming an au pair working in America.

If I make pancakes and the girls don't feel like eating pancakes on that particular morning their mother simply throws out the pancakes and will make another meal. It is still upsetting to me that children can be offered such lavish meals, only to complain and then turn-them-down. I think of my clear Miso soup that I typically drink each morning in Japan, and I never even thought to complain.

Coming from such a modest life, to the American culture was difficult mostly because the children are so ungrateful. They seem to lack thankfulness. Having to listen to the two privileged girls whine and complain, despite having so much is very difficult. They have so much: nutrition, material possessions, love and nurturing -- but they always want more. They always compare themselves to each other and then to their friends.

That is why I was so pleasantly surprised about celebrating my first Thanksgiving in the United States of America! What a great way to be thankful. Family and friends come together without sharing any material gifts –- just a lot of food. Unlike the American birthdays or Christmas that I have witnessed in America, during Thanksgiving week the girls' negative attitude changed due to the hard work of their mother. Their mother made an effort to have her children focus on their blessings and on others instead of just themselves.

Here are some of the activities the mother did with the girls to prepare, celebrate, and conclude Thanksgiving week:

1. For a week before Thanksgiving she took the girls to donate ten frozen turkeys and all the side dishes to a local food bank for ten complete Thanksgiving dinners for those that might not be able to afford the meal that year.

2. Each night before bed for that week leading up to Thanksgiving she helped the girls list reasons why they are thankful for each guest they had invited to Thanksgiving dinner. They made lovely cards and listed on the cards the reasons they are thankful for the person. Then, during the meal, they asked everyone at the table to voice at least three things they are thankful for as well.

3. The week of Thanksgiving she also helped her children clear out their playroom and closets to donate old toys and clothes to the Salvation Army.

4. Then, on Thanksgiving day the family invited a few elderly guests to join their extended family for dinner. The seniors were members of their church who have children or other family living far away.

I just loved that each guest brought a dish to share at the Thanksgiving dinner. I loved that the mother asked everyone to say what they are thankful for before eating. I loved that we packed up food for each guest to bring home with them after dinner.

I was also pleasantly surprised that on the day after Thanksgiving (which is known as America’s busiest shopping day of the year) the mother took me with the girls shopping to make holiday care packages for American soldiers. The packages included soap, razors, toothbrushes, and travel-sized toiletries. But the most fun was packing cards and games (like crossword puzzles) and books and magazines for the soldiers.

I am thankful the family opened their hearts, home, and minds and invited me into their home. The mother bought me American style clothes to help me fit in, I gained nearly 15-pounds (I just love French fries and pizza), and have made friends with a great family. I hope I will be able to come to America to visit them again and someday they can me in Japan.

Most of all, I loved Thanksgiving. I hope all nannies and au pairs reading this will incorporate some of the activities my Host Mom did with her girls for Thanksgiving.

The Spirit of Thanksgiving for Nannies

2011-11-23T05:58:00.000-05:00

More stuff does not guarantee happiness, serenity, or satisfaction.

Thanksgiving is an opportune time for reflection about the nature of thanks and appreciation, wants, and needs, desires versus necessities.

As nannies, we do not own a home the size of our boss' or posses the goods our employers have in abundance. Our charges often have bigger bedrooms and newer, more sophisticated electronics than the we do.

It is easy for many nannies to be envious. It is so easy to become fixated on jewelry, clothes, computers, and technological belongings. It is not uncommon to covet what we would like, even if we do not need it.

But envy is all-encompassing and debilitating. Envy saps the body and mind of resources and energy besides being time consuming.

Mature nannies understand that more stuff does not guarantee happiness, serenity, or satisfaction. In fact, the complications and stress from trying to "keep up with the Joneses" tends to impede the search for inner peace. Instead, we need to find joy in helping shape our charges and not feel a sense of entitlement.

This Thanksgiving be thankful for the blessings you find in your life, to appreciate the small things you may take for granted, and to celebrate the big things you tend to overlook. And to spread that joy of life to others.

I Am Thankful Book

2011-11-22T05:49:00.000-05:00

Teaching Kids to be Thankful

Make a Thanksgiving keepsake for the child that truly embodies the spirit of thankfulness. You can purchase a small scrapbook or use paper from home to make this a really simple project.

What You Will Need:

• A holiday picture
• Crayons
• Several sheets of paper
• Stapler

The easiest way to make it is by printing out pages from enchanted learning, click here to visit that site. One page reads, "I am thankful for my family," then have the child draw a picture of his family. On the next page it reads, "I am thankful for my friends," then have the child draw a picture of her friends. You can even take this further by having them draw pictures of what they are thankful for.

If you prefer:
1. Print out a holiday picture and let the child color it.
2. On the sheets of paper, ask the child what they are thankful for like listed above.
3. Write down each thing they are thankful for on a separate piece of paper.
4. Assemble all the sheets with the holiday picture on top and staple it along the side like a book.

There are so many variations of how you can do this book and make it a meaningful activity for the child.

What do you do with your charge's to help prepare for Thanksgiving?

3 Tips for Taking the Stress Out of Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T05:30:00.005-05:00

Nannies and Au Pairs Should Help Keep Things Calm During the Holidays

The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone, especially children. Busy parents, a hectic and disjointed schedule, and time off from structured school activities all add up to an unhappy child. What can you do to help?

As the nanny or au pair here are three tips on taking some of the stress out of Thanksgiving for your charges:

1. Set a schedule: Kids love structure. They need it. They need to know when to wake up and when to go to sleep. They need to know what they are going to do each day. Structure gives them security. During the holidays, however, school is out and their schedule is thrown for a loop. Help them by setting up a schedule of your own. As best you can, make sure they have a set time for activities, just like they do at school. This will give them a sense of security and stability during a hectic time.

2. Make it fun: Holidays are supposed to be fun, but frequently they’re just stressful. Bring the fun back. Have craft times, cooking times, and play times. Don’t get caught up in the holiday rush and forget what it is all about. Teach children the origins of the holidays, have puppet shows or plays, and sing classic songs.

3. Relax and remain calm: The most important thing to keep children stress-free is to be stress-free yourself. Remember to take time to relax. Take a break from the mad rush and just enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. Even when the parents and other people around you are going crazy, remain an oasis of peace and tranquility. Remaining calm is your best defense against stress. And if you are calm, the kids will be calm too.

There are many things that are stressful about the holidays, but do not let them get to you. Fight back and regain your peace. Don’t forget what holidays are all about- togetherness and love. You can make a difference and give children happy memories of the holidays as they grow up and have families of their own.

Author Bio
Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, parenting, child care, babysitting, nanny background tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

The 5 Best Thanksgiving Gifts to Give to Kids

2011-11-20T07:33:00.001-05:00

Do You Share Thanksgiving with Your Employers?
By Farrah, Nanny, Los Angeles, CA

As a live-in nanny in Los Angeles, originally from Louisiana, I celebrate Thanksgiving with my employer's family each year. The entire extended family comes for the big dinner in which my employers absolutely refuse to let me work. They don't allow me to help in the kitchen or dining room with cooking, setting-up, or clean-up. So, to share my gratitude for sharing their family holiday with me I have a traditions of buying a gift to share with the kids. The games are the best gifts since both the parents and children can play these games around the Thanksgiving table year after year.

Here are the five best Thanksgiving gifts I have given to my charges and their family over the years:

The Thanksgiving Game
For players ages seven to adult. Three or more players sit around the table, between dinner and dessert. The game gives everyone an opportunity to express their gratitude to God and to each other. When friends and family gather to show their love and appreciation, everyone is a winner! However, we suggest that a prize be offered to the official winner, such as candy, a plant, or a new Christmas decoration. If you don't have a prize, you can offer something else, like the largest piece of pumpkin pie! Or add your own family tradition. The Thanksgiving Game is great for any time of the year, that will bring you years of enjoyment and meaningful memories with family and friends.

Thanksgiving Box of Questions
Thanksgiving will be even more festive with clever, engaging and entertaining Conversation Starter question cards. A Box of Questions also makes a special holiday hostess gift that doubles as a centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table. Bond with family and friends and involve everyone in your new tradition. The decorative gift boxes filled with 82 glossy cards printed with Thanksgiving themed Box Girl question cards. The Box Girls started in 2002 when BFF moms Cece Feiler and Heidi Hadda were at a restaurant with their hungry husbands and six kids and the service was slow. To avoid a mealtime meltdown, the two moms started asking questions to engage their kids and what was potentially a disastrous night turned into a magical night of bonding and sharing. That night the first game in the successful Box of Questions original series was launched. Hundreds of thousands of boxes in this successful series have been enjoyed by families and friends across the globe. These clever, age-appropriate, party, and holiday themed question-games instantly unite any group while re-establishing the art of storytelling. Since the first game was sold, The Box Girls has donated a percentage of their profits to charitable organizations.

Little People Thanksgiving Celebration
A pair of playful pilgrims and two trusty Indian friends gather 'round the table to give thanks together for a fantastic fall feast! Thirteen-piece set includes four Little People figures, table and two benches, turkey platter, horse and detachable cart, pumpkin, and two connectible harvest fence pieces. Great for children one-year-old and up.

LEGO Seasonal Exclusive Mini Figure Turkey
This turkey Leto has 53 pieces and flapping movable wings. The LEGO Thanksgiving Turkey is the perfect addition to your collection of holiday figures! Makes a great holiday gift and a fun party favor. This is a choking hazard for children under three-years-old.

Thanksgiving Paper Dolls Set
This 18 piece thanksgiving set includes eight Adorable Kinders Paper Dolls (four boys and four girls), two pilgrim boy outfits, two pilgrim girl outfits, two Indian boy outfits, two Indian girl outfits, one re-stickable glue stick and one blunt tip scissors. The paper dolls are made of a durable UV coated card stock and come with a foot stand. They are perforated for easy removal and assembly. The accessories outfits require scissors cutting and may be attached to the dolls using the re-stickable glue for reuse as in dress-up play, or using permanent glue for single use such as scrap booking, greeting cards, and other arts and crafts projects. The paper dolls and their outfits are made in USA.

Children's Books in the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2011-11-19T10:00:00.004-05:00

Weekly Trip to the Library

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (coming up on Thursday) I borrowed some books from the library about thankfulness and the many blessings we have, rather than specifically about the holiday of Thanksgiving. I think these are great choices for children to share the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Of course if you prefer a fun craft book to use with kids for Thanksgiving click here or you can click here for more children's books about Thanksgiving.

In Every Tiny Grain of Sand
By Reeve Lindbergh
Review by By Elizabeth Kennedy, About.com Guide

In Every Tiny Grain of Sand is a picture book in that it is divided into four sections, each with a different illustrator, and uses the writings of many writers not often associated with children's books. The selections in the book are from a variety of authors, cultures, and religions. These encompass Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Native American, Muslim, Baha'i, Algerian, Buddhist, Celtic, African-American, and East African, among others.

The authors and sources range from the anonymous to the well known. They include the Bible, Robert Browning, Christina Rossetti, Walt Whitman, Pope Pius XII, Anne Frank, Margaret Walker, Black Elk, and Albert Schweitzer. One of the greatest assets of this book is the quality of the writing. Children are not often introduced to writing of this caliber, in a way that has meaning for them, at an early age, and this book provides such an opportunity.

In Every Tiny Grain of Sand is a 10-inch by 11-inch hardbound book with a colorful dust jacket and different colorful illustrations on its cover.

The book's four sections are "For the Day," "For the Home," "For the Earth," and "For the Night." "For the Day," was illustrated by Bob Graham. His watercolor and ink illustrations provide scenes of children in all seasons and many different places enjoying their activities, creating an effective accompaniment to the prayers and poems of thanks in this section.

The delightfully detailed watercolor and collage artwork of Elisa Kleven reinforces the joys of home, family, and nature that are celebrated in "For the Home." "For the Earth," broadens the celebration of nature with lively watercolors by Christine Davenier. Here the emphasis is on both being thankful for the earth, animals, and seasons, and on taking care of the earth.

Anita Jeram is a master at painting night scenes that are both dark and vibrant with color and life. Her dense acrylic illustrations in "For the Night" cover every page and incorporate the poems and writings into the artwork. Jeram's artwork embodies both the mysteries and the beauty of the night, a fitting finale for In Every Tiny Grain of Sand.

This is not a book meant to be read at one sitting. Instead, it is a collection to be dipped into, enjoyed, and discussed again and again. In her introduction to the book, Reeve Lindbergh describes the collection, stating, "Some of them were written in appreciation of nature, or to praise God, or to celebrate good things in our lives like our families, our homes, and our love for one another. Others were written when the writer needed strength, comfort, or courage." I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I have.

The Book of Giving Poems of Thanks, Praise, and Celebration
By Kay Chorao

This is a collection of 61 poems of praise, thanks, celebration, and sharing, ranging from an excerpt from the Bible's "Book of Solomon" to a Native American prayer. Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Blake, William Butler Yeats, and many contemporary poets are included, along with lesser-known writers. There are several selections celebrating Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and birthdays, as well as the seasons and the Earth. Different cultures are represented by an Irish folk blessing, an Algerian prayer, and several Chinese poems, adding to the book's universal appeal. Soft, finely detailed illustrations in pastel colors enhance the warm, joyous spirit of the collection.

I'm Thankful Each Day
By P.K. Halinan
This book is intended for ages one- to six-years old. The colorful illustrations and simple text make this story perfect for toddlers. Every facet of God's world provides a reason for a child to be thankful: from the glorious sunset to the beauty of the seashore, trees, and flowers.

My Basket of Blessings
By Mary Manz Simon

I picked out this book at the library simply because it looks so cute. It's in the shape of a basket, colorful and sparkly, and fun to touch for a young child. With the topic of thankfulness it's perfect for Thanksgiving. The author, Dr. Mary Manz Simon has embodied thought leadership in the Christian market for more than 20-years and this book shares the reasons to thank God for our many blessings. The publisher recommend the book for children three-years old to but I chose it for a toddler and she loves it.

Stop by next Saturday for another Weekly Trip to the Library for nannies and au pairs.