What is a household manager? How is house managing different from nannying? How are they similar? Alycia Kroll (owner of Nannies of the North) joins us this week to discuss household managers and all that goes with that job title. And if you're listening and wondering, "wait! Am I already a household manager?", we also discuss how to start negotiating for a raise to reflect the job you're actually doing! This informative and fun interview covers all things household manager related. Thanks for listening!
It's SUMMER! Tis the season to play in and near water! Carrie Bland joins us this week to offer her expertise on how to keep you and your little ones safe while enjoying all the fun water play has to offer! We discuss how to help you and your kiddos feel more comfortable around water and how to learn more about water safety! This episode is only a jumping-off point, but it's a wonderful overview of safe water-based fun!
To learn more about Carrie, follow along at @carriekaczland on Instagram for day to day nanny adventures, crafts, activities, and doggy pictures too!
This week I am joined by Caroline Maguire, author of Why Will No One Play With Me? This fantastic book has strategies and can act as a guide for all caregivers to help coach their kids on social skills. I learned so much from reading this book and have already started using many of the tools discussed! Caroline sits down to talk about what led her to write this amazing book and the 7 essential behaviors everyone needs to succeed socially and beyond. I cannot recommend this book enough. Pick up a copy and get one for your nanny friend too! You'll thank me (and more importantly Caroline) later!
Cady Leinicke is back to talk about a book that has changed the nanny game for both of us! Non-Violent Communication written by Marshall Rosenberg has helped me communicate differently and has greatly improved my ability to really hear the unmet needs of the children with which I work. It also always a blast to record with Cady! Something we don't mention explicitly in the episode, but it worth pointing out, is that this episode combines well with "Conflict Resolution" which is Episode 11! Stay curious everyone!
Did you know that babies begin to notice race at 6 months old? Talking with your nanny kids about race and racism is so important but it can feel like an overwhelming topic for some of us. Dr. Camp from Northeastern Illinois University joins us to discuss how we, as nannies, can approach this important topic. Kids are naturally curious. Let's help teach them to be respectfully curious! This episode also features a story from Patsy Andall! Thank you, Patsy!
Whether you know it or not, Maria Montessori's life work has had an impact on your nannying. Tiffany Otwell, of the Montessori Children's House, joins us to discuss the ways we can incorporate Montessori teachings into our days as nannies! She makes the excellent point that, as nannies, we can allow children the time to learn a new skill or try something that may be hard for them over and over. As Maria Montessori said, "Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed."
As our industry continues to grow and change new methods of finding families pop up all the time. Tori Clodfelter joins us this week to talk through the app Chime and the ups and downs of being a freelance babysitter. Much like Uber for babysitting, Chime promises quality care at the touch of the button. But can it really deliver on that promise? Listen this week to find out!
Dental health is extremely important but I know I have never learned about dental health for children until I did this interview! We have Jim Ratcliff, from the Closys company, as a guest to teach us all about dental hygiene and how to set kids up for oral health!
Politics can be an emotional subject at times. But it's also important to teach kids the importance of voting from an early age! In the book Voting with a Porpoise my guest, Sean Callahan, and his writing partner, Russell Glass make the discussion of politics and particularly voting very accessible and fun! Sean came on the show to help talk us through some activities and ways to get the conversation started in a healthy and educational way!
Nannying for families going through a divorce can be so difficult. We always want to do our best to help kids feel safe and nurtured. In this episode, Parker Guidry returns to talk us through some ideas for helping kids whose parents are divorced or are getting divorced. Parker also talks from personal experience about ways to help yourself create boundaries and self-care needed during the process of supporting a family unit through a divorce. Even if you're nanny family isn't divorced, this episode has some great ideas for helping children work through emotions in general!
Attachment Theory is fascinating and certainly shapes how I nanny! Cady Leinicke and I sat down to talk through the different attachment styles. One secure attachment can make a huge difference in a person's life, especially a young person! So come on, nerd out with us!
Our number one job as nannies is to keep kids safe. This week Elizabeth Henschen, a pediatrician hospitalist and mom, joins us to talk about gun safety. We discuss ways to start the conversation and how to talk to kids about gun violence. Simply asking about guns in a house before a play date can make a big difference in the safety of your nanny kids' lives. For more resources, click the links below.
Teaching kids about financial responsibility is important! Chores around the house are often their first "job" and they can learn so much from earning their allowance. Greg Murset sits down with me to tell us about the app he created called BusyKid! We discuss ways to help set kids up for financial success and how to start handing chores off to your nanny kids! Thanks for listening!
In celebration of 100 episodes, this week's episode features nannying from the kids' point of view! I sat down and chatted with some of my former nanny kids and got their take on what makes or breaks their experience with a nanny! We get pretty silly and had a lot of fun recording! Thanks for 100 great episodes!
Recorded LIVE from the Chicago Podcast Festival 2018, this week's episode is all about Children's TV! Thanks to Brittany Vogel, Julie Merica, and Casey Coppess for joining me to talk about our favorite and least favorite kids' TV shows! This episode was so much fun to record and I hope you enjoy listening! Thank you to the Chicago Podcast Festival for having us!
This week is all about a new and wonderful nanny resource book called Nanny Basics and Beyond. If you're looking for a holiday gift for your favorite nanny, I cannot recommend this book enough! Marcia Hall (Nanny Coaching Team founder and Executive Director of the INA) joins us to tell us all about her book and how to get your hands on it! Seriously, this book has so many wise words and offers help for some of the toughest parts of our job. Enjoy reading!
What happens when nannies start having their own families. Can you have your own kids and continue to be a nanny? There are lots of ways to approach this, but taking your kids to work with you is definitely a great one! Erin Loudoun joins us this week to talk about being both a nanny and a mom and navigating how to bring your child with you to your nanny job. I really enjoyed recording this episode and it answered a lot of questions about how this arrangement could work! I hope you enjoy it as well!
Kids love magic. Every kid I've ever nannied for has gone through a period of obsession with magic tricks! This week we have a professional magician, Jordan Olguin, on to talk about all the different ways nannies can incorporate magic into their day! We discuss so many things - from how to lay a sleeping baby down in their crib without waking them up, to a fun and easy magic trick to do with your nanny kiddos! This episode was a lot of fun to record and I hope you have as much fun using these tricks with your kiddos!
Have you ever thought about getting your degree in nannying? Colleges and Universities don't offer a degree specifically geared towards nannying which left a need and the Amslee Institute is here to fill it! Amslee Institute is the only online training program in the US with a college-level curriculum specifically designed for Nannies and Sitters that is licensed by the Department of Education. I got to talk to the founder of the Amslee Institute, Elizabeth Malson and ask her all about what makes Amslee so different. I highly suggest visiting their website and seeing if the Amslee Institute is right for you!
