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 The Nanny Diaries


Heard about the nanny who was drunk in charge of the child or continuously had a boyfriend in tow?  When choosing childcare for your child it can be very daunting as to which avenue to choose. We asked Violet Elizabeth Nannies, a well-respected Nanny agency in London to put together a checklist to help you to get the best care for your child.

Up-Beat, Playful Personality
you can usually judge a nanny's behaviour with your children by the way he or she interacts with you. A nanny will great you warmly, ask how you are and engage in friendly conversation. He or she won't let personal problems affect the way he or she behaves at your home and will do his or her best to make the most of any given situation.

Inquisitive Nature
Great nannies ask lots of questions because they are concerned about how best to care for the children in their charge. You can always tell a great nanny from a mediocre one by the questions he or she asks during the initial consultation and during the first week or so of employment. Questions about the child's favourite foods, activities, movies, games and stuffed animals are all relevant.

Promptness
A great nanny is always on time except in legitimate emergencies. Excuses like, "My alarm didn't go off" or "I was up late last night" are not legitimate and should be viewed as disrespectful. Promptness also refers to getting the kids to appointments on time and taking care of chores in an orderly fashion.

Properly trained
A great nanny is one who has completed any necessary certifications. First Aid, CPR and other training should be viewed not as a bonus, but as a must. At Violet Elizabeth nannies we make sure we verify all our candidates. No one likes to think about something terrible happening, but if it does, you want to be confident in your nanny's ability to handle the situation.

Always prepared
Another quality of a great nanny is preparedness, and not just for emergencies or problems. A great nanny will bring things with him or her to work to entertain the children. For example, one of the nannies on our books always comes to work with a new board game or the supplies for an arts and crafts project.

Dresses Appropriately
One nanny we interviewed told us that she always comes to work dressed in suits or skirts. While that might seem professional, it isn't very practical if you're spending all day playing with kids, so we advised her to think of something smart but casual.

Gives Feedback
A great nanny will always provide parents with a synopsis of the day when they return home. Any problems, issues or events should not be heard from kids later on in the evening, but should come straight from the nanny's mouth. For example, one of our nannies used an example that she was concerned because her charge was falling down a lot, seeming to lose his balance. She thought that it might be indicative of an inner ear infection and when the parents took him to the doctor, they discovered she was right! A great nanny doesn't have to be a medical doctor, but she should be willing to pay attention and to report anything unusual.

To find out more please look at the website
www.nannyinlondon.com or email Violet Elizabeth Nannies at info@nannyinlondon.com.



Visit http://www.skylearning.co.uk/ for a new learning experience for your kids.  The site will find and recommend programmes and films from hundreds of channels on sky.

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AlphaLearners™ Educational Stickers

Do your kids love stickers? Do you wish they could do something constructive with them instead of just splodging superheroes or sparkly heroines on a piece of paper? Do you wish you had more time to spend practising reading, writing or number skills? Do your kids (or you!) struggle with keywords, spellings, times tables and other work sent home from school? Do you secretly wish they could just get on with some writing for a few minutes instead of asking how to spell every word? If this sounds familiar, AlphaLearners™ may have the answer for you?

AlphaLearners™ are a range of educational stickers specially designed to help motivate children to read, write, spell and with numeracy. Because children love stickers, they are eager to learn with them. Short bursts of educational and creative play can be enjoyed which will help develop fine motor, creativity, literacy and numeracy skills and support learning at nursery or school.

The range has grown quickly with two colour schemes to reflect the colour preferences of small kids.  There are currently over 30 designs for children aged 3 to about 8. 

To find out more, visit www.alphalearners.co.uk.

B&B readers can get a free pack or mat with all orders.....just say where you heard about this on the comments/info box when you go through the payment process plus any suggestion of what you would like free and it will be included with their order.



Why motor skills matter?

The human brain is under construction for the first 3 years of life and what a child learns and decides about him/herself will become his/her wiring for the future. Therefore children immersed in language, music and play from birth are given a better chance at mastering life skills.

Motor skill development, controlled by the brain, can be broken down into 3 main areas; physical development, emotional/social development and cognitive/intellectual development. Encouraging motor skill development from a young age is very important. From the moment a baby is born, he/she will go through different stages of developmental milestones. Whilst it is important to remember that we are all different and that we all develop in our own ways, providing a nurturing and stimulating environment will help a child reach his/her developmental potential.

Developmental milestones may be "sped up" by involving a child in an activity such as The Little Gym as early as 4 months old as the programme is designed specifically to enhance and support motor skill development.

For 30 years The Little Gym has set the standard for progressive motor skill development in children by teaching gymnastics based classes to children from 4 months to 12 years, that build skills, confidence and self-esteem in a challenging yet fun, social and non-competitive environment, allowing each and every child to develop and build skills at their own pace.

The Little Gym is a unique curriculum based programme, combined with a teaching philosophy and understanding of developmental gymnastics that gives children a head start that will last a life-time.

The Little Gym of Sutton Coldfield welcomes all parents and children to experience for themselves a The Little Gym class as our members say that this is the best way that they discovered the benefits of the programme without obligation.  The classes are very popular so please do call 0121 355 0000 and speak to our friendly staff to book your Free Trial now!

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