What I'm Going to Miss

I have two weeks left with the kids and I cannot believe how fast time is going. The summer flew by and the days have been going faster and faster it seems. As excited as I am to be moving in with Devon and starting this next chapter in my life, of course I am also sad to be leaving this family I have gotten to know so well.

What am I going to miss about being a nanny?

The Parks.
All the parks. And the playgroups, kinder gyms, and playdates. It has been so much fun spending my days at these places. I have met some amazing women, both nannies and moms, who I will always remember. Another perk of spending so much time at these locations? The babies. So many babies always. If you know me you know this is what my heaven looks like.

Nap Time.
Taking care of both kids this summer has made this much less of an option, but all winter I could nap with the baby if I wanted to. I didn't very often, but those days when you are exhausted there is nothing better than being able to shut your eyes for a couple of hours. And when he was small enough, sometimes he would sleep on my belly. So snuggly.

Perspective.
Seeing life through the eyes of a child. It's pretty cool. It makes simple things interesting. Seeing them discover the world and play and grow and change. Seeing them observe situations and watching how they respond. I love it and it really does make you think.

Dance Parties.
We got a Sonos player in the kitchen in the winter, and since have been having daily dance parties. After we finish lunch I start playing the music (usually a lot of Drake and Rihanna) and we bust out our moves for awhile to get the last of the morning energy out before nap. Guys, I get paid to have after lunch dance parties with cute kids. I don't think there are too many jobs that offer this perk.

The Kids.
I have lived with this family for a whole year, and spent the majority of my time with one or both of the kids here. They have both taught me so much and made it clear that I want 10 kids one day. Just kidding. But in all honestly I love these two and I hope that I can continue a relationship with them. I will definitely be coming back to visit!

Liv

Parenting Tips from a Non-Parent (part 2)

Teaching a toddler when to say please and thank you was not something on my to-do list when I started this position. And not something I had on my mind 6 months into the position. I am beginning month 11/12 and for the majority of my time here, he hasn't been very vocal. We worked on hi and bye for a month, and then moved onto poo and pee. Please and Thank you were't worked on for a very long time, but luckily for me, kids are sponges. And monkey see, monkey do.

I don't exactly think about, or notice that I'm saying my pleases and my thank yous. I just do. And Loic picked up on that and all of a sudden he was saying please when he needed help with his shoe, and thank you after I had done up the velcro. Manners look good on anyone, but they look especially good on a toddler with a cute little high-pitched voice.

I think that manners are one of the most important things you can teach your children, and make a huge difference. There are always kids at parks and playgroups who have them, and those who don't. And everyone notices. It's also important to realize that it's not just the quiet, low-key children that have manners at these places. The crazy ones do too ;)

There is a lot of controversy with kids saying sorry. People believe that they shouldn't be saying it until they understand what it means, and can actually connect it to FEELING sorry. I don't disagree with that opinion, but I do like kids saying sorry. And it feels really weird to see kids hitting another kid, and their parents not request an apology... I've been thinking about writing a whole post on this so one may be coming in the near future...

Anyway,

Enforce manners. You will thank yourself later. It's a great habit for kids to get into, and I think it should happen as soon as it possibly can. Feel free to add your two cents below, I'd love to hear!

Liv

Why You Should Take Kids to Playgroup

co/ toysrus

When I first started taking care of this little one in September 2015, the weather was still nice. We spent a lot of time outside, and he was still having two naps a day. I had just moved to Toronto and didn't really know what was available. So we spent time at the house and the library and the park and had a great time.

One day we were at a park beside a community centre and a lady asked if I had ever gone inside to the drop-in centre. I said no, and she told me about it and said how much her granddaughter liked it. I put that info into the back of my head and continued enjoying the nice warm fall in the parks.

And then it got cold and I was not into being outside all day anymore and I remembered the playgroup idea. So I checked it out. And because my memory sucks I have no idea what my first thoughts were, but I kept going back so I must have liked it...

The community centre we go to has 'kindergym' twice a week, where kids are in a big gym with balls, riding toys, play structures, mats. It's a free for all and gets pretty crazy, but it definitely gets them tired for nap time! They play until 11 with no structure, and then there is a short circle time (songs, books, parachute) before it's over.

The other two days are drop-in, in a different room upstairs. This room is filled with toys, books, crafts and is more low-key. The kids play until 10:30 and then get a snack, with circle time happening at 11. It's a little bit more structured. Fridays the centre is closed.

Going to these programs were a life-saver for me this winter! I have a deep respect for these centres and think that they are a great option for many parents and caregivers. Here are my reasons why I think you should take kids to playgroup:

• It will keep you sane. Kids are fun to hangout with all day, but until they can actually speak, you're going to miss having someone who answers you. By going to playgroups, you get to hang out with real adults and have real adult conversations! Although most of those conversations will revolve around children...
• It gets you out of the house. I transitioned him to 1 nap pretty quickly after I started with him, and one of the key things about having it be successful is to keep him busy and active all morning. I find it's really good to get out of the house, and this makes for a great morning routine.
• It exposes your child to different cultures and people. You get to meet people that you may otherwise not, and your child gets to hear other languages, etc. At our drop-in, every Thursday is 'Around the world Snack Day', where someone brings in a snack from their country/culture etc and shares it with everyone. It's super fun and the kids get to try things that they probably don't have at home! The adults love it too.
• It teaches kids social skills. I love that it gives them a chance to learn how to play together, share, communicate their feelings. I think it's really important to work on these skills, which are harder to learn then you would expect, before they start a daycare or kindergarten. This is especially important for kids that are only children and don't have a chance to play with other kids at home!
• It gives parents and caregivers a place where they can learn and improve. These places offer free workshops, and there are always people around to offer experience and advice. I continuously ask moms and nannys when I'm having a problem and love hearing what they have to say.

What are your thoughts on playgroup? Do you go on a regular basis or not?

Daily Routine with a Toddler

If you are new around here. I am a nanny. I take care of my cousin's son. I started when he turned 1 and I will be here until he turns 2, at the end of August. I've done babysitting before and been a short-term nanny, but this full-time, all the time thing, was fairly new. I live with the family, and there are two kids, although the older one is in Kindergarten. I've gotten into a good routine and I thought I would share what we do on an average day! Kids are all so different and I love reading about different parents' days!

6:30am

This is when my first alarm goes off. And I happily turn it off because I know I still have half an hour in bed. It might seem silly to have this one, instead of just the one going off where I actually go off, but it physiologically makes it easier I swear.

7:00am

At 7 I actually get out of bed. My boyfriend works nights and finishes at 7 and when I get that good morning text like clockwork each morning it's time to get my tush upp. I would be lying if I said I didn't check all social media outlets before getting up though.. I usually shower at night and blow dry my hair before bed. This makes it easy to straighten it quick when I get up. With 4 other people in the house I do not get bathroom time in the morning so I do without.

8:00am

Breakfast time. For the most part we all eat it together. I have cheerios and orange juice 85% of the time because I like routine ;) Sometimes oatmeal or smoothies or granola. Meals are a little crazy with children so it's pretty quick, and then I go out in the living room with the kids. I read books, make sure homework (drawing pictures) gets done, brush the odd head of hair, etc. Sometimes we need some pump up music for the day so we put on the 'Welcome to Kindergarten'  CD and have a quick dance party.

9:00am

Parents are off to wear, child off to school. We hang out for a bit and clean up the kitchen, brush our teeth and get everything ready to head out.

9:30am

We're off to Playgroup. There is a great community centre near us that has Kindergym Monday and Wednesday and Drop-In Tuesday and Thursday. Kinder gym takes place in a big gym with lots of riding toys, slides, mats etc. The kids play until 11 and then have circle time. Drop-In is upstairs and more low-key. It's a room with all the toys kids could ever want, a play kitchen, dress-up area, art, etc. The kids play until 10:30 and then there is snack-time, followed by circle time. Thursdays are 'around the world' snack day, and volunteers bring snacks from their culture! (On Fridays the centre is closed, so we usually go to the library, but with the nicer weather we will definitely be choosing parks more and more.)

11:30am

We walk home. He really likes to fall asleep in the stroller at this point so I usually give him a little snack and speed walk home! If he does fall asleep, I wake him up when we get in the door and he's usually okay to go down for this normal nap. But I'd rather not risk it.

12:00pm

Lunchtime! The majority of the time we have leftovers from dinner the night before. If nothing else he loves peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, cheese, sandwich meat... We eat together and then I give him some raisins or something to occupy him while I empty/fill the dishwasher quickly. Then we play until he gets nice and drowsy.

1:00pm

Sometimes he falls asleep while we are reading on the couch, or in his highchair, or curled up on the couch. But usually I take him upstairs and we lie on the bed together watching the aquarium channel, and he tends to fall asleep pretty quickly. Sometimes I take a nap. Sometimes I go on a cleaning spree. Sometimes I do some Social Media work. 

3:00pm

Most of the time he wakes up between 3 and 330. He gets a snack and then it depends on the day. I like to get outside so we will go for a walk or to the park or just play in the backyard. Sometimes we run errands that need running.

5:00pm

His dad gets home around 5 with his sister, and we all hang out for a bit. While his dad makes dinner I'm with the kids in the living room. By this point we are all ready to relax so either colouring, reading, playing, or good old TVO until dinnertime!

6:00pm

Dinner happens around 6, and this marks the end of my day on the clock. Usually I'll eat and then go to the gym. By the time I come back the kids are in bed and I go watch some Netflix (I'm finally into Greys!) and go to bed. 

How do you feel about routine? Routine with kids? Do you find it helps you or hinders you more?

Parenting Tips From a Non-Parent

I do not have any kids of my own, but I do spend my days around small humans. I've been a nanny for the past 8 months, which as resulted in learning A LOT about children and what they need to thrive. Not only from the children I live with, but also those I see every day at playgroup. While I realize that every child and parenting style is different, I do believe that the tips below are fairly universal!

Sleep Training
This is one of the biggest things that parents differ on from what I have seen. I think that sleep training is an amazing thing to do! Sane parents = happier children, and parents need their sleep. One tip is putting your baby down to bed before they are actually asleep. The baby will learn to soothe itself to sleep, which will help when it wakes up in the middle of the night. Unless something is wrong, the baby will usually be able to fall back asleep by itself.

Time Outs
This is obviously for older children, because toddlers won't be able to understand what is going on. I think there is a negative idea about time outs these days, when in reality it is just a chance for the child to spend some time alone, think about their actions, regain composure and calm down. I think of it like a time out in sports, and I think a lot of children can benefit from this concept.

Routine
I myself love routine, so maybe it is a bit easier for me to preach this one. From my experience, children need routine. They will be happier and more successful if they know what to expect throughout the day. It's better to eat snacks and lunch and have naps at the same time, and will make your life easier too! I live for nap times right now, because it gives me a chance to mentally zone out/ get things done around the house.

Manners
The little boy I nanny is just starting to say a few select words, but since I started I have always used please and thank you with him. If another kid at playgroup hands him their toy to share, I sort of speak for him and say "Thank you!" He hears it all the time, he knows more or less the appropriate time to use each, and when he can, hopefully he will say them. It's important to be consistent with using them and reminding children to use them.

Set Limits
I remember growing up with people who had parents that would try to be their friend rather than their parent. They would gossip with them, drink with them etc. It's like these parents were afraid that if they disciplined their child, their child would resent them to the point of no return. I think it's extremely important to be your child's parent and set limits for them. Make sure your child knows that you will always be there to help, but that it is important that they show you respect. You are the boss and there is nothing wrong with that!

Baby Sign Language
By teaching your baby sign language, you are giving them the ability to communicate with you before they can talk. I taught the little boy I nanny "all done" and "more", and they were great at meal times. These kids won't be as frustrated, because they are able to communicate with adults about what they need. I also loved how many parents know the signs, and can understand what your baby needs.

That's all for today!
If you have any comments or suggestions of your own, please leave them below, I would love to hear!