Tag: Leander

Summer Schedule

Published on by clairebooherLeave a comment

Summer vacation is upon us!  It can feel like ages until the next school year starts, especially when it comes to taking care of little ones.  One of the best ways to get through the summer is to have a set routine.  Kids thrive on routine! Giving your kids a routine will help them, and you, have a smooth summer. 

Morning Routine

Wake Up: Have a consistent wake-up time for your kids.  They certainly don’t need to be woken up as early as they do for school, but having the same wakeup time can help your little ones body maintain a predictable schedule. Keep your regular routine of getting dressed, brushing their teeth, etc… Summer is the perfect time to help your kids learn to do things independently. Without the rush of school, kids can have time to learn to pick out their own clothes, dress themselves, or make their bed in the morning.

Breakfast: Let the kids help make breakfast!  Even children as young as 18 months can learn to help in the kitchen.  Teach your little ones how to cut simple things like fruit.  Teach them how to crack eggs and pour milk or juice!  Let breakfast be a fun activity to start the day. HERE are some great products for your kids in the kitchen.

Morning Activity: Texas weather is unpredictable, except in the summer.  We can always count on one thing: HEAT.  Morning time in Texas is the best time to plan an outdoor activity.  This is the time of day to get your kids outside to play, take them to a local park or splash pad!

Afternoon Routine

Lunch: Help your kid learn to make their own lunches!  For those kiddos who take their lunch to school, use this summer to teach them how to pack their own lunch.  Focus on identifying fruits, vegetables and protein your child can easily prepare on their own. Working on independence over the summer can help during the school year.

Nap/Quiet Time: While many of our kiddos might have outgrown their naps, having a designated part of the day to wind down is always a good idea.  Take that time after lunch for your little kids to nap, and for the big kids to independently play.  Encourage them to read books from their reading list or play something on their own.  Boredom is a great thing for kids.  Give your kids time to think of something on their own while you get a break.

Afternoon Activity:  With the Texas heat, outdoors in the afternoon is good for swimming, and not much else.  If your kids would like to play outdoors, be sure to check the air quality report for that day, make sure they have sunscreen, and are well hydrated! This is a great time of day to plan playdates, go to indoor play areas, or work on a project together.

Evening Routine

Dinner: It can be hard for to sit down together and enjoy dinner as a family. In the summer, as our schedules naturally slow down, it is a great time to have family meals. Encourage your kids to get involved in the clean-up process! If they can reach the sink, they can wash a plate!

After dinner activity:  As it is summer, there is so much fun to be had together as a family!  After dinner as the sun is setting, it is another great time to go outside.  Throw the ball around, go on a walk, or stay in the house and have a summer movie marathon!

Bed-time Routine:  While bedtimes might get more lax in the summer time, it is always good to still have a routine and a designated bed time.  Stick to your normal bath-time and bed-time rituals.  Summer is fun but between the heat and activities, getting rest is super important for your little ones.

Work on Milestones! 

Summer is a great time for working on milestones for your little ones.  Work on potty training, getting rid of the pacifier, moving to a big kid bed, or tying their shoes.  For the older children work on learning to ride a bike, to swim, play chess, or building a bird house!

We all loved those summers filled with fun and freedom.  But having a plan will help ease those endless summer days.

Why You Can’t Find a Nanny

Published on by clairebooherLeave a comment

Finding the right nanny for your family can be an overwhelming process. You may receive messages from candidates who suddenly stop responding with no discernable reason. Or, you receive zero responses and can’t figure out why no one is interested.

Here are some common mistakes many families make that can sometime limit the amount of nannies interested in working with them.

A Bad Schedule

The standard 9-5 jobs generally have no issues being filled. Many nannies are desperately looking for consistent full time schedules. However, it can be much more difficult to fill a part-time nanny position. Many families work from home these days and prefer schedules like Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. While that looks good on paper, it is a very inconvenient schedule for most nannies.

If nannies are looking for part-time work, it is typically because they have a second job or they are in school. It would be very rare to find a family just looking for a Monday/Friday nanny. If nannies are in school, taking three days out of the middle of the week when they may have classes is incredibly inconvenient.

If you are looking for a part-time nanny, it is best to consider having an alternating schedule. Have a nanny come Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so they can supplement with a Tuesday/Thursday job. Or have a nanny who comes in the mornings, so they can have their afternoons free for classes.

Not Enough Hours

At Wilco Nannies, we require part-time positions to start at 15 hours a week. One of the reasons we do that is because of how difficult it can be to find a nanny interested in less than 15 hours. Many families only see themselves needing a nanny for a single day of the week. For example, maybe they have a consistent meeting on Fridays and simply need a nanny for that time. With few exceptions, nannies are looking for a job as a form of income. So keep in mind, that it will be very difficult for a nanny to pay any bills on less than 15 hours a week. If you are finding you only need care for less than 15 hours, consider looking for a drop-in daycare instead.

Not Enough Pay, or Paying Weekly Rates

Inflation has hit nannies and babysitters too. If you have good hours but still aren’t receiving a lot of interest, consider raising the pay. Another option is to offer nannies extra perks like gas reimbursement or a year-end bonus.

Many family prefer to pay a weekly salary. Unfortunately, that is a giant red flag for a lot of nannies. Some families who pay salary instead of hourly use it as a reason to over work their nannies without fair compensation. Nannies can get stuck working 60 hours a week or spending their working hours cleaning, for little pay.

Also note that, generally, household employees in the state of Texas must be paid an hourly wage.

Wanting to Start Short Term and Then Extend

It can be nerve wracking as a first time parent allowing a stranger in your home to watch your child. Many parents think a simple solution is to post a job asking for a nanny for a few weeks or months. Then if that time period goes well, they want to extend the job for a year. The problem with this idea is that if you post a job for only a few weeks or months, many nannies will pass it because they are looking for long term employment.

It is a much better idea to post how long you intend to have the nanny in your service. Then schedule a trial week with a nanny to make sure it is a good fit. It does not take a few months to know if your nanny will work within your family. If it is a good fit, you will know immediately!

Too Little or Too Much Job Detail

When posting your job, it is important to post just the right amount of information to get the right people interested. The most important things to post are your general location (zip code or neighborhood), how many children, ages of the children, hours, and pay. Forgetting any of these items could cause nannies to express interest and then stop responding when they realize it isn’t enough pay or is too far of a commute.

Many families like to post as many details as possible. Unfortunately, to many nannies, this can be a red flag of a micro-managing family. Keep specifics for during the interview process. Those details are all important and appreciated by your nanny. But in a job post, keep it simple and include the most important details.

Looking for a nanny can be very overwhelming and time-consuming. Here at Wilco Nannies we want to take all the stress and pressure off of your shoulders. Let us weed through the candidates and find the best nannies for your family!

What Should be in Your Nanny Bag

Published on by clairebooherLeave a comment

When Mary Poppins placed her carpet bag on the table and pulled out a lamp, we knew she came prepared! While the average nanny and babysitter don’t need to pack an entire room in their bags, here are some great items to bring on your next job.

Things for you!

Your nanny bag should always have items you might need while you are in someone else’s house. Packing and extra set of clothes can be a lifesaver. We know kids are the best at getting messy! Many of us childcare workers have come to home to realize we have Cheerios in our shirt, or stickers on our pants. You never know when food, paint, glitter, water, or bodily fluids might get on your clothes and make for an uncomfortable drive home.

There are some items that are always good to have on hand when you are spending your day or evening at someone else’s house. Bring your phone charger so you will always be able to stay in touch with the family and call someone in case of an emergency. If you have any emergency medicines, such as an EpiPen, be sure to pack them. Do you wear contacts? Pack some extra contact solution or your backup pair of glasses.

For those of us working late nights or babysitting on Friday evenings, there can be a lot of down time. Consider packing some quiet activities to do while the children are asleep. While watching the TV is always the easiest option, we’ve all been in situations where we don’t know how to work someone else’s TV. And no one wants to be the person that breaks it! Bring a book, your own tablet, something to knit, or anything else you can sit and do quietly until the parents get home.

Things for the kids!

If you are a crafty nanny, have some ready to go crafts in your bag. Simple projects are always the best. Pack some string and beads to make necklaces. Try some stickers, paper, and crayons to make fun pictures. Try these print outs on how to make paper boats and airplanes! 

Sometimes a single item can lead to a night filled with fun. Bring a flashlight and do all kinds of activities! Make shadow puppets or trace shadows on paper. Grab some bubbles from the grocery store! Or make some homemade bubbles with the kids. 

If you are a baking nanny, bring some ingredients for simple recipes to make. Did you know you can make slime with just glue and baking soda? Or fill some sandwich baggies with ingredients for mug recipes! These are easy and quick for kids to make.

Not much of a crafter or baker, bring your favorite board game or childhood book. Kids love to see other things people are interested in. Pulling out an old game or book they may have never seen before can be very exciting! Be sure that all items are age appropriate.

What not to bring!

As excited as we can get to show our kiddos fun things to do, there are some items that are always good to keep at home.

Never bring anything sharp, such as scissors, or anything that could potentially stain, such as nail polish. If you are with children under four years old, stay away from items with tiny pieces that they could swallow.

Always check with the family to make sure there aren’t any items the children might be allergic to, or that are against house rules.

Never bring headphones to a job. It seems logical to put in headphones while the children are sleeping so you don’t wake them up. But it is always safer to be able to hear everything going on in the house in case of emergency.

A “Bad Weather” Plan

Published on by clairebooherLeave a comment

While Texas weather is like spinning the prize wheel at a carnival, we typically don’t have the type of weather that causes cancellations.  However, since most of us are survivors of Snow-mageddon in 2021 and Tree-pocalypse of 2023, planning for potential bad weather has become a necessity.

While bad weather can stop families and nannies from going to work, it doesn’t stop bills from being owed.  It is important to discuss with your nanny a policy for days with snow, floods, or power outages.  Whatever you and your nanny decide, always get it written down in a contract.

Define “bad weather” with your nanny.

Sometimes small ice storms can wreak havoc on our Texas roads.  And sometimes a huge storm early in the morning is gone by the afternoon.  When defining what you consider bad weather to your nanny, the roads should be the primary concern.  If emergency services are asking people to stay off the main roads, your nanny should not be required to drive to work. 

A good rule of thumb is to check with your local school district about cancellations.  If your local school has cancelled classes for the day, your nanny may not be able to come to work safely.

Consider your nannies location and your location.

Very rarely do nannies live in the same neighborhood as their nanny families.  While your neighborhood may be dry as a bone, your nanny’s neighborhood may have been hit hard by a storm.  It should be noted in the nanny’s contract that if the schools in her area are closed, she may not be required to come into work.  If you have to have your nanny come in, consider they might have their own children who’s school has been cancelled.  Be sure to establish your rules on the nanny bringing their own child to work for these days.

Consider your own job expectations.

Many of us are lucky enough to work from home and are not expected to drive in bad weather.  But if you are a person working as a doctor, nurse, police officer, etc you will most likely be required to come into work.  Make sure that is expressed to your nanny upon hiring, as well as in writing.  If a nanny understands they are expected to come in, no matter what the weather, they can plan accordingly.

Letting the nanny spend the night.

Families know their job expectations better than anyone.  If you have very important meetings, or have a job that requires you to come into the office, seeing if the nanny is willing to spend the night can be the perfect solution.  It is very important to have good rules and expectations set for when a nanny spends the night.  Do you have an appropriate place for them to sleep like a guest bedroom or an office?  Will they have access to their own bathroom?  Should they bring their own food?  Also always consider if the nanny has their own family or pets who need their attention.

Is it guaranteed minimum hours or paid time off?

Guaranteed minimum hours refers to the minimum number of hours a nanny is paid during a given week.  These hours should be paid even if the family asks the nanny not to come in to work for any reason, such as the nanny family is going on vacation.  Paid time off refers to days the nanny asks to take off.  With these parameters in mind, bad weather days should always be included under guaranteed minimum hours.  Nannies are not asking for these bad weather days off.  They are being forced to have them off due to outside circumstances.

Above all, the safety of everyone should be at the forefront.  If you wouldn’t put yourself in any kind of danger, you should never expect your nanny to put themselves in danger.