Give yourself the same care and attention that you give to others and watch yourself bloom.

Did you give too much this holiday season? And I am not talking about actual gifts. But did you give too much of yourself?

It happens. 

The holidays keep us on our toes, and we are so busy doing all the things, for all the people, except ourselves. But now it’s back to our regularly scheduled programing and we are left feeling a bit blah.

But the New Year is the perfect time to get back on track, and to start a new routine. A self-care routine, that will put life back into your days. It’s okay to take care of yourself. This can be done in many different ways.

Today I am going to share 20 Self-Care Ideas for 2020 to help you take better care of yourself, that anyone can incorporate into their daily routine. 

1. Go for a walk
2. Meditate
3. Connect with friends
4. Practice deep breathing
5. Call a friend or family member
6. Journal
7. Cook your favorite food
8. Sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea
9. Take a social media break
10. Take a nap
11. Go to a park and people watch
12. Create a positive mantra for yourself
13. Drink lots of water- water has so many benefits. I even found an interesting article that explains
14. Plan your upcoming week in a planner- grab a new planner for the new year and get busy organizing your life in your planner which will make you less stressed and more productive. I love this planner found .
15. Get creative; draw, paint, etc.
16. Challenge yourself to try something new
17. Do one thing you have been procrastinating
18. Declutter a closet or drawer
19. Write down one or a few short term and long term goals
20. Break your big goals into little ones. Tackle one at a time

I believe that self-care, begins in our mind. So let’s start this new year out with a positive attitude, and carve out time to care for our needs.

Also, if you are an Arizona mama that needs some time for your self and could benefit from a nanny whether that is part-time or full-time, check out our Families Section to learn more! We’d love to help you get some time to take care of yourself while a highly-qualified nanny helps you with the children!

I can’t wait to hear which of the 20 Self-Care Ideas for 2020 to help you take better care of yourself you will start implementing! Share with me below in the comments.

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1. Find another family wanting to share a nanny with you. Listen out & ask around if you hear of any other family that is interested in a nanny. Find another family that you feel would be a good match with and share a nanny with.  Children who are the same age or similar ages will make this easier.  Location is also important, you need to be within a reasonable distance of one another so the commute for the nanny doesn’t change too drastically.
2. Figure out a budget. Decide on an hourly rate that you can afford to pay the nanny together. Make sure you are both on the same page. For nanny share pay, you would want to take the average amount a nanny is being paid in your area and then each family pays 2/3 of that pay. Ex. the average nanny salary is $20/hr- each family pays $13.33 which then equals $26 per hour for the nanny.
3. Figure out the schedule. Consider if the nanny will be at one family’s house 100% of the time or more like 50% of the time. Come up with a schedule that best suits both families and also makes sense for the nanny
4. Interview and hire candidates. This is a great time to turn over all of this to �����鶹 as we can help you with finding the perfect candidates and take care of the screening and background check. A nanny agency can definitely help prepare you to interview the candidates as well as all of the other important things such as background checks and all of the extra paperwork to set you up for a successful placement!
5. Offer the nanny contracts and get a start date scheduled! Here at all about nannies, each family involved in the nanny share will receive a contract and be charged a placement fee. The nanny will be in contract with each individual family too.  It is a placement with each family.  Each family will have a contract with the nanny with additional documentation for the nanny share.

1. Kids get to have play buddies every day. They are able to socialize with other kids and work on socialization skills all while being in their own home with a nanny share.
2. Save money! You are not paying for the nanny alone. You split it with another family!
3. You get a higher caliber nanny for your family at a lower rate!
4. The children are still being closely supervised and receiving one-on-one attention even if there are more than 1 child.
5. Meet some incredible friends. If you are in a nanny share with another family, you will get to know one another much better and create special bonds between yourself and the children.

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“Here comes baby! Are you ready? Did you get everything that you needed on your registry or are you overwhelmed with all the products your friends and family are sharing with you? Not to worry, as a nanny I have seen and used so many of these products and I want to share with you my top 5 products I can’t live without!

– let me tell you I have used tons of wipes and these have to be by far my favorite. They are thick enough so you can get everything in one wipe without getting it everywhere.

– this is truly one of a kind sound machine and light. You use this as a white noise machine for those new babies all the way up to your toddlers who need the light at night time.

– this bath is a lifesaver! It is a soft mesh that can rinse easily and supports your baby in the safest position possible.

this simple, easy swaddle can be used by anyone! No more fighting to get your baby’s arms in the right position either. Just wrap your baby and go!

– We all do not like that feeling of putting diaper cream on our baby’ bums then having to get the diaper on before the mess gets everywhere! The BabyBum Brush saves you from the mess and the feeling of diaper cream everywhere!

I hope that you enjoy these products as much as I do. They really make a difference in my life as a working, professional nanny and I share them with all the families I work with. Give them a try and you will fall in love with them too!”

We also showcased my favorite baby products as a previous nanny, newborn care specialist, household manager, and now the owner of �����鶹 on this blog found here.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the baby product decisions? We know it can be a lot so we offer a Custom Baby Registry Design. It includes a 1-hour in-home or virtual consultation, curated baby registry tailored to fit your lifestyle and needs, and an organized list for thank you cards. Contact us today to purchase this service and get started!

Recent testimonial: “As my husband and I prepared for the arrival of our first child, Kayla helped us navigate all things baby related including helping me with my registry. As a first time mom, I didn’t know what products were better than others and which were necessary. Her expertise was so valuable and her experience with different products helped me figure out what would work best for me and my family.” -Jackie

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These are my tried and true favorite items I will choose over and over again for any registry!  With different households, budgets, and parent’s needs, they are the items that stand out. All of these items are functional, high quality, and useful that I will always recommend to people!  I’ve seen first hand through years of experience as a nanny, newborn care specialist, and household manager, that these items are the best of the best!

Stroller

Nuna Mixx 2: Located at . This is my favorite stroller of life.  It’s a perfect size, great price and always stylish.  Mesh back for breathability, one-handed fold and incredibly good looking. Cost: $599.95

Mockingbird: Located at .  This is a GREAT new addition to the stroller world.  A direct to customer brand disrupting big box stores all over the place and providing a luxury stroller at an incredible value.  It looks suspiciously similar to our next classic registry item.  Cost: $350

Uppababy Vista: Located at .  The Mockingbird’s “cousin” …The Uppababy vista has been the standard of luxury strollers for years.  A major benefit to this one is that it comes complete with a bassinet and attachments you need.  All in one, right from the time you purchase it. Cost: $899.99-$959.99

Maxi Cosi Zelia: Located at . A great budget option for those wanting something a bit more affordable, yet still stylish and sleek. Cost: $399

Car Seat:

Nuna Pipa- Located at . This is my favorite car seat of life.  To go with my favorite stroller of life J It is also consistently rated the absolute safest of the safe with its innovative leg brace suspension giving it extra support in the event of an accident, all while being lightweight!  Bonus:  This one features a genius secret “dream drape” which serves as a blackout canopy for the coziest place for your baby to rest while out and about. Cost: $299.95

Britax B Safe– Located at – The standard for mid-range car seats, all the bells, and whistles needed, incredible safety and security and simple and stylish. Cost: $199.99

Bassinet:

Chicco Lullago– Located at – Simple, stylish, and portable!  What more can you ask for? Cost: $119.99

Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Bassinet– Located at . A great alternative to expensive automatic soothing bassinets to be near your bedside those first few weeks and months. Cost: $119.99

Lifestyle:

SwaddleUp– Located at . The best happy medium with a baby who needs to be swaddled but still likes their arms out or free! Cost: $29.95

Hatch Baby Rest Night Light– Located at . An absolute must on any registry.  Nightlight, projector, AND white noise machine all in one. Can control from your cell phone and tablets. Cost: $59.99

Activity:

The Play Gym by Lovevery– Located at . An incredibly interactive play mat for the first year or more of baby’s little life!  Endless activities all designed to engage their senses and help them explore, all while being modern, simple and colorful. 

Busy Baby Activity Chair– Located at . This chair is amazing. It has plenty of activities to keep you little one busy, including a mirror, rattle, squeaky toy and more. It’s all made from soft but sturdy foam too! Such an amazing product! Cost: $139

Malarkey Kids Munch Mitt– located at . A game-changer for those tricky months when teething is bad. Put one of these on one or both hands and let baby go to town chewing!  Cost: $9.99

Miscellaneous:

Skip Hop Explore and More 3 Stage Activity Center– located at . A great baby activity center that supports the baby’s whole body. It has a 360-degree rotating seat that turns and stretches for the baby to move around. This also converts to a table as baby grows. Cost: $130

Lobana Peri-Garde– Located at . Nanny secret right here!  This is THE BEST thing you can use for diaper rash!  Stop wasting money on anything else.  Cost: $12.95

Snuggle Me Organic– located at . A great place for baby to rest and be cozy like they are in the womb.  This thing will bring on some serious naps!  A great way to have baby with you wherever you are in the home in those first few months. Cost: $99

Feeding: 

Spectra S1– located at . Finally, a hospital-grade pump available without renting from the hospital!  The most effective pump on the market. Cost: $199.99

LaVie Lactation Massager– located at . A must-have for new breastfeeding moms! The warmth and vibration from this massager help with any clogged ducts, lactation aches, and pains and a great way to help prevent mastitis.  Cost: $39.95

I hope you love reviewing all these wonderful products as much as I do. They all work wonders with a new baby! Also, stay tuned as we reveal something pretty exciting on Friday, October 4th that will help any new mom out!

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Have you ever heard of a Newborn Care Specialist? It’s something that not everyone is sure about or what they may do, but it’s super handy for any new parent!

What is it?  

A newborn care specialist is a career nanny who has additional training and certification in the areas of sleep training, lactation consultation, milestones, developmental stages and all things newborn!  This is the busiest, most important stage of your baby’s life!  Their job is to nurture and support your baby while providing guidance and education for new parents.  Having someone on your side to partner with you who understands all the curveballs this stage throws at you can be absolutely invaluable. 

What type of tasks do they perform?

• Maintain feeding and sleeping logs
• Assist the family with any feeding issues they have and help with the facilitation of breastfeeding if needed
• Soothes babies using skills and techniques that help call newborns
• Provide care for the newborn and other tasks such as diapering, changing, bathing, bottle prep, bottle cleaning, establishing sleep habits, and so much more
• Complete care of the newborn at night to provide parents time to sleep
• Provide parent’s guidance and education

For a more detailed look and description of tasks that a newborn care specialist does, click .

How long do I need a newborn care specialist?  

Many families opt to hire one before baby is born to help with the final 2 weeks of pregnancy and for an additional 3-12 weeks post birth.  A NCS will generally work overnights and help with the baby overnight to give mom and dad some rest as well as set up as much of a schedule and routine as possible.  

How much does a newborn care specialist cost?  

Depending on the number of children and duties tasked, a typical hourly wage is anywhere from 25-$50 per hour.  They will typically work 8-10 hour overnight shifts 4-7 days a week.

What are the differences in a NCS and a baby nurse?  

The difference is that a baby nurse has a tradition RN degree and can help with newborns who have medical concerns that are beyond the reach of a traditional NCS training program.  Many of these concerns pose life-threatening risks to the newborn and require careful, safe and knowledgeable environments.  The typical salary for a baby nurse is $35-60 per hour.  

Testimonials at �����鶹:

“Elizabeth came to our home at night and was exactly what I needed to be a caring, present, effective new mother during the day. I honestly don’t know what we would have done the first two months without her.”

“Stephanie was the most professional, personable and pleasant.  I would not think twice about hiring her again. She made first-time parenthood a little less daunting for us!  We are very grateful for her help in those first two formative weeks!”

“Jen is a baby whisperer! She always knew how to soothe our son and had an amazing ability to figure out what was causing him distress. After 4 horrible in a row on our own, we brought in the professional and she suggested how to remedy the situation. Once fixed, we had a Happy, sleeping baby! I’m calling her the moment I know I am next pregnant!” 

Pretty neat, right? You can receive so much needed help with your newborn and have a smooth transition into motherhood with a newborn care specialist.

So instead of worrying yourself about what all you need to do with you newborn and how to handle certain situations, hire a newborn care specialist. �����鶹 can help you with finding the perfect newborn care specialist too! If interested, please go to our Family Application here.

Resources: NCSA-Newborn Care Specialist Association for Certification

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