Ready to pack up the bags, get the kids ready, and head on a trip for the holidays? If so, think about bringing your nanny along. Whether it’s a holiday trip or a family vacation, bring your nanny with you to help! Traveling with your nanny can be a great experience for everyone involved: the nanny can help with the children and allow for a date night too!

However, to ensure that both you and the nanny are still cheerful by the end of the tip, don’t forget some key things to discuss with your nanny. It’s best to be clear on the expectations and all the arrangement before the trip begins!

Steps to travel successfully with your nanny:

Communicate Beforehand-

Before the trip begins, outline the nanny’s responsibilities and schedule during the trip. Make sure your nanny knows when you need them to watch the children full time or when they may be going along with you and just be a helper. Also, if you decide on the trip that you want your nanny to take on extra hours, be sure to compensate fairly and communicate that to them. Always let them know their schedule for the hours you need them to work while on the trip. Make sure your nanny understands and is on the same page yet feels appreciated and compensated fairly.

Discuss Compensation-

This may seem like an obvious thing to discuss but you need to make sure they are aware of what they are getting paid even while traveling. Talk about whether your nanny will be receiving their regular pay or if the time that they will be working exceeds their normal hours and they will be compensated for that. Also, decide when you will pay your nanny whether that is the entire amount at the end of the trip or in with the rest of their normal pay schedule.

Accommodations-

If you are traveling with your nanny, you have to decide if they will have their own room and bathroom (which I highly suggest) or share with the children. You have to make sure your nanny feels comfortable with the sleeping arrangements regardless of how close they are to your family or how long they have been your nanny.

Expenses-

Also, you would need to cover the cost of their airfare, hotel costs, and meals. Consider all of these travel expenses when deciding if you are bringing your nanny along. Of course, communicate what you are comfortable with spending even to your nanny when it comes to meals like eating out, etc. The biggest thing is to communicate all of this with your nanny so everything is clear right up front.

Taking your nanny on your upcoming holiday trip whether that’s to family gatherings or a fun trip can be super helpful and enjoyable as long as you make sure these key steps are taken care of. The best part is you already know your nanny and your children are comfortable with your nanny so bringing them along with you on vacation is a huge benefit. As long as you follow these key steps, everyone will come back happily ever after!

One last thing, if you are looking to hire a nanny to come and help your family and even go on trips like mentioned, check out our Families section here. At �����鶹, we are one of Arizona’s most trusted nanny agencies and can help you find the perfect addition to your family.

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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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Do you have some toilet paper rolls lying around? Paint them, add some googly eyes, and glue some paper on them to create a little mummy. Let the kids imaginations run wild, and create any spooky character they can come up with.

Want to create a memento of little hands enjoying the holiday? Grab a box, piece of paper, white and black paint, a golf ball and some googly eyes. Put the paper, the golf ball, and some white paint on the paper, close the box lid, and let the littles shake some energy out while shaking the box. Take out your paper to see a unique web pattern. Then make a handprint spider. Perfect for remembering tiny hands.

How about a pumpkin stamp? All you need is a piece of paper, an apple cut in half, orange paint, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. And you have the perfect fine motor activity for little hands.

Crafting will turn anyone into a hangry monster. So how about some creepy themed snacks?

Jack o lantern fruit cups, made from oranges are a perfect snack for little hands.

Peanut Butter spider cookies are simple to make and are sure to make your little one squeal. From delight, we hope.

And last, but not least, Witch hat cupcakes. So simple to put together with any cupcake recipe, and ice cream cones.

And there you have. The perfect spine chilling, hair raising treats and activities for the whole family.

• Halloween toilet paper roll crafts- for full instructions go .
• Handprint spider- for full instructions go .
• Pumpkin stamp- for full instructions go .
• Jack o lantern fruit cups- for full recipe go .
• Peanut butter spider cookies- for full recipe go .
• Witch hat cupcakes- for full recipe go .

Also, if you are still looking for a fun fall activities in Arizona to check out with your kids or the kids you nanny check out this blog.

Which spooky craft and creepy treat are you going to make?

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Find a Nanny Placement Agency

• You need to find an agency that has a good reputation, not only with their families but among their nannies as well.  Look at how long the agency has been in business. I’d recommend going for an agency that has been in business for a while (obviously) as there are lots of agencies that come and go.

• Look at what niche or specialty the agency is involved in. Some focus on career nannies (like us) and do more long term, full time nannying and house management. Some agencies specialize in temp or part-time jobs and have a younger base of nannies.   

• Read all the reviews. Check and see if there are reviews from nannies who have been placed with them.

• Call them and ask what the placement process is like and exactly what the fees are upfront.  

• Ask them what the hiring process is like and what their replacement guarantee is.  

• Ask about the background checks.  What they include, what is required or nannies to be represented by the agency. What would disqualify a nanny from being represented? 

• Ask them if they are involved in the community and offer classes or trainings for their nannies to maintain their skill level and keep things up to date.

Know Your Expectations for the Nanny

There are some things that parents have to ask themselves before even beginning the placement of a nanny in order to find the nanny that fits their style the best.

For example these are questions that I tend to ask parents during a consultation:

• Is mom or dad a work from home parent?

• Are they hands on or do they want nanny to come in and run things? Or do they want a partner and to work with her on a plan? (And will they follow up and back up said plan when nanny isn’t there.)

• Do they want pictures and check ins through the day or do they want to go to work and focus on that and get a full report at the end of the day?

So often people think hiring a nanny is all about the nanny, but it’s almost always all about the parents. These nannies are professionals and been in so many homes, with so many parenting styles. They can adapt and perform their job. It’s really those details about the parenting style and dynamic in the home that are more important to figure out as early and clearly as possible.

Screen the Nannies

Find an agency that does this for you and makes your life easier! �����鶹 takes care of the reference checks and background checks for you.

Interview Your Candidates

After you have found the right agency, had a consultation, answered the hard questions on your expectations of the nanny and the nannies have been screened and qualified, you are ready to interview!

You definitely want to to ask the right questions to get a better idea of the candidates’ personalities, experiences, work-styles, communication styles, etc.

At �����鶹, we provide interview questions, an interview guide, helpful tips, and any follow-up or prepping that needs to be done before and after the interviews. This is all included so you are prepped and ready to interview!

Trial Run

Have a trial run for your top candidates. I’d say at least for your top two candidates. Schedule a paid, in-home trial with the candidates where you show and explain everything on the first day and the second day they put everything into practice. You’ll be able to see which nanny can perform all the requirements and if they are good fit for your children and family.

Offer the Position to your Top Candidate

How exciting! You’ve made it through all the steps (however with the right nanny agency it should be smoother and easier) and now it’s time to hire the right candidate!

I hope this has been a help on how to find the perfect nanny for your family and it makes more sense now. These steps are all so important for the process to go smoothly and efficiently.

Do you still need some more information? Check out our Families section here. We have a six-step process here at �����鶹 that makes it super easy for you to follow and find the perfect nanny. For more information and to start your family application now, head over to our Families section here. If you still have some questions and are looking to speak to us then go over to the Contact Us section of our website and fill out a quick form and we will be back with you as soon as possible.

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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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Here are my favorite 5 fall time goodies to make with kids this time of year:

• Harvest Trail Mix

This trail mix is full of various fall themed goodies yet super easy to make. The kids will love throwing gin all the ingredients, shaking, and I’m sure munching on!

For the full ingredient list and details go here to the .

*Also, what’s so neat too about this trail mix is you can mix it up however you’d like….let’s say you have kids that do not like a particular ingredient or allergic, then pick something else or omit!

• Mini Pumpkin Quesadillas

Need something more savory and not as sweet? Then this fun fall themed snack or meal will surely have your kids smiling yet enjoying a yummy quesadilla.

For the full ingredient list and details go here to

*Here’s another tip– you could make it a meal and use bigger tortillas by throwing in some veggies, fruit, and you could even add in some beef or chicken with the quesadilla. I’d put it under the cheese so it still looks orange like a pumpkin. Oh, and you can serve with some salsa, guacamole, and sour cream too! How fun and yummy!

• Fall Leaf Sugar Gummies

These are super cool and any kid would love to have some of these! Very fall-themed as you cut these dummies out with a fall leaf silicone mold.

For the full ingredient list and details head over to .

*Just keep in mind these have to sit out overnight before you can consume so make sure you and the kids are aware! You could even color them different colors besides orange as pictured to have a variety of leaves! How fun!

• Pumpkin Patch Pudding

These are one of the cutest, fall-themed treats I’ve seen yet! How darling are these or what? And super scrumptious too! Kids will love helping with making these pumpkin patch puddings!

For the full ingredient list and details head over to .

*These are like the traditional dirt cups with worms but without the worms and having pumpkins instead! These would also make a great classroom snack to take to any fall party!

• Candy Corn Popsicles

How darling yet yummy do these look? These are perfect too for a toddler that may be teething too! These are also a healthier fall-themed treat compared to some as you only use pineapple juice, orange juice, and yogurt. You’ll also need to make sure you have these popsicles makers from Zoku which can be found on . These popsicle makers look super awesome and you can make popsicles in as little as 7 minutes on your countertop, wow!

For the full ingredient list and details head over to .

*You don’t have to wait forever if you use the Zoku popsicle maker which is a plus. They are a little costly but so worth it since you can have your popsicles ready to go in under 7 minutes and your kids don’t have to wait hours. You can also use the popsicle maker over and over again to make a variety of popsicles.

We hope you enjoy making one or all of these fall themed goodies with the kids or the kids you nanny for. It’s a fun (and delicious) way to get the kids in the kitchen learning and spendign tiem with you!

Also, if you are looking for fall-themed crafts and activities, don’t forget to check out the rest of our blogs here. If you are also looking to hire a nanny, household manager, or newborn care specialist, check out our Family Application area with more information as I’d love to help you!

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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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