What are the Benefits of a Nanny?
One of the deepest and most satisfying things a human can do is to care for children. Child care is physically taxing yet emotionally fulfilling and no one can relate better in this more than mothers. When women start to have children, they are never the same. Suddenly their lives, dreams, and career advancement are at a halt. This transition is especially hard for women who love their jobs and would like to pursue a career after giving birth. Some women are left with no choice but to stay at home and care for their children. This is why hiring a nanny is such a wonderful solution to the childcare dilemma for many families. It may seem a pricier choice at first but there are too many benefits you can’t ignore and here are some of the reasons:
Consistent Care
During the formative years of children, their brain development is very rapid and vulnerable to environmental influence. Positive and negative influences are both absorbed by children’s young minds and can have a lifelong impact on them. According to studies, how well children function during their adulthood can be traced back from the experiences they had during the first few years of their lives. Children raised by attentive and loving adults in a safe, stable, and predictable environment tend to do better in school and in other crucial areas of life.
Having a nanny who provides consistent care creates a stress-free environment where children thrive. Children develop trust toward their caregiver when they consistently have interaction with their caregiver. Furthermore, each child gets a regular, consistent, one-on-one attention. Having a consistent care from a nanny is beneficial especially if your child has any kind of chronic condition or special needs since typically a nanny stays in one family for years.
Parents will also not have to be guilty of leaving their children to go to work or have date nights because someone is there for them to provide consistent child care they need. Hiring a nanny is almost as if parents get their freedom back while ensuring their children are well taken care of by a nanny equipped with years of childcare experience.
Lastly, a nanny will get to know you and will know the type of decisions you make regarding your children thus, creating less inconsistencies.
High-Quality Childcare
A nanny’s top priority is making sure that your children’s emotional, physical, social development and overall well-being are met. Although not a top requirement, many nannies are not only high-school diploma holders; some of them have graduated with an associate degree or even bachelor’s degree. A nanny’s academic education is as equally important as their knowledge and skills in childcare since they teach your children letters and numbers, and help them with homework too. Nanny agencies such as Karen’s Nanny Agency are highly-selective and ensure that a nanny they provide is equipped with these to ensure only the best and quality childcare for your kids. They also understand that each family and each child is unique therefore they ensure that the nanny they place are perfectly suited to your family’s needs.
Customized Care
Hiring a nanny will provide each of your children with a customized, personalized care since they stay with them and knows them very well. Unlike in a daycare setting where caregivers must focus on the needs of ALL children, a nanny will only have to focus on your child or children. Having a nanny would allow your children to nap on their own beds at their schedule. Nannies would also make sure that the kids eat healthy, familiar foods. Professional nannies are not only trained to care for children, they are also responsible for providing developmentally, age-appropriate, and stimulating activities tailored for your children. If you have many children, your nanny will tailor the day-to-day activities based on their energy levels, moods, and specific needs. A nanny can also help your children with their homework so you can spend time with your children when you get home from work.
Daycare does provide social interaction with other children though your nanny can also provide a better organized and planned activities or play dates with other children so they won’t miss out on social activities. Because the nanny is always there and tuned in with your children, your nanny will notice unusual behaviors such as new anxiety or sleep troubles so you will know promptly and address it if it needs attention.
Convenient Care
One of the main reasons why you should hire a nanny to help you with childcare is convenience. Since a nanny is your employee, you basically set the framework for your employment relationship. Your nanny works from home so it provides a number of comfort for you and your children. In the morning, you don't have to make and pack lunches. A full-time, live-in nanny is the best to hire since she can also help with household chores which means more time for you and your family. If you are running low on essential groceries, your nanny will also notice it immediately and she will pick up some supplies in a grocery store. Some nannies will also help you with meal preparation. You also don’t have to worry about setting strict drop off and pick up schedules, so that’s less stress for you. If you are not too inclined to go to places such as the zoo or a loud game place for kids, your nanny will take your kids for you. When your family goes on vacation, you can take your nanny with you so you can leave your kids to her while you get a massage and fully enjoy the vacation.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a realization to many how significant nanny care is. If they are living with you, it is a hundred times better since you limit their exposure to the virus therefore limiting your children’s exposure too. And children cared for by nannies get sick less often because unlike in daycare where kids are at constant risk of being exposed to illnesses carried around by other children, she can limit your children’s exposure to sick kids. If ever your kids get sick, a nanny will be able to care for them without you having to take the time off from your work.
Expert Care
Armed with years of experience, nannies know how to deal with a newborn, a toddler, and school-aged children. They make their careers out of caring for children and they are equipped with first hand experience in childcare on top of the other certification and upskill training a nanny may have gone through. Nannies experienced in handling children with special needs will be able to provide more personal attention to the child and will know best what to do and what activities to provide them. Your nanny who has worked with other families brings a lot of experience to the table; you wouldn't have to worry about potty training your little one. They already know what works and what doesn’t work.
Cost Effective Care
Some parents quickly write off the idea about hiring nanny services because of the belief that it is expensive. The fact is, when you have more than one child going to daycare or you need someone to work on non traditional hours such as night time, having a nanny is more cost effective. You will also have a built-in date night sitter without having to pay extra. Also, if you are planning to raise your children to know more than one language, you can hire a nanny who is fluent in a certain language you want your children to learn and again, no additional pay for that.
Employing a nanny also brings positive effects to parents, namely:
Parents’ Career
How can parents juggle their time to work and family? This is probably the most challenging question today’s parents face everyday. Raising another human being is a separate full-time job on its own so you can just imagine the stress level of parents when they come home from work having to deal with cleaning up bottles, cooking for children etc. Having a trusted and trained nanny to take on some of the burden of child care allows parents to excel in their careers and lessen their stress levels since they know their children are cared for. When the work day ends, parents can decompress first rather than rush to pick up their children from school or daycare. They would also not have to worry about paying late fees at a daycare or rush to find a babysitter if ever both of them are working late. Bringing in a nanny in a household allows both parents to achieve their career goals without sacrificing their kids’ well-being.
Parents’ WELL-BEING
The newborn stage is probably the most challenging period, especially for first time moms who are still trying to figure things out. With the baby’s unpredictable sleep schedule, parents lose a lot of sleep and this can be physically and psychologically taxing. Sleep deprivation in parents also equates to low work productivity and relationship quality with the child. Being well rested is essential because it affects physical and mental health as well as daily productivity and longevity. Some studies have also indicated that sleep deprivation causes psychological distress among mothers and poor health among fathers. Employing a night nanny can help you in this aspect since she will be responsible for your little one’s needs during the night to allow you to regain your energy and be well rested.
Having a nanny around will also mean more time for both parents to reconnect resulting in a positive relationship which children will benefit from. Seeing their parents happy and in a loving relationship creates a sense of security for them and will contribute to their psychological well being. Aside from that, parents will also be able to take care of their health more since they have time to go to the gym and exercise.
Happier Moms
Most first time moms feel pressured into leaving their jobs to raise smart and well-behaved children because of mom guilt. This is when a mother starts to feel like she is losing herself by putting her child first. There is just too much internal struggle a mother has when it comes to having a career and raising children. Also, mothers rarely have time for themselves because she is already busy with her kids. Gone are the days when she can have her hair done when she wants it or have a mani-pedi session with her friends. With the stress levels that comes with motherhood, mothers should bring in an extra set of hands to help her in raising kids. Moms don’t have to be robbed of the opportunity to excel in their career or lose herself and having a nanny is a smart solution for moms who would like to pursue their careers while raising children. Children will actually benefit from this because studies show that a mother’s career achievements have a greater impact on her children than the number of hours spent together. Having a career gives mothers a sense of satisfaction that is not reliant on their children’s success. They are also able to keep their mind sharp because they are able to exercise their intellect by participating in a field that interests them. On top of that, working moms have financial independence which ultimately aids in the family’s financial security.
According to Psychology Today, spending too much time with your kids may, at times, lead you to resent them. This is because you crave more time at work or more time with your husband which can lead to unrealistic expectations from your children demanding they compensate you for your sacrifices and this leads you to feeling frustrated. Mothers should understand that it’s alright to want other things aside from raising kids. It takes a village to raise a child and having a nanny is a great way to have this kind of help. Also, Children will benefit from more structured play time and the opportunity to bond with a caring adult other than their parents.
Finding a great nanny can help you raise happy and healthy kids, but the benefits go beyond that. You will find yourself experiencing better work-life balance. Happy parents make for happy kids and its positive effects ripple outward to our society.
There are too many benefits of hiring a nanny, the only left to ponder on is how to find the best nanny that will suit your family’s needs. Karen’s Nanny Agency is a trusted and reputable nanny agency that adheres to the highest industry standards of professional ethics and service, fully invested in providing high-quality child care to every family they have as clients. After all, you only want what’s best for your children.