Beatrice Brown asked:


The person in charge of your child should welcome his playmates, take him on outings and we hope, and be someone like you – affectionate, easygoing and responsive. A sitter who treats a child’s sobs with silence or who warns of bogeymen or spanking can crate serious fears in a child.

Sometimes a relative will watch your baby, which is cheap but may be fraught with friction. A member of the family often feels a right to interfere with your methods the way no sitter would dare to do.

Because a sitter’s dependability is essential for a working mother we think the person you hire should be paid a little more than the customary salary or should be given a monthly “reliability bonus” for regular attendance, which we found works well. The few extra dollars are worth it.

No matter what sitting arrangements you make when your work, your child will need some special comfort, like one of your perfumed scarves and – for the child who can talk – full, matter-of-fact information: You’re going to work like Daddy, and you’ll be home every night, just like Daddy.

Begin the sitting arrangement at least a week before you begin work, because your child will need you around for at least part of the time the first few days, whether he’ll be at home, at the sitter’s or at the day-care centre. If he’s in unfamiliar surroundings

Bring him home after lunch, since a nap in a strange place can be the last straw for a child. When you do leave him full time, he should know just what he’ll be doing all day at what point you’ll be back, and you should never, or almost never, be late. If the arrangements are good your child can adjust to them.

Beatrice Brown asked:


The person in charge of your child should welcome his playmates, take him on outings and we hope, and be someone like you – affectionate, easygoing and responsive. A sitter who treats a child’s sobs with silence or who warns of bogeymen or spanking can crate serious fears in a child.

Sometimes a relative will watch your baby, which is cheap but may be fraught with friction. A member of the family often feels a right to interfere with your methods the way no sitter would dare to do.

Because a sitter’s dependability is essential for a working mother we think the person you hire should be paid a little more than the customary salary or should be given a monthly “reliability bonus” for regular attendance, which we found works well. The few extra dollars are worth it.

No matter what sitting arrangements you make when your work, your child will need some special comfort, like one of your perfumed scarves and – for the child who can talk – full, matter-of-fact information: You’re going to work like Daddy, and you’ll be home every night, just like Daddy.

Begin the sitting arrangement at least a week before you begin work, because your child will need you around for at least part of the time the first few days, whether he’ll be at home, at the sitter’s or at the day-care centre. If he’s in unfamiliar surroundings

Bring him home after lunch, since a nap in a strange place can be the last straw for a child. When you do leave him full time, he should know just what he’ll be doing all day at what point you’ll be back, and you should never, or almost never, be late. If the arrangements are good your child can adjust to them.

David Fishman asked:


Having a baby at home is a wonderful experience. Looking after the baby and caring for it is an even more fulfilling experience. When calculating how much to feed a baby, on average a baby needs two and a half ounces of formula for each pound of his weight. A baby does not distinguish night from day. If it’s your first, your baby is going to make a big difference in your life. Of course babies cannot understand what you are saying because they don’t have a grasp of the English language but they do understand sounds and tones, and if you talk quietly and make happy noises the baby know this.

If both parents are working and you need to balance the care of your child between day care centers there are many things you can do to accomplish this, even if you are single parent many day care centers will work with you to help out. If both parents work a day job maybe you can arrange to have one of the parents working either at night or a staggered shift, say starting at noon and working to 8 or 9. And usually the best time to do this is in the summer when both parents might be off work.

As you look at the child care alternatives of day care center, day care at someone else’s home, or a dedicated child care worker in your home, there are two other factors you should take into consideration: it may be best to consider only state licensed day care providers; and your friend or co-worker’s considered choice might not be the best one for your family.

In a childcare center you will need at least one certified trained person that should oversee everything, this is very important if something should happen during operational hours. How can a parent be sure they have made the right decision? A parent wants the best possible care for their child. Today child care centers are very expensive, sometimes parents wonder if it is cost effective for both parents to work, because it is so expensive many think that the day care centers are money magnets.

The most important parts of providing daycare for your child and that’s your child’s nutritional needs. Certainly the daycare center is not going to let the child starve and the food the child is given to eat will certainly be good food. Trying to find good quality daycare is very hard.

When the child care deductions came about many parents were very happy about this because it put more money in their pockets. Many laws have changed since 2001, this was around when all the tax cuts were happening and in fact increased the tax deductions for the number for children. Children who are under the age 12 the parents are eligible to receive a tax break for them and this is a life saver for many. If you didn’t know about this tax advantage there are many accountants or professional tax planners that can help with this, and show you how you can claim this deduction on your taxes.

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Cares and worries, abandon them for 6 – 12 blissful hours each day. Why? Because daycares have now been established in easily accessible locations. You will find these daycare centers in almost every state and neighborhood for the sole purpose of relieving harassed, irritable, working parents of their charges.

Daycares seldom charge parents exorbitant sums of money for the care of their offspring (seldom being the key word), but after a few days of looking after a rambunctious toddler or two or three, all of whom you could cheerfully strangle at the end of the day, one just looks upon daycare as an invaluable, convenient service indispensable to one’s comfort.

Most daycares, even some of the home based daycares, are licensed. And all of them have policies regarding the number of children assigned per minder. They also have rules governing sickness, emergencies and child education. All daycares should have at least 5/6 satisfied referees (at least 3 of whom should be contacted prior to enrolment at the centre).

Other points that should be checked out to your satisfaction include staff training, educational activities for children, and safety of playing areas inside and outside the centre. And, last but not least, the daily/ weekly / monthly cost. Not withstanding all the cracks about expensive fees, you would understandably want a centre within your price range.

However, parents operating on a tight budget can also avail themselves of free daycare services provided by the government, churches and other institutions. These daycares operate on donations and charge parents only a small nominal fee, if at all. There’s rarely any difference in the quality of services/ facilities provided by non profit and profit based daycares.

There are also many reliable home daycares run by child care providers from their homes. Home based daycares generally care for a limited number of children at one time. They are supervised by a central local agency and have the care they are giving, monitored by an agency supervisor who visits their homes from time to time.

Daycares generally accept children anywhere from 3 and 6 years of age and care for their mental and physical education right up until they enter kindergarten. Some daycares even accept children who are younger than 3.

Finding a daycare that meets the individual needs of the child will always be helpful in the long run. These daycares help children settle in faster and keep them happy in their new environment. Happiness is of paramount importance in averting potential public relations disasters (like the tantrum of a child screaming about ugly old teachers who are just like Timmy, the frog).

Krissy Ansley asked:


It’s Been A Tough Economic Month. Who Will Watch Your Kids If You Have To Go Back To Work?

Many are concerned with the recent news regarding the economy. So concerned that parents who once were able to stay at home with the children are now electing to go back into the workplace. It has created a new dynamic within families. We are seeing many stay at home parents return to the workplace for at least part-time positions to supplement the family finances. With both parents working, there is an increased demand for finding safe and qualified childcare in the home.

Hiring a Nanny is a critical choice. Most parents are very concerned about who they bring into their home to care for their most important assets, the children. There are some qualities each parent should be looking for when hiring a caregiver for your family. Watch out for the Red Flags!

Qualities:

Interest: Make sure the candidate shows genuine interest in the child. Dos he/she try to make your child comfortable with conversation? Do they make an effort to engage the child? Do they greet and say “good-bye” to the children as well as the parents?

Money: While a salary is very important to all of us, the Nanny does not need to lead the conversation with her desired compensation. Her genuine interest should be the care of the child. The last thing a family needs is a Nanny that is taking care of their child solely for the purpose of a paycheck.

Ease with children: Your nanny should never seem uneasy or anxious around children. They should look excited and have an easy way to communicate. If your Nanny seems afraid to hold your baby..beware! This is a red flag.

Qualified experience: The candidate should have experience working with children that are similar in age to the children in your family. Be sure to ask why she left her last job. If you find the candidate has jumped from family to family each year, this should be a red flag.

Looks you straight the eye: A good deal can be learned in the first 10 minutes of an interview. Many times we make judgments based on body language as much as the content of the conversation. Maintaining good eye contact demonstrates respect and interest. If they are unable to hold a gaze it can make you wonder about self esteem and honesty issues.

Respect: Families with children live busy lives loaded with challenges. All families are different and the Nanny must respect and understand the rules of each household. Parents create schedules and systems because they believe it is best for the children. Some caregivers who have their own children may raise their children differently and not share the same values. Make sure your Nanny is willing to follow your rules and keep her beliefs at home. After all, these are your children!

While these represent some of the qualities you should be looking for, intuition still plays a vital role. Don’t dismiss those twinges or doubts you may feel. They can be completely valid. The chemistry between your family and the Nanny can be the deciding factor!