Becoming a nanny is an exciting career choice, however it’s also a hard field to break into. Here are some tips to make sure you’re ready to tackle landing and succeeding at your first nanny job.

1. Become CPR/first aid certified. You can take this basic training through the American Heart Association, The Red Cross, your local hospital or other community outreach programs. There are also online programs available, but this is the type of training you should take in person. An average class can last between 4 and 6 hours and will give you a solid understanding of how to help a child in an emergency.
2. Get basic child development training. To be a quality childcare provider, you need to have a basic understanding of child development. This will help you design a well-rounded day, develop a positive and effective discipline approach, plan fun and educational activities, and understand how to best support the children you care for. There are many ways to get this basic training. Most resource and referral agencies offer a core competency educational program and many community colleges offer basic certification programs.
3. Round out your childcare experience. To qualify for the widest number of jobs, you need to have at least 1 to 3 years of recent and relevant childcare experience. It’s helpful if you’ve worked with different age groups and with 2 or 3 children at a time. If you have gaps in your childcare experience, you can fill them in a number of ways. You can find babysitting jobs through online sites or classifieds, you can work for a temp nanny agency providing sitting, back-up, hotel or event care, or you can work in a formal childcare setting like a daycare or preschool.
4. Learn about the unique role of a nanny. Being a nanny is different than any other childcare job. The only way to really understand what you need to do the job well is to learn from other nannies. There are lots of Google and Yahoo discussion groups, Facebook groups and local nanny support groups that connect you with other nannies. These are perfect places to ask questions, get support and learn about the unique challenges that come with being a nanny.
5. Get letters of reference. Every nanny placement agency and parent you apply with will require letters of reference from past childcare jobs. The best time to get a letter of reference is while you’re still working in the job or soon after you’ve left so that all the ways you’ve contributed to the position are still fresh in the mind of the parent or supervisor. If you don’t have a letter of reference for a past childcare job, now is the perfect time to ask for it.
6. Write your resume. Having a well-written resume that outlines your work history, your childcare experience, your education and any special skills you have is a must. There are lots of different formats that are acceptable. Make sure you check your resume for accuracy, spelling, grammar and formatting.
7. Decide what you’re looking for in your first job. Every nanny job and every nanny employer is different. Make sure that you have a clear picture of what you’re looking for before you start your search. Think about the ages you want to work with, the number of children you’re comfortable with, the responsibilities you’re willing to take on, the type of household you’d like to work in and the kind of parents you want to work for.
8. Research the resources in the area you want to work in. Parents appreciate a nanny who knows about the kid friendly offerings in the local community. Get to know the playgrounds, fountain parks, story times and classes in the area you want to work. This will help you win parents over and also help you plan fun outings once you’re on the job.
9. Connect with local nannies. Nannies don’t have co-workers to turn to for some adult conversation to break up the day, to ask for advice on a work problem, or to get support from. You can create your own network by connecting with other nannies in your area. Your nanny network will be a big help to you as a caregiver and will give you and your charge friends for field trips, play dates and craft parties.
10. Join the National Association for the Education of Young Children. NAEYC is the largest childcare organization around. Their professional journals and online site offers lots of high quality resources that will increase your understanding of child development, give you creative ideas to fill your days and keep you up-to-date on the latest childcare research.

Your first nanny position will bring you lots of unique joys and challenges. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with a family in a meaningful way while having a lot of fun. Being a nanny is a great job choice for those who have a genuine love for children and a true interest in caring for them.

Few events are as exciting to kids as the almighty field trip. The thought of escaping the confines of the home for an afternoon can send children into paroxysms of joy, leaving nannies struggling to keep up with their exuberant charges. Here are 10 great field trip ideas to take the kids on that will help them learn in a more hands-on way, which aids greatly in retention and comprehension for some kids that struggle in those areas.

1. Farms and Orchards – Helping kids understand where their food comes from can be as simple as planning a trip to a local farm or orchard. Most of these places are welcoming to playgroups and children’s organizations, even offering special activities and lessons for touring children.
2. Petting Zoos – A visit to the petting zoo can provide kids with a hands-on lesson in caring for domestic animals, allowing them the chance to get up close and personal with animals that they might not have access to normally. Kids who live in dense urban areas are often limited in their opportunities to interact with any domesticated animals that can’t be kept as pets; a trip to a local petting zoo can help them have a personal experience with farm and barnyard creatures.
3. Traditional Zoos – Learning about more exotic animals can be exciting for kids when it entails a trip to the zoo, where they are able to observe animals in an approximation of their natural habitats, and can even catch demonstrations from trained specialists.
4. Living History Museums – Grasping the concept of life before electricity can be difficult for today’s always-on, constantly connected kids. A field trip to a living history museum can be like stepping into a time machine, helping kids learn more about their ancestors by watching actors portray a specific era in character.
5. Botanical Gardens – For kids who are fortunate to live in an area with a botanical garden, the opportunities to examine many types of plants, small birds and insects are endless. Pairing natural science with a day outdoors, these field trips are sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike.
6. Art Museums – Many art museums have special sections that are specifically geared towards kids, providing them with the opportunity to learn about classic masterpieces and, in some cases, even create their own in workshops.
7. Science Centers – Science centers and museums built solely for kids are always a good choice for field trips; the interactive exhibits and experiments are great ways for kids to grasp scientific concepts by seeing them in action, and are a welcome alternative to reading a description in their text books.
8. National Parks – The options for education and fun at a national park are almost limitless, as most have specialized programs just for touring playgroups and kids’ organizations. These parks can be a wealth of knowledge, and provide kids with hours of educational fun.
9. Wildlife Reserves – Petting and traditional zoos offer kids a chance to observe animals in something that resembles their natural habitat, but a wildlife preserve allows them the opportunity to see indigenous creatures actually surviving in the wild with limited human intervention.
10. Local Historical Landmarks – It’s important for kids to understand their local history and heritage, and visiting local points of interest and historical sites can be a great way to do just that. Whether your group opts for a guided or self-guided tour, there’s plenty to learn about your city and its history from these local treasures.

Depending on your area, there can be dozens of great options for field trips. Many sites offer special tours or activities to playgroups, so look into what’s available near you.

For nannies looking for books for nannies written by nannies and industry experts, look no further. From career guides to parenting books penned by real-life super nannies themselves, any of these 10 books would be a great addition to a nanny’s bookshelf.

1. Beyond Parenting Basics: The International Nanny Association’s Official Guide to In-Home Child Care by Michelle LaRowe and Sara McCormack Hoffman. Designed to be a study guide for the International Nanny Association (INA) Nanny Credential Exam, this textbook helps prepare nannies for the responsibilities that come along with being a primary caregiver.  The book covers health, safety, language, literacy, physical, social and emotional development, emergency preparedness, professionalism, nutrition and more. The Spanish translation can be ordered directly from INA online at www.nanny.org.

2. The Professional Nanny by Monica Bassett. A solid career guide, The Professional Nanny offers guidance to child care specialists who opt to use their skills and talents working in a family’s private home. Covering employer responsibilities, taxes, and insurance, The Professional Nannies is a must read for those looking to learn more about the business and professional side of nannying.

3. The Best Nanny Handbook: The Ultimate Guide for Nannies by Emma Kensington. Whether you’re already a nanny or thinking of becoming one, you’ll glean great tips and advice from The Best Nanny Handbook. Covering topics from communication with parents to live-in nanny positions, it’s an informational read for newer nannies.

4. The Nanny Textbook: The Professional Guide to Child Care by Anne Merchant Geissler.  A resource of the roles and responsibilities of a nanny, The Nanny Textbook outlines what quality in-home child care is and empowers nannies to be the best caregiver they can be. While the first edition had some major grammatical mistakes, the second edition is reported to have been updated and corrected. This book also sells under the title The Child Care Textbook.

5. A Nanny’s Day – The Professional Way!: A Curriculum Book For The Professional Early Childhood Nanny by Kristin Laubenthal. A Nanny’s Day – The Professional Way! is a curriculum book designed for the professional nanny. The book covers curriculum for nine key areas: art, cooking, language, math, motor skills, music, science, social studies, health, safety, and nutrition and is a solid resource for nannies who are looking to add more planned learning experiences into their charges’ days.

6. Nanny in a Book: The Common-Sense Guide to Childcare by Louise Heren and Susan McMillan, written in association with Norland College. For those nannies looking to learn a little more about how the famous Norland Nannies care for children, Nanny in a Book may prove to be a great read. Nanny in a Book shares insight, advice, and the tried and true childcare methods of the English Norland Nannies.

7. Nanny 911: Expert Advice for All of Your Parenting Emergencies by Stella Reid and Deborah Carroll. Nanny 911 shares the simple, direct, and nanny-tested parenting advice of real-life nannies turned TV stars Nanny Stella and Nanny Deb from the popular Fox TV program Nanny 911.

8. Nanny Wisdom: Our Secrets to Raising Happy, Healthy Children from Newborns to Preschoolers by Justine Walsh and Kim Nicholson. Two self-proclaimed hip, young nannies combine their classical English training with the day-to-day knowledge they’ve gained as child-care professionals to offer expert advice on raising healthy, happy, and well-behaved children from birth through the preschool years.

9. SuperNanny: How to Get the Best from Your Children by Jo Frost. Offering up her practical, nanny-tested methods of childrearing based on her ABC-TV series SuperNanny, Nanny Jo empowers parents and caregivers to change their behavior to yield positive behavioral change in their children.

10. Nanny to the Rescue! Straight Talk and Super Tips for Parenting the Early Years by Michelle LaRowe. America’s nanny offers a large dose of healthy parenting advice with secrets for raising happy, secure, and well-balanced babies and toddlers. Michelle LaRowe, 2004 International Nanny Association “Nanny of the Year,” gives her tried and true solutions to childcare. Her expertise with chapters titled “Who’s the boss?” and “Discipline is not a four letter word” gives confidence to parents and caregivers who need specific ideas for real day-to-day problems.

Your kids don’t have to lose ground this summer due to the break. They can keep right on learning while having fun and you can plan activities to maintain or enhance the things they learned during the school year. We’ve listed a few things to help get you thinking of ways to make this an enriching summer for your kids.

1. Kitchen math – Now is the time to get the kids to help you in the kitchen. Recipes are perfect for teaching and maintaining knowledge of simple fractions. If you want to get into more complicated math, have the kids help you take a huge recipe and cut it in half or double a recipe to share with someone. All the while they are learning or maintaining their skills.
2. Astronomy – Summer nights are perfect for star gazing. Take the kids to the planetarium or just get a map of the stars and try to figure out where the constellations are. You could also invest in a telescope to get a closer view of the magnificent night sky. Your kids might just make a new discovery!
3. History – Are you planning a family vacation? Why not make it an historical tour? Find out what your kids have been studying in history or what they may expect to study next year, and see if you can plan your vacation around a place that fits. Have the kids do some research on points between home and the destination and let them help plan the trip. Need to do a staycation? Not to worry; just find out about your local history and visit places nearby.
4. Cartography – Teach the kids how to make a map. They can map out the house, then the block. For older kids you can teach them how to read a road map. All the little numbers and symbols mean something. Once they figure out the map legend and how to use the numbers, take a little trip someplace and have them figure out all the exits and distances. This will also help their math skills.
5. Science – Summer provides all kinds of opportunities for scientific study. Kid can create bug collections, do pond studies or plant identification. Show them how to classify and log their findings in a special journal. You may have a budding naturalist in the making. If you’re really brave, you can show your older kids about the properties of light by using a magnifying glass to burn a piece of wood or you could do something a little more tame like making a pinhole camera.
6. Language skills – When was the last time you sat down and shared your life story with the kids? This is a perfect time to do that. Make some copies of old family pictures and get the kids to pretend to be journalists and interview you about the people and places in the pictures. They write the stories you tell and save everything in a scrapbook. You get to preserve family history, they get to know you and the relatives better, and they keep up their language skills.
7. Woodworking – Older kids may enjoy doing woodworking. The measuring required will help them with their math skills. Discussing the properties of the materials (e.g., soft wood vs. hard woods, wood grains, porosity, etc.) can help with critical thinking skills and scientific inquiry.  Obviously, these projects require close supervision by a parent or caregiver.
8. Sewing – Teaching kids how to read patterns and figuring out yardage will also help with math skills. Designing original items can also help with the development of the creative mind.
9. Music – There are music camps available that provide training and fun. Many kids look forward to attending these camps on an annual basis. But, if that’s not an option, get the kids interested in music for the fun of it. Sing songs around the campfire and break out the guitar and other instruments. Music also enhances math skills.
10. Arts and crafts – This is a grossly neglected part of education for many kids. Take them to the art museums and craft fairs. Let them experiment with different craft material or let them try their hand at using oil or watercolor paints. You might even want to enter some of their crafts in the county fair.

Learning doesn’t need to be strictly by the books. Think back to the old days when people learned professions by apprenticeships and hands on experience. Helping your kids keep learning through the summer is a wonderful way to enrich their vacation and it can give you some quality time with them. Who knows? You might even learn something yourself!

Your child has a date with the family doctor, for a vaccination. Perhaps it’s time for flu shots. Even if you don’t have an appointment scheduled now, eventually she is going to have to face the needle; something neither of you is looking forward to. So what is the best way to prepare her for it? Here are 10 tips for preparing your child for a shot:

1. Hypnosis – For truly phobic young patients, hypnosis has been a successful means of treatment. The children eventually overcome their fear of getting shots. Make sure you find a licensed provider and are aware that this therapy does not work for everyone.
2. Distraction – Anticipation makes the experience far more ominous and scary than it would otherwise be. If you can preoccupy your child just prior to administering the shot, it will take the edge off.
3. Lidocaine – When applied to the area where the shot will be given, this medication can dull the sensation and make the shot not hurt (as much). Some doctors also use cold spray to numb the area before giving an injection.
4. Sing – A comforting, lilting familiar voice can work some serious magic on a child’s nerves. The sound of their mother’s voice literally has a soothing physiological effect on children, reducing the heart rate and lowering anxiety levels.
5. Discuss, don’t dwell – Explain to your child what you will doing at the doctor’s office, including the shot. Focus more on the check-up and other factors, and maintain an upbeat tone. If you dread it, so will they.
6. Surprise – Alternately, you can opt to avoid any discussion about the shot itself, to alleviate any anxiety if your child is prone to worrying. Tell them just before the shot happens so they have a little time to mentally prepare, however.
7. Bring a Game – Provide some entertainment as a distraction and to keep your child in good spirits prior to the shot. The less they think about it, the less it will hurt.
8. Bring Fun Bandages – Let him pick out some Scooby-Doo or Sponge Bob bandages and make preparation for the shot a fun experience.
9. Read a book – Better yet, have your child read a book aloud, and get immersed in an enjoyable story. Like a game, this will help them keep their mind off the shot and lessen their anxiety.
10. Educate – Tell your child about vaccines, illnesses, and why it’s important to have shots on occasion. The more they know about the importance, the more likely they are to stay strong and suffer without complaint when the time comes. After all, even a child knows it is better to hurt a little now than be sick for a long time later.

No matter what kind of child you have: a worrier, a crier, or a fearless wonder, there is a way to keep them calm and happy, even in this circumstance. Know what your child’s needs are and find ways to work with them to make the visit to the doctor a pleasant experience for all concerned.

Every child in about third grade starts learning about multiplication.  This learning continues for several years as the children learn how to multiply bigger and bigger numbers.  Helping your child learn their multiplication math facts early will help them tremendously in school.  Check out 10 ways to teach your child multiplication.

1. Flash cards: These are tried and true for a reason, they work.  However, not all children do well just sitting and memorizing facts so this method is for the child who is good at rote memorization.  Based on how well they learned their addition and subtraction math facts you should know your child’s learning style.
2. Online games: Do an Internet search and you should pull up several fun online games to help your child learn their multiplication math facts in a fun way.  This method usually works well for the child that learns better visually.
3. Worksheets: Books are available at major book retailers that will help with multiplication worksheets.  Many times just the act of doing something over and over will help the child learn their facts.  You should also be able to find free worksheets online that you can print out for your child.
4. Books: There are many funny books on the market like Times Tables the Fun Way.  This book is very colorful and fully illustrated to help kids learn multiplication in a fun and easy way without the pressure of normal methods.
5. Bake cookies: Multiplication is just adding over and over.  Get out some sugar cookie dough and roll it out.  Pick an example like 3×4 or 4×6 to start out with.  Have your child cut out 6 cookies and lay them on the cookie sheet.  Get out chocolate chips or cinnamon candies or M&M’s and have your child place 4 on each cookie.  Have them count how many total candies or chips are on the cookies.  Explain that 6×4 is just 6+6+6+6 or 4+4+4+4+4+4 and that they all equal 24.  This activity is great for a kinesthetic learner (those that love to move).
6. Table: The multiplication table is really an easy way for your child to get a visual on what they are learning.  With flash cards they are just random facts that seem endless.  When you look at the multiplication table it narrows down what they need to learn.
7. Videos: There are videos online or that you can buy that will help explain the multiplication facts to your child if you don’t think you are up to the challenge or if you just want to have one more avenue to help your child learn their facts.  Sometimes the more ways you can present something the easier it is for them.  Something will click for them and the more ways you try the easier it will be for them to find what works best.
8. Game: Play a card game called Factor. You will have to convert a regular card deck to play this game and you probably won’t be able to use it again for regular cards.  Remove the King and Queen from the deck.  Write an 11 on the Jack and a 12 on the Ace.  To play you have to learn what numbers go together to make other numbers.  Like the factors of 12 are 1, 2,3,4,6 and 12.  You deal out 6 cards to each player.  The player to the left of the dealer starts and calls out what the ‘target product’ is for that hand.  This is determined by them multiplying two of their cards together in their hand.  Then you go around the table and everyone plays a factor of that number if they have it.  They keep the card in front of them because the product of those cards will be their score for that hand.  They played a 3 and a 4 so their score is 7.  The first person to reach 100 wins.
9. Songs: School House Rock has a whole series of 3 minute songs about multiplying by each number.  It’s always easier to learn something when it’s set to music.  The type of child that will learn their facts from a song may surprise you.  Songs allow the child to move around and sometimes that will make the difference in what makes it click for them.
10. Writing it down: The more times that you write something down, no matter what it is, you are more likely to remember it.  It’s a proven fact that if you write something even once it improves your ability to remember because the brain files written information differently than information that you have only heard.  Why do you think teachers make naughty children write one sentence 100 times?  So they don’t forget it that’s why, so it works with multiplication facts as well.

Sometimes kids won’t eat because it may be an extension of the power struggle we experience with them in other areas.  They feel overpowered, bossed around, or simply small, during the majority of the day, and then discover at mealtime that YOU now want something from them.  Others just don’t like trying something new and others may have real dislikes for tasting or eating certain foods.  Or perhaps they’re just not hungry because they were allowed to snack too much earlier in the day.  It is also common for children to become run down and tired by the evening meal, or pepped up and on their second wind.

Taking measures to stop the chaos begins with recognizing what may be going on with you over this conflict.  Are you recreating the control your parents had over you in forcing you to eat?  Depending on the time and conditions of your childhood, food may not have been as plentiful as it is now and your parents were trained by their parents to eat when it was available.  Some parents overreact to a child not eating, feeling a sense of fear that if they don’t get the child to eat; their child may starve and develop eating disorders.  In actuality, the parent’s over reaction can create eating disorders.  Avoid forcing a child to eat what is prepared because it will drive them further away from cooperating or being interested in eating in a healthy manner.  The parents manner of behavior during an emotionally charged moment can make a child’s challenging behavior even worse.

As a solution to getting the kids to eat, I suggest parents establish a readily available alternative to whatever is being served and allow the children to have the power to choose between the prepared meal and this new established alternative.  The established alternative must not be anything sweet and must not require special preparation.  When my kids were little, our established alternative was a cup of dry Cheerios; the kids could select what Mom or Dad prepared for dinner or a cup of Cheerios.  For some of our children, the alternative was the immediate selection in the beginning.  As most parents do, I worried about them getting the proper nutrition if all they ever ate for dinner was Cheerios.  But because we were consistent with our rules and boundaries, the Cheerios soon grew old and we found the children more willing to eat the prepared, hot food.  Then as they grew older, we added a few more alternatives such as crackers and eventually, a PB&J sandwich.  We never allowed sugared cereals or cookies, and the PB&J wasn’t allowed until they were old enough to prepare it themselves.  The object of the alternative is to give them a choice at meal time and make it something very simple to fix that they can eventually fix themselves.

Here are a few words of wisdom regarding restaurants… they were made for adults!  If you are struggling with getting the kids to behave when the family is eating out, do one of the following: go to a “kid-friendly” restaurant that caters to children, bring a bag of activities to keep them busy and focused, or get a baby sitter and eat out alone occasionally as a couple.  My granddaughter, like her mother, was always a challenge at restaurants.  She talked loud, got up and down from her chair constantly, picked fights with her brother, threw her menu on the floor to see if anyone would pick it up, and leaned over the walls and planters to talk to other patrons.  Frequently she would shout at the wait staff walking by, saying, “Excuse me, I need a new red crayon.  Mine broke!”

One final thought about kids and eating; keep portions small.  Overloading a child’s plate with food can be overwhelming to them.  Give them very small amounts of all the items prepared for the meal and allow them to ask for more.  Putting a full plate of food in front of your child could be like saying “go explore space!”

Bill Corbett is the author of the book “Love, Limits, & Lessons,” and the executive director of Cooperative Kids.  He produces and host a TV show for parents called, CREATING COOPERATVIE KIDS, and you can watch it online at www.TheParentingShow.tv.  He has three grown children, two grandchildren, and lives with his wife and 14-year-old step daughter Olivia.  You can visit his Web site www.CooperativeKids.com  for more information and parenting advice.