10 Things to Consider When Traveling Internationally with Your Charges

For many nannies, traveling internationally is a regular part of their job duties. Often times, due to scheduling conflicts or out of convenience, a nanny and her charge will travel separately from the child’s parents. While doing so can be an exciting adventure, it also requires careful planning and preparation. If you’ll be traveling internationally with your charge, here are 10 things to consider.
1. Passports. Be sure that both you and your charge’s passports are current. You’ll want to be sure that your return travel dates are well within your passports’ expiration dates. It’s also a good idea to make a photocopy of your passports and take them with you in your travel bag. Upon arrival to your destination, store them in a safe or secure area. If your passport was to get stolen, having a copy would make it easier to replace.
2. Visas. Before travelling internationally you’ll want to be sure that the necessary visas are secured for you and your charge. Even if you are told you don’t need a visa, you’ll want to confirm this information for yourself, as the rules are constantly changing.
3. Get a notarized consent form. When traveling internationally with your charge, you’ll want to have written consent to do so. Be sure your employers draft a letter giving you permission to travel abroad with their child and that the letter is notarized.
4. Get a notarized medical authorization form. It’s always a good idea for a nanny to have a notarized written medical authorization form so that her charge can receive medical treatment should the parents be unreachable.
5. Medical power of attorney. For families who want to be sure that their child will be able to receive any medical treatment necessary and know that they may be largely unreachable, giving their nanny a medical power of attorney may make sense.
6. Expenses. When travelling with your charge you want to be sure you have the financial resources available should there be a kink in your travel plans. A family credit card with your name on it, cash on hand, and cash in the currency used in your final destination can make covering unanticipated expenses easier.
7. Check connections. Entering customs and immigration can take a long time when you are traveling alone, never mind when traveling with a child. Make sure that you’ll have enough time to travel through customs and immigration between flights, if necessary.
8. Medication information. If your charge is prescribed prescription medication or formula you’ll want to travel with the medication or formula in the original containers. Having a doctor’s note outlining any health concerns or prescribed medications can also be helpful should you be questioned about the medications at your entry point or should your charge become ill while abroad.
9. Reserve seats. Sometimes it costs extra to reserve airlines seats, but if you’re traveling with a non-lap baby, doing so is essential so that you can ensure you are seated together.  For extra room consider reserving bulkhead seats.
10. Use a neck pouch. Consider wearing a neck pouch that is concealed underneath your shirt. Putting your travel documents, money, and important documentation in this pouch can make accessing it and keeping track of it easier.
Traveling internationally can be a rewarding experience, but when traveling with children it’s vital to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Consider how you’ll handle delays, cancellations, and other bumps that may present themselves during your journey together.
 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by  Debbie Denard. I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:


http://www.nanny.net/blog/10-things-to-consider-when-traveling-internationally-with-your-charges/

8 Reasons to Keep Your Live-In Nanny Out of a Spousal Dispute

When someone lives in your home and cares for your children they’re automatically privy to more sensitive information about your marriage than a center-based childcare provider; in some cases, they may be more well-informed about the state of your union than some of your friends and family members. While it can be almost impossible to keep these details completely private from your live-in nanny, there are several reasons why you and your spouse should make every effort to keep her as far removed from the fray as possible.

1. Eliminating “Slip of the Tongue” Possibilities – All it takes is one unguarded moment, and the proverbial cat can be let out of the bag regarding your marital strife in front of your children. The less your nanny knows about disputes and difficulties, the less she can accidentally pass on to your children, who may panic at the idea of separation or divorce.
2. Keeping Her Neutral – In any conflict it’s human nature to choose sides. Your nanny may not be able to stay neutral if she knows the details of an argument, forming a sympathetic alliance with one partner and silently blaming the other. The tension and discomfort created by all of this animosity can not only affect your nanny’s relationship with both of her employers, but can have the effect of throwing fuel on an already-raging fire, escalating the argument between you and your spouse to an even higher level.
3. Avoiding Burn Out – Caring for children and living in one room of a home belonging to someone else are stressful in and of themselves; doing so when a marital war rages under the same roof can turn the situation into a pressure cooker for your nanny, contributing to an early and potentially nasty case of burn out.
4. To Keep Her From Leaving – One of the most common reasons for a nanny to abandon an otherwise ideal post is excessive fighting between her employers. Living in the home of two relative strangers who do little but fight isn’t appealing to anyone, especially if divorce is a looming inevitability. Rather than stick around through the arduous process and deal with the fallout, your nanny may opt to take another post altogether.
5. Keeping Distractions to a Minimum – Your nanny’s sole purpose in your home and on your payroll is to care for your children. She’s not there to offer marriage counseling, advice, or to hold your hand while you fight with your spouse. Shouldering the burden of adult problems in addition to her responsibilities to your children may be more than she can handle, and can leave her distracted, which is the last state of mind you want for the person responsible for ensuring the safety and happiness of your kids.
6. Preventing Gossip – Few people can resist a particularly juicy bit of gossip, and your nanny is no exception. If the idea of her sharing the details of your marital discord with her friends and fellow nannies around the park’s water fountain is upsetting, it’s wise to keep those details to yourself. Even when you know that your nanny could provide information you’re seeking or a fresh perspective on the behavior of your spouse, you should avoid dragging her into the middle of the altercation at all costs.
7. Maintaining Professionalism – Giving your nanny instructions or discussing habits and behavior that you don’t agree with is difficult to do when she’s held your hand through a nasty row or been witness to the humiliating things that spouses can say to one another in the heat of battle; in the interest of maintaining your professional relationship it’s essential to keep your personal problems as private as possible.
8. Keeping Boundaries in Place – Your nanny wants and needs clearly-drawn boundaries just as much as you do; in some cases, perhaps even more. She wants her off time to be respected as just that, her private space to be held sacred, and not to be thrown into the middle of a family fight.

Whether you’re having an occasional and temporary disagreement with your spouse, or more serious fights that threaten separation or divorce, it’s absolutely imperative that you keep your nanny out of your relationship. Not only for her sake, but for that of your marriage as well; introducing a third party and her opinions to an already volatile situation will almost always make it worse, rather than improving it.

 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by  Molly Cunningham . I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:



 http://www.liveinnanny.com/blog/8-reasons-to-keep-your-live-in-nanny-out-of-a-spousal-dispute/

Pros and Cons of Divorced Parents Sharing a Nanny

Even the most amicable divorce is likely to leave your children feeling confused and disillusioned, especially if that divorce contributes to a shift in economic status or is the driving force behind a move from the home they’ve grown up in. Because a divorce may facilitate the need for a previously stay-at-home parent to return to the workforce, it may also leave parents in need of a full-time childcare provider. Sharing a nanny with your ex certainly has its pros and cons; however there are a few things to consider before making your final childcare decision.
Pros of Sharing a Nanny with Your Ex-Spouse

If your nanny was an established part of your kids’ daily routine before you separated from your ex, then she’s likely to be one of the few remaining bits of stability they can cling to. When so much else has changed in their life, being cared for by the same person that they’ve known and loved since before their family and household dissolved can make the transition easier for some children. Nannies that are able to remain neutral and avoid choosing sides can also prove to be very valuable mediators in times of tension, which are unfortunately quite common, especially in the earliest stages of a divorce.
Maintaining a stable and reliable schedule can be particularly difficult for parents that share joint custody, as children are forced to split their time between two separate homes and adapt to the changing personal schedules of the two separate parents that once functioned as a unit. When Nanny accompanies kids from one home to another, and sees to their needs and well-being just as she always has, the transition from one home to two can be made significantly smoother. Parents can also avoid scheduling confusion regarding picking kids up from and dropping them off at after-school activities, sports practices, or lesson rehearsals by delegating the task to one neutral party. Few things add insult to the existing injury of a divorce in the family like being lost in the shuffle between them and left at school or forgotten at practice, but it can happen when two people are still in the process of ironing out the proverbial kinks in scheduling that accompany joint custody.
Nannies that spend the majority of each day with their charges are also intimately familiar with the comfort objects, favorite toys, and other details that might be forgotten when bags are packed by parents for shuffling between homes. These aren’t as likely to slip Nanny’s mind making them less likely to be forgotten. She can also offer reassurance to kids by being nearby despite the relative unfamiliarity of new homes and neighborhoods. If you’re both forced to move from the home that your children grew up in, your kids may also be separated from the neighborhood playmates that they’ve maintained friendships with for most of their lives, and neither you nor your spouse is likely to have time for ferrying kids between play dates. This is another situation in which your nanny is worth her weight in gold: by making herself available to both you and your ex, she will be able to help your kids stay in touch with the friends that they might otherwise grow apart from.
Finally, sharing the expense of Nanny’s salary may be the only way to make the arrangement financially feasible; a major plus if you’re committed to avoiding center-based daycare.
Cons of Sharing a Nanny with Your Ex

Despite the stability and familiarity that your nanny provides to your children during the tumultuous divorce proceedings and their aftermath, there are a few drawbacks to sharing her with your ex-spouse. The biggest concern is her ability to remain neutral, because she will be in the unique position of either quelling or fanning the flames of continued conflicts by sharing sensitive information that she’s privy to through her regular contact with both parties. This can be particularly damaging if you’re still in the process of finalizing your divorce, especially if it’s a bitter one.
Sharing a live-in nanny could also create the necessity for an additional private bedroom, which may create a financial strain for parents that are already cash-strapped as a result of their divorce. In post-divorce dwellings, on both sides of the fence, space can be at a premium. Still, the days of Nanny sleeping in the same room as her charges are long over; if you intend to retain a live-in nanny, you may both need to provide a private space for her to decompress in and relax away from the demands of her job. Those demands may be exponentially increased when she’s forced to play intermediary between battling divorcees, which also increases her risk of burn out.
Ultimately, the decision to share your nanny with your ex-spouse is one that must be made by the three of you, and with full disclosure by all parties about expectations and responsibilities.
 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by  Maryanne Williams. I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:

http://www.shareananny.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-divorced-parents-sharing-a-nanny/