Would you let me watch your children?

[jlyn1110]

Or more specifically, your 8-month-old twins?

My slightly erratic college schedule and the sluggish economy are forcing me to look for employment in different places. I have the opportunity to meet a family who is looking to hire a part-time nanny for 8-month-old twins. The job sounds like it could work, buuuut…

1. I have next to no experience with infants. I’m the oldest of 3, but I was just 4 when my youngest sib was born. I’ve sat for toddlers and worked with school-age kids…but never babies.
2. The family is using cloth diapers. Aside from knowing that I wore them as a baby, I don’t have any experience with them. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever changed a diaper before…
3. I’m absolutely willing to learn. I will follow every instruction/suggestion given to me to the absolute best of my ability. Plus, I really need the job.

Moms (and dads and grandparents), what say you?

 

[nodito]

If it were me, the no diaper experience wouldn’t bother me so much if the potential applicant had good references. I’d be more concerned with picking someone responsible, loving, and good with kids. I think references will be your most important asset, if you can get friends or neighbors or colleagues (professors?) who know you well and can speak to your responsibility to write you a letter of recommendation. Also, if you have the time and inclination, it could be helpful to take a CPR course from the red cross or something similar. I took a babysitting class through the local hospital in high school and I remember it being very helpful.

Good luck!

 

[cthulhubryan]

I agree that the references would be important for me. Have you done any work with children at Church?

Now, if you wanted to watch my kids I’d let you but remember that I don’t cover your mental health insurance.

 

[PapaSquash]

Chances are the Mom in question had no experience with infants or cloth diapers until a little less than a year ago herself.

Babies really aren’t that hard once you realize that taking care of them is a full-time job. Trying to do anything else while caring for an infant got too unmanageable for me.

Oh, and wash your hands a lot.

 

[VivienneJ]

When my youngest DD was 17 and still in school she started a part-time job looking after an 8 month old and a 2 year old. She had absolutely no prior experience with babies, but did have a very good reference from the previous family she had babysat for on occasion (the youngest child was 5 years old). She and the two little girls grew together, had a wonderful relationship, she became part of the family in many respects over the next 4 years and is still in touch with the family.

So, be honest about what you don’t know, as PapaSquash said, we all have to start somewhere. Hope you have as much fulfillment from this is my DD did.

 

[monicatholic]

Vivienne,

I wouldn’t. But most of the folks I know wouldn’t, either. In fact, because my teens have been around babies all their lives (there are lots of little kids in our family, too.) they are often first choice for anyone looking for a sitter.

one of our daughters was paid to NOT babysit for anyone else-- kept on retainer, as it were-- so the couple could always have first shot at her time.

what would you be willing to do to get experience? would you be willing to spend a few Saturday mornings at my house helping out, getting a feel for the job? volunteer a few hours in a church daycare? that might sway my decission a lot because i’d want somebody who’s VERY comfortable with babies, so my babies might become comfortable with them.

 

[jlyn1110]

what would you be willing to do to get experience? would you be willing to spend a few Saturday mornings at my house helping out, getting a feel for the job? volunteer a few hours in a church daycare? that might sway my decission a lot because i’d want somebody who’s VERY comfortable with babies, so my babies might become comfortable with them.

Monicatholic, you pose a good question. To a certain point, I would be willing to do whatever would make the parents most comfortable. At the same time, I really just need a job. I would be willing to spend a weekend morning (or a few) with the family in a mother’s helper/apprentice sort of role. If anything other than that was asked of me, I would probably seek employment somewhere else. The more volunteer/pro bono work I do (when I could be working for pay), the higher my bills seem to pile up.

 

[ChristinaM]

Do you have current Infant CPR/First Aid certification from the Red Cross? That would be a big part of my decision if I were a mom. That might be something you could do if you’d like moms to feel more confident about you as a care taker.

 

[jmcrae]

Or more specifically, your 8-month-old twins?

My slightly erratic college schedule and the sluggish economy are forcing me to look for employment in different places. I have the opportunity to meet a family who is looking to hire a part-time nanny for 8-month-old twins. The job sounds like it could work, buuuut…

1. I have next to no experience with infants. I’m the oldest of 3, but I was just 4 when my youngest sib was born. I’ve sat for toddlers and worked with school-age kids…but never babies.

Kids are kids. The rules are always the same. Keep them fed, make them laugh, and watch that they don’t hurt themselves.

1. The family is using cloth diapers. Aside from knowing that I wore them as a baby, I don’t have any experience with them. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever changed a diaper before…

It’s not all that complicated. Get the mother to show you her technique. She will also have a place to store the dirty ones. (TIP: Rinse them in the toilet before you throw them in the dirty diaper pail; that way, you can just dump the whole pail into the washing machine, when it gets full.)

 

[VivienneJ]

Vivienne,

I wouldn’t. But most of the folks I know wouldn’t, either. In fact, because my teens have been around babies all their lives (there are lots of little kids in our family, too.) they are often first choice for anyone looking for a sitter.

monicatholic, I’m saddened to see that you and most of the people you know would not let a grandmother (in her 50s) watch your children

what would you be willing to do to get experience? would you be willing to spend a few Saturday mornings at my house helping out, getting a feel for the job? volunteer a few hours in a church daycare? that might sway my decission a lot because i’d want somebody who’s VERY comfortable with babies, so my babies might become comfortable with them.

I wold have thought that successfully raising my own family would have been experience enough

However, if I were considering such a way of earning some extra money, of course I would want to spend some time in your home, with you, helping out and seeing how your home runs so that I could provide similar care for your precious children, and so that I would know your routines and where to find the things I’d need.

BUT . . . I am not the one considering this second career (teaching children between the ages of 3 and 9 is quite challenging enough for me), however, the enquirer on this thread, jlyn, is hoping to look after 8 month old twins.

Or more specifically, your 8-month-old twins?

Moms (and dads and grandparents), what say you?

I was simply giving her some thoughts, based on my younger daughter’s experience, at a younger age than jlyn. And that same daughter is now the mother of her own 10 month old daughter - the staff at the hospital were amazed at her confidence in handling her new born baby, so somewhere along the line she and I got something right, even though babies were short supply in the family in which she grew up.

Good luck, jlyn, hope this position works out for you, or you find something similarly rewarding to ease your financial position while studying.

 

[monicatholic]

hi Vivi,

sorry about addressing my post wrong. i had meant my response to jlyn.

please forgive the goof up.

m.

 

[VivienneJ]

hi Vivi,

sorry about addressing my post wrong. i had meant my response to jlyn.

please forgive the goof up.

m.

S’ok I was just a little astounded and hoped some sort of cyber confusion had crept in and messed things up