01 Aug Because It Takes a Village
The idea of a nanny is common amongst parents who plan to return to work. Most moms and dads are allocated only a certain amount of maternity and paternity leave (the latter being the less common of the two), at which point this ends and it’s time for a nanny to start taking care of the baby. However, there are other circumstances where a nanny can benefit your family immensely.
Child Development Benefits
What about the moms that don’t choose to return to work? Running a household and looking after children is a full-time job in itself. Babies are very demanding and require constant attention and monitoring. Not only is their safety the utmost important factor to consider in your day-to-day activities, but their development is also crucial.
Babies who have a greater vocabulary at 18 months actually have faster brain processing speeds than those babies whose vocabulary is smaller. A vast vocabulary at a young age is proven to influence how quickly a person thinks. Researchers from Stanford University suggest that children learn most when they’re concentrating. In order to cultivate concentration, moms, dads and caregivers need to be present in their child’s daily activities. This being said, it’s difficult to provide this sort of learning environment when there is cooking, laundry, cleaning and plain-old ‘life admin’ to take care of. Doing any two or three things at once means you’re not giving your best at either one.
Utilizing a nanny agency to employ a nanny or a governess can help mitigate this problem. There are always two of you working together to keep the house in order and spend quality time with the baby.
Avoiding the ‘Stay At Home’ Mom Burnout
It’s an incredibly overlooked profession, but the struggle is real. The saying “it takes a village” wasn’t thought up overnight by a single mom’s cry for help, it’s been common practice for thousands of years, and is still extremely prominent in many countries around the world where entire families live under the same roof and all help to bring up the child.
Moms in today’s modern society are forgetting what a good night’s sleep feels like, ultimately affecting our physical and mental wellbeing. Many of us forget that before we had children, we were our own ‘person’ with hobbies and little pleasures. The arrival of a new baby absorbs our entire existence and before we know it, there isn’t much time left for mom! Regardless of how resilient a person you are, if your daily routine of cooking, feeding, cleaning, playing, completing life admin and repeat isn’t shared with someone, the mom burnout eventually sets in.
A mom’s mental and physical health should never have to suffer because she’s had a baby. In circumstances like these, a nanny is an invaluable asset to the family.
Hiring a nanny as a stay at home mom can often rear guilty thoughts though. If you don’t feel you need full time assistance, employing a babysitter for a few hours a day, or a few days a week means you get to take some time out for you to indulge in some of those little pleasures you once knew.
Acknowledging that you need is something you should never feel guilty about, because after all, it helps you grow as a mom, and as a person! By periodically focusing on yourself, you’ll not only see the difference in yourself, but your child will also benefit.
Working From Home
Moms who work from home are deemed to have the perfect work / life balance – they get to spend every day with their children whilst making money at the same time. This is partially correct, moms who work from home do get generous amounts of time with their children, but this precious time is split between taking calls, replying to emails, cooking, cleaning, drafting proposals, and any other tasks their career might entail.
As a result, any one task doesn’t receive full attention because you’re constantly dividing your time. By hiring a nanny, it becomes a lot easier to focus on your work and spend quality time with your child, without feeling they are being put second. With the help of a nanny, this really is the perfect balance between being a working mom and a stay at home mom.
In conclusion, hiring a nanny is never going to be an easy task, whether you’re returning to the office or working from home, the associated mom anxiety can set in and become a real problem. “Will my child love the nanny more” … “what if the nanny is mean to my child” … “what if the nanny isn’t watching my baby and something bad happens” … “will people think I’m a bad mother for hiring help when I’m home” … Let’s admit it, these are all thoughts that occupy our mind and the biggest internal challenge we will have as moms when hiring a nanny.
It isn’t a competition though; your child will always see you as their mother, and it’s important in today’s society to ask for help when we need it! If you are lucky enough to find a nanny that is an extension of you, don’t see it as a threat, or a reason to be judged, and certainly don’t feel guilty about wanting to make the hire; embrace the help and input of another professional who can be a good role model to your child.