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Preparing For A Holiday With Your Nanny

Whilst envisaging any forthcoming holiday many of us will probably be blissfully focussing on endless sandy beaches, calming cool breezes and evenings spent sipping exotic cocktails and sampling local delicacies.

However, if your family consists of two fraught and overworked adults and one or more children you might well be about to embark on a hectic roller coaster ride of mayhem. Younger children, in particular, rarely embrace change and can turn into downright divas when faced with long flights, unusual food and sleeping in a strange room.

If you usually employ a nanny you could well be considering the option of bringing them along too, to help you cope, because it’s bound to be more relaxing for you if someone else is around to take the strain out of entertaining your out-of-sorts children.

There are clear benefits to taking a nanny along; you could get to enjoy romantic evenings dancing the Lambada or long tanning sessions reading your holiday novel, leaving nanny to apply sunscreen to Jemima, build endless sandcastles with Joshua, or deal with raging tantrums and tummy upsets.

However, there are a number of considerations to take into account. Here are a few things to ponder before booking the ticket:

  • Never assume that it will be a fun trip for your nanny. Ok, their first travelling job may seem exciting but often they will return home swearing never to repeat that particular experience because it’s much harder than being at home with your children:
    • Kids struggle in unfamiliar situations and may play up more than normal.
    • They won’t have the same resources they have usually – fewer toys etc. to distract your child.
    • It’s hard work spending time with your boss 24/7.
    • Even your nanny has their own life, complete with friends and partners, which they will miss whilst away. You can never assume that they will be keen to be away for a prolonged period.

In order to make such an arrangement work you will need a formal agreement, of how the trip will be organised. The following details are essential:

  • Workings hours need to be set in advance
  • Payment terms for hours beyond the normal working times should be recompensed fairly.
  • Be aware of boundaries – if your nanny is off duty they are entitled to real downtime and that includes space and time away from the children for a proper break.
  • Children shouldn’t be free to roam around the nannies room unless by specific invitation. This is private space for them alone.

After careful consideration, you may well realise that this kind of arrangement will never work out in your situation. Taking the nanny along may turn out to be more expensive than previously anticipated and possibly be even more stressful overall:

  • Extra flights, food, accommodation and pay.
  • You will still have to take care of the children yourself a large proportion of the time.
  • Having an extra person along may make you feel stressed or awkward – if you are usually working whilst nanny cares for the children you may not know each other so well on a personal level.

There are alternative forms of help to consider, should you decide this option is not for you, as many resorts offer babysitting services plus crèches and kids clubs. If it is a reputable company, they will have fully vetted the staff used for these purposes. For many families however – travelling with a nanny that they know and trust is a great way to ensure that everyone is able to relax and enjoy both the journey and the destination.

Keep in mind that if your usual nanny is unavailable you could also consider booking a travelling nanny. Although your children will not be familiar with the nanny and vice versa, this can be a highly satisfactory option too.

Taking a holiday with your children is never going to be the same as the ones you took pre-kids because you will have others to take into consideration and activities will need to be child-friendly. However, they can be wonderful adventures that you will look back on with nostalgia in a few years time when your kids start to plan holidays with their friends instead of with the family!

July 7, 2017

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