But What Does a Nanny for Older Children Do?
Now that my kids are older, what am I paying my nanny for?
As opposed to where older kids are concerned, many understand what a nanny’s work entails when the children are younger. There are babies to feed, diapers to change, activities to plan, and safety to be kept at all times. Extraordinary nannies help small children with all kinds of learning and socializing, not to mention navigate tricky pre-verbal tantrums and keep an eye on all the moving parts at the playground.
At the other end of this spectrum, older kids seem quite self-contained. They can feed themselves and play with friends without adults intervening - at least for the most part! This leads some of our clients to ask us, with all this independence, what am I really paying the nanny for? Wouldn’t it be enough just to have someone around to generally keep an eye on the kids until I get home?
Responsibilities for nannies of older children
At Smart Sitting, we pride ourselves on bringing into the network only those sitters and nannies who are ready to go above and beyond in their childcare duties. These are babysitters and nannies who have the experience and skills to make their time with children valuable learning moments filled with excitement and respect for the children in their charge. We spoke with Smart Sitting Director of Client Relations, Kirstyn, who said this in regards to caring for older children:
“Taking care of older kids is not just a placeholder position. The sitter is still an extension of the parent, giving them the same emotional attention and mindful engagement that the parent would be giving if they were with the kids, as well as taking on other responsibilities to ensure that the household is running smoothly.”
Kirstyn went on to explain how a sitter for older kids is still a role model as they develop and that the relationship to the kids continues to involve important bonding and care. There’s a level of emotional intelligence required when working with school aged kids, as they navigate tricky social interactions and more complicated relationship issues, like bullying.
Other important duties for a sitter working with older kids include:
City-savvy and safe navigation through busy cities to get to school and activities on time
Ensuring that homework is completed - and having the skillset to help as needed
Cooking nutritious and delicious meals or meal-prepping, sometimes for the whole family
Keeping the house in order, including clean up and laundry
Communicating with parents efficiently and smoothly
Adaptability and flexibility to different days’ needs, whether working alongside a stay-at-home parent or independently
Staying organized to manage different schedules, locations, and prerequisites
What are your expectations as your kids get older?
If you are hiring a new nanny or after-school sitter, it’s helpful to think through what is most important to you in your kids’ day. What sort of support do you want for them? What qualities are important to you in a person who will be spending significant portions of the kids’ week with them? Having a good sense of this will help inform your search, beyond just someone who is available for your particular schedule or charges a certain rate.
There are responsible, educated, funny, savvy communicative childcare professionals out there who can enrich your children’s days and help your family sail through the weeks smoothly. We know this, because we work with a whole lot of them! If you need any help in outlining the ideal childcare role for your school-aged children, we are always here smartsitting.com/contactto help you craft a position that makes sense for you, and that finds you a great person for the job. For more insight into how Smart Sitting is helping redefine childcare, read our co-owner Suzie’s take from earlier this year.
How do you view the role of nannies and sitters as your kids age? Have you had any aha-moments in transitioning from a full-time nanny for little kids to an after-school sitter for your older kids? We’d love to hear it! Keep the conversation going on our Instagram or Facebook pages. For more helpful information and updates from the SmartSitting team — don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter.