Nanny of the Month, Tina Steinke, is a down to earth Phoenix nanny with three years of professional experience with ages newborn through five years. She loves everything domestic, teaching and encouraging children and making a home run smoothly and effortlessly. She loves the physical part of this career, including playing, being creative, teaching, organizing, cleaning and cooking. She tells us, “I could be out in the corporate world, but I feel that family life is so important and if children can have that stable person in the home that brings them security, I can bring that to them.”
She’s worked in homes with at-home Moms, and says, “Juggling a home and young children is a lot”. She’ll clean the kitchen, stock the diaper caddy, get meals together, clean and do laundry, allowing an at-home Mom more quality time with the children. Her biggest strength is her ability to multitask and her organizational skills. Tina has a calm, effective manner and an upbeat, happy, energetic and cheerful personality. Some of the fun activities she sets up for children are little tubs of water outside with plastic cups for water play, paper crafts, art, music, making obstacle courses, ribbon flags for twirling or dancing.

She loves taking children to the park, stroller walks, or making pictures for Mom and Dad. She home-schooled her children for eight years and incorporates reading books with every activity. “There’s so much

activity that makes children’s brains mush.” Tina is good at talking to children and teaching them about the world and then helping them connect the dots, think about things and be creative. She asks questions, asks about feelings, sings songs while in the car or on walks. When we asked Tina about her favorite memories she mentioned, “The precious and humorous things that come out of a two or four year old’s mouth. The way they process things is so funny. The big smile that comes on their face when they know I’m cooking their favorite meal.”
During down time, Tina is happy to straighten, organize a pantry, clean out a fridge, prepare food, go grocery shopping, or organize. “I love doing that, making things more user friendly, and I do family laundry in between. “I really enjoy when the family gives me responsibilities. That’s why I love children and home management, because it’s active work.” Tina recently accepted an after-school nanny position in her North Central Phoenix neighborhood with an eight year old boy and a six year old girl, and is doing a trial week with the family to assure it’s a good match. In her free time, Tina enjoys sewing, swimming, hiking, biking, playing games, crafts of all kinds and reading.

Beth Weise

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What Additional tasks can my Nanny take on? Depending on your children’s ages and schedule, your Nanny can partner with you to make your life easier, giving you more time with your loved ones. You don’t need to rush home, start dinner and be up folding laundry late into the night.

Laundry. Children’s laundry and bedding are normally taken care of by the Nanny, but many Nannies also do family laundry and strip beds. Nannies normally organize kids drawers and closets, switching out seasonal clothing, mending or removing clothing that no longer fits and taking it to a charity to be recycled. But some Nannies also organize family closets and cupboards.

Shopping. Nanny-Managers typically will keep a running list of items that are running low, and go shopping to replenish the pantry and fridge. She’ll routinely refresh the fridge, removing older leftovers. She can plan a family’s favorite menus and do the weekly shopping. Dry Cleaning, getting the oil changed for the family car can also be coordinated. Some Nannies do the seasonal shopping for children’s clothing or are responsible for returns and exchanges.

Cooking. Nannies routinely cook breakfast and lunch and sometimes dinner for children, but many Nannies also make dinner every night for the family, or do the prep work if parents enjoy cooking. If a Nanny isn’t confident enough to cook for adults, smart families instruct them to make dinner for the kids and have leftovers for the parents, alleviating the pressure for a hesitant Nanny. Most nannies are willing to follow a recipe and give it a try, saving you time a few nights a week.

Extracurricular Activities: Nannies will arrange for play dates, plan field trips to the library, zoo or museums, or do research on Summer Camps or Preschools and interesting opportunities in the community. Nannies of school-agers routinely communicate with teachers or monitor assignments online.

Each situation and family is different, and amounts of down time each Nanny has differs. Some of these suggestions will require additional hours or pay for your Nanny, but it can give you more of your most precious resource-time. Time to spend truly enjoying your family and a peaceful evening, knowing that the day’s most pressing needs have been met. Call Caring Nannies today at 480-946-3423 to see how an experienced Nanny-Manager or Family Assistant can make your life easier.

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An outgoing, bubbly and dynamic Nanny/Manager, Briana had nurturing and loving preschool teachers growing up and found she’d developed a passion for childcare herself. She babysat from the age of 12, and nannied through high school and college. Because of a cousin who contracted encephalitis and epilepsy, she became certified as a PCA (Personal Care Attendant) in order to be his caregiver. She learned how to change a g-tube and even transitioned into senior care, but her interests eventually narrowed down to childcare. She began nannying professionally, including two years with a newborn and later a preemie, and another year with two year old twins! She was also an after-school nanny for a family with 5 and 6 year old school-agers.

“When I transitioned from babysitter to nanny, I felt like I’d become a family member, she explained. Having a child run up to you and throw their arms around you means so much,” she shared. “As a nanny, I’m teaching them, cooking with them, disciplining them, teaching manners, respect, and academics. I love bonding with kids and teaching them new things. Seeing the child connect with you and ask about you when you’re not there, makes it worth it for me. That to me is everything.”

One of her strengths is that she’s good at getting things done. In the words of one of her references: “She is very good at keeping the kids on task, keeping them focused on what they need to get done. She doesn’t let them run over her. She’s very loving but is very good at ‘Come on guys, lets get this done.’ Homework, shower, activities. She’s my best nanny for that. She’s reliable, gets stuff done, and when they get home they’ll know its done. I had another sitter who focused more on academics and another sitter who read all the time to them and got them into reading but maybe she didn’t empty the dishwasher all the time. With Briana, I’d come home, the kids were in their PJs, showered, dinner eaten and homework done.”

Another family described her strengths this way: “Playfulness, genuinely loves the kids, patient, respectful, positive with kids, makes them comfortable, puts them at ease, is a good disciplinarian.” This Mom shared with us that Briana made her life easier on several levels by cooking dinner, doing laundry, cleaned house, drove the kids to many activities, cleaned the fridge, and did any extra help needed. She even traveled to Florida with this family.

Briana is also very patient, and is skilled at making mundane events special. She keeps checklists and is organized and prepared. She researches educational activities and comes in on Monday mornings with a plan. Confident, fun and smart, she has a double  BA in Law and Public Affairs plans to start law school in 2015 or 2016. Since she’ll be working full time and taking night school classes, Briana is able to give a family a five to six year commitment with gradually decreasing hours. Perfect for a young family as kids start school and then only need an after school nanny. Most of her experience is with ages newborn to four years. Briana was recently placed in a full-time nanny manager position with a family with a six month old baby in North Scottsdale. Keep up the good work, Briana!

 

Beth Weise

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