Nannying is undoubtedly the best job I’ve ever had.  I truly love nannying.  Nonetheless, there are still tough days with kids, and more frequently, tough moments.  The best nannies and the sweetest kiddos still have conflict, challenges, bad moods, and miscommunication.  Here are five reminders that have helped me get through those extra tough moments […] The post Five Things to Remember in the Tough Moments with Kids appeared first on Sproutable ..read more

I’ve always been drawn towards working with young children, and I simply don’t have as much experience with the older elementary crowd that I do with the littles.  Luckily, because of Positive Discipline, I know that my first step in caring for these 2nd, 3rd, & 4th graders is to focus on building connection.  The […] The post 8 Fun Things to do with an 8 Year Old appeared first on Sproutable ..read more

In Positive Discipline, we talk about “winning cooperation” from the children we work with. Why would we spend our time & extra effort on “winning cooperation” over just fostering obedience? Why do you want to win cooperation instead of winning the power struggle? The post Winning Cooperation or Winning a Power Struggle?  appeared first on Sproutable ..read more

We all fall into repetitive patterns of relating to our partner or our children. This is normal. I call them cycles of interaction, or cycles for short. These cycles can be positive and promote connection. These cycles can also feel like negative ruts that prevent connection, and leave us feeling frustrated with ourselves, with the other person, with the situation, or all of the above! The post How to Stop Negative Interaction Cycles in Relationships appeared first on Sproutable ..read more

Nothing can prepare you for that first time a nanny charge says hurtful things to you. You would think it gets easier but it never does. You are human after all, with feelings too. It is so hard to imagine that even at 3, 4 or 5 years old that vitriol will come out of […] The post When Kids Say Really Mean Things to Nannies appeared first on Sproutable ..read more

By the age of 3, your child has approached many amazing milestones. They are scootering, potty training, running, hopping, even coloring and telling jokes and stories. With all this development comes a price- nap strike! It is common for children around the age of 3 (usually right before) to “drop the nap.” Don’t be fooled! Their brain is processing so much they just can’t turn it off. For some families, this is never an issue and your little one will happily nap until they skip off to kindergarten. My oldest did this, ostensibly as a reward for the torture I endured when she was a colicky b ..read more

A huge tenet of Positive Discipline is building & nurturing the relationship between you and the child(ren) you care for.  We call this connection.  Some connection-building is instant and easy: you’ll end up bonding with just about any child in your circle, but if you find yourself in power struggles or asking “why aren’t they listening to me?” then it’s time to focus on building connection.  Faith Collins, who wrote “Joyful Toddlers and Preschoolers,” one of our favorite parenting books here at Sproutable, says that, “Most of the time, when children say no to us, what t ..read more

Something we’re always coming back to in Positive Discipline are the long-term goals and the traits we hope to see in the kiddos we care for once they reach adulthood.  One life skill that I choose to focus on is being flexible.  I’m not always the most flexible person in the room, and on occasion, I can miss out on something fun because I wasn’t being flexible enough.  The good news for me, though, is that working with children gives me lots of opportunities to model, practice, and grow my own flexibility muscles.  Since I know flexibility is a life skill that’s importan ..read more

I went down a slide last week and ended up having a huge realization that I haven’t stopped thinking about since.  I was with my two nanny kiddos at a trampoline park, and we were having a total blast.  Unlike me, they’re both natural athletes and love being at the trampoline park.  I was following them, watching them do all kinds of crazy flips & jumps, and snapping pics to send to their parents when they started asking me if I wanted to go down the big slide. I wasn’t sure what to think, but I figured why not?  I try to say yes as often as I can, and I like to model ..read more

One of my all-time favorite Positive Discipline books is “Positive Discipline Parenting Tools” which Dr. Jane Nelsen wrote with two of her adult children, Mary Tamborski & Brad Ainge.  This book breaks down each of the 49 unique tools that we use in Positive Discipline with stories & examples.  While this book is written with parents in mind, the content and all of the tools are relevant and applicable to nannies & other caregivers too.   Chapter 1 is called “The Basics,” and it includes some foundational Positive Discipline strategies. Here are some of my own ..read more