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| Celebrating nannies – it's Nanny Appreciation Week |
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October 31st to November 6th is Nanny Appreciation Week. Organised by the Australian Nannies Association (ANA), the awareness week exists to celebrate the amazing work that nannies do in helping to care for Australian children.
With the introduction of the Nanny Pilot Programme earlier this year, subsidising nanny care for families, nannies are becoming a more viable child care option for families across Australia. The programme aims to make care available to those families that would struggle to secure care for their children in typical early childhood services, either due to erratic work hours or location.
The ANA is hosting a number of picnics in cities across the country to say thanks to nannies for their hard work. You can find out details of events in your local area via their Facebook page.
Nannies often work in isolation, and are sometimes new to an area, so these picnics are a great opportunity for the nanny community to come together and for nannies to meet other nannies within their locality.
If you have a nanny and would like to say thanks, here are 30 great ways to make your 'Mary Poppins' feel special:
- Pay for their first aid renewal or a professional development course.
- Have the children write thank you notes and hide them strategically around the house for her/him to find.
- Let a live-in nanny sleep in on a day you can go to work late.
- Treat her/him with a spa voucher or a deluxe movie ticket
- Give a surprise paid day off.
- Have the children surprise her/him with a breakfast in bed (or have breakfast waiting for a live-out nanny).
- Turn the tables and have the children pamper and care for her/him for a few hours.
- Put some money towards a gym membership or evening class.
- Design a treasure hunt for your nanny – with small tokens of appreciation or chocolates around the house with clues on where to find them.
- Surprise her/him with a bunch of flowers or something yummy to eat.
- Create a photo album of special times with the children.
- Throw a small party, and invite your nanny's friends.
- Organise a child-free date with other nanny friends.
- Buy her/him a new bag to carry around all those child care essentials.
- Book a babysitter and take your nanny out for dinner or drinks.
- Get a gift certificate for your nanny’s favourite store.
- Have the children create a short family video – sing a song, do a show, share a thank you.
- Fill the cupboards with special snacks and treats.
- As a family, write a list of all the reasons your nanny is the best nanny and hold a presentation ceremony.
- Have the children make your nanny a special gift.
- Give an unexpected bonus. It doesn’t have to be a lot, a bit of extra pocket money goes a long way.
- If there is a chore your nanny really dislikes, give her/him a week off from that chore
- If your nanny is a live-out nanny, invite them to family dinner.
- Treat your nanny to a talent show, where all the children (and parents!) perform. Your nanny can vote and choose the winner just like Australia's Got Talent!
- If your nanny likes to exercise, make a music playlist to take to the gym.
- If your nanny is a live-in, buy something nice to decorate her/his room.
- Have the children make a coupon book, which your nanny can redeem for a hug, breakfast in bed, and a lie-in.
- If your nanny is live-in, allow him/her to relax while you make dinner for everyone and get the kids to bed.
- Have the children draw a picture of their nanny and their happiest moment together.
- Simply take the time to say thank you.
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