Parent Observation

Parent Observation will be offering classes for Nannies and children 2- 3 year olds. The child and the Nanny spend one session a week together in a nursery school with the parent observing and participating. There will be a class discussion at the end of each session. Parent Observation classes are part of the Parent Education Department of the MV-LA Adult School. For more information or to be added to their application mailing list, please call 650 968-9950.

DayOne

DayOne is a welcoming home away from home for expectant and new families. Providing support, education and essential products, DayOne makes navigating childbirth and parenting easier, less stressful and more fun! Make DayOne your place for pregnancy and parenting at one of our centers and online.

http://dayonecenter.com/

What Services Does A Baby Nurse Provide?

A baby nurse educates and supports parents, troubleshoots potential issues of concern and offers professional options to resolve them. She also:

1.  Understands the “postpartum phase” and supports the mother during this phase 2.  Promotes a smooth transition from pregnancy to ‘new family' lifestyle 3.  Educates and teaches parents to understand their newborn in terms of his or her      development and idiosyncrasies 4.  Understands the newborn's needs and care routines 5.  Facilitates newborn breastfeeding 6. Anticipates issues of concern and poses solutions 7.  Is attentive, focused and alert in caring for the baby 8.  Communicates about the baby's daily or nightly routines including feeding, sleep and behavior patterns. 9. She will specialize in : mulitples, preemies, scheduling, breastfeeding, sleep training, reflux, colic, bottle feeding, medical needs, consultations and much more.

Is a Baby Nurse Worth the Cost?

I had a conversation with someone the other day about whether we were happy with using a baby nurse. When we first returned home from the hospital, we used a baby nurse for the next 10 days. They are expensive - most cost over $200 per day...but, we were fortunate to get it as a gift from our family (something expecting parents might want to ask for). The advantages of having one significantly outweighed the disadvantages for us.

Some benefits of having a baby nurse:

• Getting us on a schedule for feeding, napping, bath, and bed time - #1 benefit


• Demonstrating different techniques for holding, swaddling, and comforting


• Great sounding board for the trillion questions you have during this steep learning curve


• They are not your family - gives you some breathing room


• Enables you take some naps during the day and sleep late in the morning in the middle of a sleep deprived and stressful time


• Use them as a babysitter at night if you want to break away for a quiet dinner or catch a flick

The downside:

• Very costly (daily cost + food expenses)


• You are not alone & it gets crowded (apartments in NYC are small enough...even smaller with another adult staying over)


• You may become too reliant on baby nurse which makes it harder when they leave

Our baby nurse was amazing - She was professional, knowledgeable, and was very loving to our son. It was tight in the apartment at times, especially when we had visitors. You have an additional stranger sleeping over, eating with you at dinner and breakfast, and watching tv. It was a strange experience! As first time parents, I would recommend looking into hiring a baby nurse or at least having a family member on hand for the first few weeks.
Curious to hear some stories on how you got through the first two weeks...

Domestic Couple Job Description

The role of the domestic couple is to provide domestic services to another individual or family in that family’s home.  Like many couples jobs, the duties would typically be split between the indoor and outdoor duties.

Typical household duties:

• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Ironing/Laundry
• Childcare/Nanny

Typical exterior duties:

• Gardening/Lawn Care
• Driving
• Home Maintenance

In more formal or affluent settings, the couple might also be called upon to perform serving functions during meals or social events. There is also the possibility of traveling between different households that the employing couple or individual may own, in completely different parts of the country (or even internationally).

While a couple with the basic aptitude for this work has more than adequate experience to handle this type of work, obviously a formally trained butler/chef couple would command more salary.

Besides the technical skills required to perform as a domestic couple, the psychological aspects of the job need to be considered.  The domestic couple normally resides in the home of another family, in a service capacity.  This job is not for everyone.  That being said, when there is a good fit between the employer and the domestic couple, this can be an extraordinarily satisfying arrangement lasting many years.

Because of the very close working dynamic of this field, it is important that both parties make sure that there is a good understanding of expectations on both parts.  The duties, hours, compensation, etc. need to be very clearly outlined and understood by both sides prior to the commencement of employment.  This will avert any misunderstandings after the fact.

This field typically pays very well, with a nice salary, sometimes fantastic benefits, housing, meals, utilities, and occasionally even transportation being provided.  When the family travels, many times the domestic couple would be required to travel with the family, thus affording them the opportunity to squeeze in some sight-seeing of their own at the employer’s expense.

When applying or interviewing for a position as a domestic couple, be prepared for a thorough background, employment and reference check.  This is a field where longevity with one employer is especially important, as you are basically becoming a member of the household.  Job-hoppers need not apply.

The Duties and Responsibilities of a Head Houseman Read more: The Duties and Responsibilities of a Head Houseman | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7621340_duties-responsibilities-head-houseman.html#ixzz2ALZV08YC

1. Management

   • The position of head houseman generally implies that he is in charge of other housemen in the household or hotel. As a head houseman, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day chores assigned to the other housemen are completed. He is the person responsible for communicating with the employer regarding what work needs to be done.Generally, the head houseman will also communicate with other staff such as housekeepers, cook staff or personal assistants, regarding work matters.
     

   Cleaning

   • If a designated housekeeper is not kept on staff, a houseman may be responsible for general cleaning such as dusting, vacuuming and more. If a housekeeper is on staff, either in a home or hotel, the houseman may be required to assist her in cleaning duties should the need arise. Typically, a houseman is responsible for heavy cleaning to the exterior of the home for chores like cleaning exterior windows, concrete walkways and jobs of that nature.
     
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   Food Services

   • If cook staff is not kept on staff, the houseman may be required to cook and serve meals. He may be responsible for purchasing groceries and ensuring the food pantry is stocked at all times. In a home where cook staff normally completes these tasks, the houseman may be asked to assist the staff as needed. As a head houseman, he will be responsible for completing these tasks himself or assigning the duty to another qualified houseman.
     

   Maintenance and Repair

   • A houseman may be required to perform general maintenance duties such as cleaning appliance filters, landscaping duties and more. Many housemen will also be responsible for completing minor repairs that do not require the use of a professional contractor. The head houseman will be responsible for knowing which houseman on staff is qualified to complete these repairs and assign the duty accordingly.
     

   Bookkeeping and Inventory

   • Depending on the employer, the houseman may be responsible for taking inventory of certain household supplies and general bookkeeping of such inventories. It is not uncommon for a houseman to be responsible for maintaining home or auto maintenance records or logs of household inventory for his employer.
     

Read more: The Duties and Responsibilities of a Head Houseman | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7621340_duties-responsibilities-head-houseman.html#ixzz2ALZSnOBK

The Advantages & Disadvantages of Housekeeping

By Kimberli Nalven, eHow Contributor

Residential housekeeping employees can come daily, weekly or live on site.

The idea of having a housekeeping service sounds like a time-saving dream. The reality of having a housekeeping service is that there are advantages and disadvantages. The bottom line is that housekeeping services are only as good as the effort you personally put in to finding, securing and maintaining that relationship. It starts with knowing your expectations, doing your research and staying involved with the housingkeeping service you select. Does this Spark an idea?

Read more: The Advantages & Disadvantages of Housekeeping | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8207720_advantages-disadvantages-housekeeping.html#ixzz29h3ZyG8I

1. Time Advantages

   • 

     Unquestionably, maintaining a household requires a significant amount of time and energy. Depending upon the size of the home and number of people living there, some living spaces can take a lot of time to keep clean. Since housekeeping is more than just tiding up, having a service to regularly mop, vacuum, dust and scrub is a great way to reduce the household time demands you may face. In addition, when there are special events or unusual messes to deal with, a housekeeping service can be available to save preparation and cleanup time.
     

   Organizational Advantages

   • 

     A housekeeping service can be a tremendous advantage if you have trouble with organization or if you have high expectations for wanting to maintain it. A regular housekeeper will be tasked with keeping things orderly, putting stray items where they belong and organizing items that lack a designated spot. If your service comes just periodically, you'll find you have to pay more for the service if you don't pick up and put away before the housekeeping service comes. If they are simply tasked with cleaning, the job will take less time and typically will cost less.
     
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   Privacy Disadvantages

   • Whether your housekeeping service comes bi-monthly, weekly, daily or lives on the property, having a housekeeper that is not a family member in your private home on a regular basis can feel like a disruption to your privacy. Conversations are open to another individual and disagreements can be witnessed by someone you may not want to see or hear them. In addition, your private possessions are accessible and even maintained by someone who may be little more than an acquaintance.
     

   Technique Disadvantages

   • 

     Everyone has different ideas of how and to what extent things should be cleaned. Leaving your household cleaning to a housekeeper, in some senses, mean relinquishing a portion of your control of how things will be done. A detailed list of what needs to be done and on what time schedule will help reduce the disappointment you may have when a housekeeper does not tend house in the same way you would. It also requires preparation on your part, ahead of time, to make sure the housekeeper uses the products you prefer and that you have a means for communicating any unacceptable results.
     

Read more: The Advantages & Disadvantages of Housekeeping | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8207720_advantages-disadvantages-housekeeping.html#ixzz29h3WwAnN