Tara93

About Me

I am a BSc Psychology and Sociology graduate living in Hither Green with my husband, daughter and border collie. We love the local area and greatly enjoy taking our daughter out to local parks, playgroups and generally enjoying all that London has to offer for children and families.

I have nearly 15years of nanny experience, and after having my daughter late last year I am now exploring options for returning to work, ideally bringing her with me although I do have some flexibility in this.
Throughout my nannying career I have largely worked in nannyshare arrangements and have years of experience meeting the needs of not only children of different ages but from different families, with different parenting styles and priorities.

Child development has long been a keen interest of mine and through my work I love engaging children in imaginative and creative play to stimulate their growth. I am a firm believer in learning through play and my nannying style reflects this. Throughout my degree I focused on child development and education modules. I am, therefore, able to guide your child in age appropriate play in order to facilitate development and able to create learning opportunities sparked by the child’s own interests and desires. Don’t be surprised if you come home to find us using the recycling to build habitats for stuffed animals or carrying out science experiments to reinforce the importance of handwashing.

I believe strongly in providing children with a calm and supportive environment in order to teach them independence and confidence to take on whatever challenges they come across. Firm but fair is how I would describe my nannying approach, I feel children thrive when provided with secure boundaries but also think that one cannot expect respect from a child unless they are willing to reciprocate and will always explain why a rule is in place and encourage discussion if a child feels something is unfair. I don’t believe in punishments but prefer natural consequences or redirection. For example, a child who bites perhaps needs a teething toy to chew on for pain relief or sensory input. A child who is throwing toys may need the natural consequences of having a hard toy removed and replaced with a soft one.

My husband is French and we follow OPOL with our daughter, so although my own French is not as strong as I would like I am able to help with French homework or offer additional support in a French speaking household.

I would love to talk further with any families who feel I might be a good fit for their needs.
I am also very happy to discuss the logistics of how it might work to bring my own daughter along with me. I have long espoused the benefits of nanny shares to employers and feel that a nanny with their own child only heightens these benefits as you retain all the benefits of a nanny and the socialising benefits of a nanny share while removing the logistical difficulty that nanny shares can sometimes bring managing the needs of three parties.