A day in the life of a nanny by Carolina Martinez

6th June 2017

A day in the life of a nanny can be very different, depending on whether you are a live in, live out, an au pair or mother’s help, but the schedule would be similar in every case. I have always been a live out nanny so I’ll explain to you what a normal day in the life of a nanny is.

Your day typically starts around 7:30am when the children are maybe still sleeping or having breakfast. Your first task is to help with breakfast time, wash up the dishes and get the kids ready for school or activities.

My week is full of an abundance of activities for the little ones. We have a very busy schedule which we love. We always have a planned activity in the mornings and I leave afternoons for playdates or trips to the playground, weather permitting. One morning we have rhyme time at the library, another is Spanish sing-along, interactive story time, a music session and soft play or gymnastics. These children have already had more physical activities than me in my whole life!

Once the kids are ready you may have time before the activity so the little ones can play with their toys while you put on some laundry, get things ready for lunch or help them to build the highest tower ever. It’s then time to pack a bag with nappies, wipes, snack, drinks, extra clothes and go! Of course, once you think you are ready to leave there is always a chance for a meltdown or a timely nappy present. I advise to always leave a bit of extra time for last minute accidents before you actually want to leave.

Your morning goes fast whilst playing with the children before it’s time to come back home for lunch and nap time. Lunch is usually around 12 and nap from 1 to 3pm. I normally have lunch ready in the freezer so all I need to do is defrost it before getting them to eat it, then it’s time for a rest for everyone! So, bottles ready, nappy change and nap time. Nap time is always busy for a nanny as we always have something to do for example the kids’ laundry, cook additional meals etc. It is also the time when I have my lunch and to have a break before they wake up. When you work 11-12 hours per day with little ones is very important to sit down and have a rest to recover some energy for the afternoon.

Once they wake up around 3 pm it’s time to play again. Afternoons are normally the time for playdates with other children and their nannies, maybe at home or at the playground. The children have two hours to play before dinner time. The schedule depends a lot on the weather as well. In winter, we normally do things at home in the afternoon like crafts, our Spanish workbook, puzzles, etc. When the weather is nice we spend our afternoon at the playground or just having a nice walk or sometimes picnic at the park for dinner which is nice.

At 5pm it’s time to start getting dinner ready as they normally eat at 5:30 pm. This is something that still surprises me as it is so different to the schedule in Spain! After dinner is bath time. Bath time after dinner is the best idea ever. They get clean from dinner and relax whilst playing in the water. They normally get a spa treatment with cream and massage before their pyjamas go on. So lucky!

6:30-7pm is time for story time before going to bed. I love this part of the day when they are relaxed and you have a nice time together reading stories before getting ready for a long night’s sleep… hopefully! 7pm is bottle and bedtime for little ones and the time for me to go home and rest before the next day begins.

My name is Carolina and I am a Spanish Nursery teacher working as a nanny in London. Please follow me on my bilingual blog www.nannystyle.com for more ideas, tips, and recipes.