Jitka Nova

The role was a mixture of tasks and responsibilities. I was working independently ensuring the household ran smoothly on a day to day basis. Lulu and Lena were 10 and 12 years old at the start of this position. Usually I would pick the girls up from school and drive them to their after school activities and dentist/orthodontist appointments. I was responsible for managing and booking the girls' appointments. My other duties were to keep the house tidy on a daily basis; doing the laundry, loading and emptying the dishwasher, supervising and paying the cleaner, maintaining a clean house during the week, scheduling the gardener's visits, managing weekly online food shopping, running errands like to the dry cleaners, post office and small food shop; taking cars to the mechanic, filling the car with petrol, overseeing small household repairs and finding the tradesmen for the jobs - electrician, plumber, handyman etc. Also I was assisting the family with PA tasks like setting up accounts and regular orders, sorting out online returns, sending reminders of the girls’ appointments to the parents, wrapping up presents, etc. I enjoyed the variety and responsibilities involved in this role and would be open to similar positions in the future.

The 4 days per week nanny share set up involved looking after Alys (21 months) and Theo (14 months), and occasionally after Aly's older brother Idris (3 years) when his nursery was closed. The challenge of this share were the girls’ very different personalities, needs and likes. I was helping the girls with the concept of sharing, taking turns, being patient and nice to each other. I helped to establish a good sleeping routine, cooked healthy meals and assisted Alys' parents with her potty training. We did loads of outdoor activities as that was something both girls enjoyed. We went to the parks, playgrounds, museums, playgroups, soft plays, singing classes at the library and we had loads of fun playdates. The girls made a lovely friendship with two similar aged girls from a different nanny share set up my nanny friend was working in. I developed positive and trusting relationships with Theo and Alys and we had such lovely, fun times together! Naturally I was very sad to leave them when both of the girls went to the nursery. I have a very good relationship with both of the families and I am still in touch with them.

This temporary role involved looking after twins Roxy and Cassidy (10 months old) every Friday while they were waiting for an additional available day at their childminder where the twins were already attending 3 days per week. They very lively, physical and very physically able babies/toddlers. They were constantly on the move! I took them to parks, playgrounds, libraries and playgroups. I prepared lunch and bottles for them, and then put them down for their afternoon sleep. They were fussy sleepers, taking a while to go down and crying a lot! They required a lot of settling down. They bonded with me quickly and I got them into a good sleeping routine. It was great fun and an experience to look after them. They had very cheeky and joyful personalities.

I spent over 14 years working with the family looking after Laura from when she was 5 months old and then her younger sister Bessie from 3 months old. I worked in all different arrangements and set ups as the girls were growing up and the needs of the family were changing. I went through all the girl's developmental milestones of the infancy, toddler, school aged children to teenagers stages. I started as a mother's help, then I was a sole charge nanny and we did a few nanny shares as well. I did all the usual baby and toddler activities with the girls. As the girls were getting older, I assisted with the family's different needs involving things like running errands to the dry cleaners, taking the car to the mechanic, doing weekly food shopping, cooking for the whole family, walking their dog Rocky, taking Rocky to the groomers. Then I would pick the girls up from school, drive them to their school activities - swimming, ballet, gymnastics, diving etc... doctor or dentist appointments, hairdresser appointments, buying school shoes or PE kits, supervising homework, picking up the girls from play dates or dropping off their friends back home if they were at ours. Quite often we took turns with the girls’ friends' mums to pick them up from school and take them to their activities, so I would often drive 3 girls around. The girls also liked to get involved and help with cooking or we baked sometimes together. I spent a few days outside London at their countryside house in Hawkhurst during the summer holiday looking after the girls while their parents were working in London. Sometimes I would look after the girls on Saturdays during the day and babysit them on various evenings when the parents went out. I slept over proxy parenting on a few occasions while the parents were away on their trips. It was an incredible journey and a very special time for me being part of their lives from when they were babies and being there through all their developmental milestones seeing the girls growing up. We had a strong, loving bond with the girls and I felt like part of the family.

I was looking after Bea (1 year old) and her brother Hector (3 years old) from October and Frances (11 months old) joined us in November in a nanny share set up. Bea and Hector were fussy eaters. Bea was refusing any solids and was

still co-sleeping with her parents. The kids had not much of an established routine and their behaviour could be challenging as a result. This role required a big amount of patience and resilience to help them with the transition from being solely cared for by their mum to being cared for by me. I introduced solids to Bea, established a good sleeping routine during the day and comforted her during stressful events and separation anxiety ensuring her emotional well-being. It took a lot of patience and care to make Bea feel safe and secure. It took a few months for Bea to feel secure and comfortable to start sleeping by herself during the day. She went from resisting her naps, to sleeping very little to loving her daily naps! Once she started eating solids and sleeping better, she became a very happy, energetic little girl and I was so proud of her. I used to do Hector’s morning nursery/school drop offs and afternoon pick ups. Frances was already in a very good routine and was in good routine. I upheld her reliable routine to minimise any stress and anxiety. Once the kids got used to the nanny share they all got on very well and we had a lot of fun and laughter together. The position came to an end when both girls went to the nursery.

I was employed by Fionnuala and Matt as a nanny to their two boys Elis and Lorcan, who were of the age of 11 months and 3 years at the start of the employment. My duties were to care for the two boys, doing nursery/school runs, taking Elis to various activities in the mornings; organising playdates for both boys, taking them to the parks, museums, cycling, helping Lorcan with his homework including reading, spelling and maths; cooking healthy meals, giving the boys a bath in the evening and putting them to bed on Wednesday evenings when Matt and Fionnuala went out. I drove their car to take the boys to tennis, football or to birthday parties during the half term and summer holidays. Often I was looking after Joseph, Lorcan's friend, schoolmate and neighbour. I was helping out Libby, Joseph's mum, to take Joseph to school with us in the mornings or pick him up after school and have him over for a playdate. On some occasions l would look after his little sister Claudia as well having them all four in my care. We were on very good terms with our neighbour Libby and helped each other out a lot. Very often I was responsible for other of Lorcan's friends having them over for playdates without the presence of their parents or carer. We worked together with the parents as a team to set boundaries and routines to promote positive behaviour in the boys. Lorcan grew to be more independent, a very happy and bright boy in my care. At the start of my employment Lorcan would not take his clothes and shoes off or put them on, he refused to brush his teeth, he would not scoot or even walk, wanting to be on a buggy board all the time. I took great pride in seeing Lorcan doing all these things without having tantrums within a few months after I started looking after him. We established a very comfortable, trusting relationship with Lorcan and everything became easier and more fun. I was responsible for taking Elis to various activities and was trusted to make my own judgement on what activities were suitable or he would enjoy. Sadly this employment came to the end when Elis went full time to the nursery in September. I had two amazing years working for Fionnuala and Matt. Looking after the boys I was able to extend my work experience and develop my abilities as part of the team, being fully trusted and respected. I felt like a part of the family and miss them all dearly. I helped Fionnuala and Matt to look after the boys or to babysit them a few times after the position came to an end and I am still in touch with Fionnuala, and even their lovely cleaner Lydia.

I looked after Grace and Thomas (both 1 year old) as part of a nanny share set between two families alternating the houses on a weekly basis. My main responsibility was to focus on their development and stimulate them according to their developmental stages, taking them to the various playgroups, singing/dancing classes, organising playdates, taking them to the parks and playgrounds. Thomas and Grace became good friends with similarly aged boys Bert and Rupert, whose nannies I met on the playground. The families maintained their friendships even after I stopped working for them. I cooked healthy and nutritional meals from scratch and also did batch cooking for the freezer. I developed a reliable daily routine to support the children's development and happiness. Thomas was at the first stage of weaning when I started to look after him. He had had an operation on his intestines shortly after he was born and had very strong reflux, therefore he was sick very often and didn't want to eat. He was under the care of a dietician. I put a great amount of patience and care into his weaning to develop and establish a good relationship with food and eating habits. I was so proud of Thomas for how well he had done since then and he became a very happy and energetic little boy who started to enjoy his meals. This nanny share arrangement came to an end as Sue got pregnant and gave birth to Emily in September 2013 and they did not need a nanny any more from January 2014. She had decided to stay at home for at least one year to look after Emily and Grace. I did some day and evening babysitting for both of the families after my employment with them had officially finished. We were in touch for some time and we met a few times to say hello.

I worked with the agency for over 7 years taking up to five baby sitting jobs per week. I worked with many children of different ages. The youngest I looked after was a 5 months old baby. I used to put them to bed, read stories, take them to parks or museums, feed them, play and entertain them. There were a few families I used to babysit for frequently as they requested for me to come back. I have gained invaluable experience in developing my intuition and a great skill set for dealing with children in situations like waking up in the middle of the night and seeing me for the first time.

This position was a 3 month nanny cover role looking after one year and half old triplets Sid, Xia and Zhen Zhu while their nanny had to leave the job due to her father's terminal illness. I had sole charge of the triplets, taking them on outings to the parks, playing with them, cooking for them, putting them down for their naps, giving them a bath and occasionally babysitting them in the evening. It was a fantastic and different experience being able to observe the strong bond they had between them. They were very friendly and sociable and bonded with me very quickly. It was very sad to leave them so soon as it was only a temporary position. I exchanged a few emails with the family to stay in touch after the position came to an end and I bumped into Matthew on Lordship Lane a few years back and got to see the triplets all grown up and to say hello to them.

I had Dexter and Beatrix in my care from when they were 6 months old as part of a nanny share scheme between the two families, while I still continued working for Siri on Fridays looking after Bessie and Laura. Dexter and Beatrix quickly bonded with me and recognised me as their carer. I was responsible for establishing a reliable daily routine supporting their wellbeing and development, feeding them their milk and for their weaning. I guided them through their walking learning process and all their development stages taking them on outings, to different playgroups and activities. I used to organise play dates for them to interact with other children of similar ages once they got a bit older. I helped them to navigate the concept of sharing and stepped in to resolve their first conflicts. We loved reading stories and playing together. I cooked healthy, well balanced meals and they both became very good eaters. I was responsible for taking Dexter to his GP when he was ill or for his regular health check-ups as the parents had very busy work schedules. Sadly one of the families moved further away and the parents decided to put the children in nursery after that.

I looked after Nerys (9 months old) and Myfanwy (3 years old) three days a week while I still looked after Laura and Bess on the other days of the week. Myfanwy was at the nursery and then went to school from September 2010. I would drive her to and from school using the family car. Before that, Myfanwy used to cycle to the nursery on her bike without balancing wheels. Occasionally we cycled together while her dad watched Nerys until I got back on the days he went to work a bit later. I took Nerys to the playgroups, soft play, Horniman museum, the library, parks and organised play dates. On school holidays I used to look after both of them. One of my responsibilities was to prepare simple, healthy meals and change their bedding. Sometimes I looked after Nerys, Myfanwy and Laura together, or after Nerys and Bess (Laura's little sister). I used to babysit for the family in the evening on a regular basis. The job finished when Nerys went full time to the nursery. I used to see the mum and the girls around quite often bumping into them on the street or at the weekly ballet as the girls went to the same ballet as Laura and Bess, whom I still looked after. It was always very nice to see them and say hello and see how the girls were growing up.

Alice was 10 months old when she joined us as part of a nanny share scheme, which took place at Laura's home four days a week - 2 days with Alice, and the other 2 days with Gabriel. I used to take them out to the park, to various activities and playgroups, feed them, change their nappies, play with them, read them stories and have a lot of fun together! Siri took a few months break from the nanny share due to her staying at home with newborn Bess and not needing as much help until she started to work again. Jorge and Raquel asked me to keep working for them and they found a new family to continue the 2 day nanny share set up looking after Alice and Teo. Teo was 12 months old at that time. The contract was for half a year as Alice's mum was pregnant and was going to stay at home with the baby from June and some time after that they were going to move back to their home in Portugal to provide a better quality of life for their children. I agreed happily as I always enjoyed looking after Alice and was on very good terms with Jorge and Raquel and it fitted in well with my other part time job. The nanny share took place at Alice's home. I used to prepare healthy meals, take them out to the playgroups, parks, Horniman Museum, library, play with them and organise play dates. Occasionally Laura would join us when Siri needed a bit of extra help in those few months before I went to work for her again. Alice had a strong bond with me and we were in touch with the family via email for some time after they moved back to Portugal.

Gabriel (18 months) joined me and Laura in a nanny share set up between three families. I looked after Laura 4 days a week and Gabriel would be with us on 2 of those days. I had to cook meat and dairy-free meals following Gabriel's mum's special diet. I would occasionally babysit Gabriel in the evening at his home, otherwise the nanny share took place at Laura's home. Gabriel didn't understand much and didn't speak any English when he joined us, his parents spoke to him in Polish and Spanish only. His English improved significantly in these five months in my care. I looked after Gabriel for a couple of months outside the nanny share set up. Unfortunately I had to leave because the family refused to provide me with a contract and pay taxes.

In this role my duty was to look after Oscar(11 months old) and also after his older sister Bella (3 years old) during nursery holidays for four mornings and one evening on a weekly basis. I was responsible for preparing healthy meals, feeding them, keeping them happy and active. We used to play together and read stories. I gave them a bath in the evening and put them down to sleep. I took Oscar to different play groups, activities and to the parks. I met the family through the Childminders and Sitters agency I used to work for as a babysitter. I was happy working for the family, having a very nice relationship with the parents. I had a great time with the kids whom I loved dearly and they loved me back. The duration of the contract for this job was only one year while the family was waiting for their visa to move to the USA. Although the mum was at home most of the time, it was mainly a sole charge position. The mum was very busy sorting out and organising their move to the USA. I have very fond memories of them all and I am still in touch with the family via email, post, Skype and facebook.

I took care of Timmy from when he was 7 years old. One of my duties was to prepare breakfast for him and walk him to school. Later in the afternoon I collected him from school, prepared an afternoon snack and spent time with him before his parents returned from work. I also looked after Timmy's friend Oscar frequently. He used to come over 2-3 times a week. During the school holidays I took care of Timmy and also his older, deaf sister Martha, who was otherwise at boarding school. Occasionally I would babysit them in the evening. Timmy was a very shy boy when I met him, not engaging in conversation. He did very well and his communication skills greatly improved in my care and we became very good friends. I stopped looking after Timmy when he was 11 years old when he went to secondary school.

I lived with the family for two years and five months looking after their children Charlotte (3 years) and Joe (5 years). I used to bathe them in the evenings, dress them in the mornings, feed them, walk them to school and back, take them swimming, to the library, playgrounds and different activities, read books and put them to bed when babysitting. My duties also included doing the laundry, cleaning and occasional shopping. I always ensured fairness in resolving conflicts between them. I had a great time with the kids and had a very nice, loving relationship with them. This was originally a one year position. I loved the children, so I stayed on longer after the parents asked me to extend my contract. After almost 2 and half years with them I felt it was time to move on and progress into the position of live-out nanny and decided to leave to seek this as my full time career.