100 Tips for Nannies and Families

According to the Random House dictionary, emotional intelligence is defined as the “skill in perceiving, understanding, and managing emotions and feelings.”  People who understand what they feel, why they feel as they do, and can shape their feelings and how they manifest in behaviors are thought to possess emotional intelligence.  Emotional intelligence is at the heart of healthy self-knowledge.  Emotional intelligence is […]

We at Care4hire.com think most parents are very safety-conscious.  Well-meaning family members, who may not be as keenly aware of the abilities and habits of the recipient children, sometimes shop for fun-looking or media-hyped toys without thinking about the age-appropriateness of the toy.  Most store-bought toys bear suggested age ranges on their packaging or labeling.  For example, a toy may […]

Grandparents’ Day is a day to celebrate grandparents and thank them for all that they mean to (and do for) their grandchildren.  Here are some things that families can do in recognition of this special day. Family Crafts Handmade greeting cards from grandchildren Photographs of grandchildren in handmade frames (i.e., popsicle stick sunflower frames, construction […]

Babysitters used to be almost exclusively female, male babysitters have become more common in recent years.  What are the benefits of hiring a male babysitter? A male babysitter can be a masculine role model in a household without a father-figure. A male babysitter may be able to connect with and relate to the kids in […]

You’re tired.  The baby just went down for a nap.  The house is a mess.  You’ve got spit-up milk on your shirt.  You’re pretty sure you smell like the diaper you changed not five minutes ago.  This is not the time to be going out and about, running errands and accomplishing tasks outside your home, […]

Creativity: in Western culture, we see it more frequently among kids than adults.  The pressures of adulthood in our society, the way we educate our kids, and much more contribute to the marked decline in creativity as most of us mature from infancy to adulthood.  Further, studies show that creativity among kids in our culture […]

Modern parents know that growing up without access to technology is a thing of the past.  The I-grew-up-just-fine-without-a-computer-and-my-kids-can-too flow of logic no longer applies in a world with computer use required in students’ daily schoolwork, safety hazards that can be mitigated by cell phone use, etc.  Therefore, it is no longer a question of whether […]

Dr. Anne Fernauld, a psychology professor from Stanford University, has been studying the language acquisition skills of babies, toddlers, and early elementary-aged children.  Her studies have generated some interesting findings, among them, that parents baby-talking to their infants is contraindicated for child language development.  Dr. Fernauld makes the following recommendations to parents of infants and […]

We often hear about how, with everyone’s hectic schedules, families don’t enjoy much together-time anymore.  Movie nights, in which families gather ‘round the television to watch a DVD/Blu-ray movie, are ways families can have fun together-time on a budget.  Here are some ways to maximize the family fun to be had on movie nights. Choose […]

Entertaining toddlers can be a lot of work, but it can also be great fun for parents and toddlers alike.  Here are a few tips for creating outstanding entertaining ideas for your toddlers. *Consider your goals.  Pure entertainment? Education and entertainment?  Development of fine motor skills and entertainment?  Do you want the entertainment to be […]