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You know, our website has always been a source of immense pride for me. Every word, page, article and piece of information has been created with love, thought and of course always keeping in mind that it should be easy for our clients to use.
I was beyond chuffed when Leroux from Artificial Studio sent me a mail that Louise at www.eduwrite.org had sent to him about Sitters4U’s website.
Hi there
I have just been using sitters4u. What a well-designed website! Usually these database-driven sites are slow, confusing and cumbersome. This site is a breeze.
All the best
Louise Sterling
Thank you Louise! You made my day.
Today I have to admit I have been feeling a little under the weather. Both my daughter and I have been at home, sick , and of course hubby isn’t feeling a thing, yet. I think I pulled through the day in fine form though.First there was coaxing my daughter to stay in bed, which was difficult but we survived with a few books, some drawing and more coaxing. Work was another story altogether… and I feel its my duty to tell you why, even though my head was throbbing and my temperature a little above normal, it was a great day!
What made it such a great day? Well normally its happy clients and candidates that make my work rewarding but let me bring your attention for a moment, and my praise, to a company that worked wonders with a smile for one of our clients this morning. About 2 days ago the client contacted me and told me she would be flying to Cape Town and would require a babysitter over the weekend. We sorted out for her booking for her quite quickly and then early this morning, she called. She had just landed at the airport and had to hire a vehicle but then she had a bit of a shock. She realised she did not have a car seat for her 14 month old son.
Frankly, I’m a little surprised to find that vehicle rental companies do not have car seats available for rent, apparently they don’t ( I know shocker right!). She called to ask me to find out if perhaps I knew of a place she could hire one from. Right off the bat I knew who to call…. Babylite , I found them a while ago and they are listed on our “Mom’s Link Directory”. They hire out a massive array of child related products including prams, car seats, baby monitors, toys , walkers, chairs, safety gates and more. Better yet is that they are everywhere from Cape Town, to Johannesburg, to Plett, to George, Durban and a long list of others.
To take some pressure off the client though, I called on her behalf. I got through to Shawn from their northern suburbs branch. Now just so that you can understand the magnitude here, the client is staying in town centre which is quite a distance in Friday traffic from the northern suburbs ( at least an hour and a half, both ways). I asked Shawn to give her a call and assist. Shawn called her right away, took her requirements down and Babylite then delivered the car seat to her at her guest house. A little while later she called me to say thank you. What superb service! Shawn and Babylite, on behalf of our client and myself, a big thank you! You and your company really made my day!
Just an email we received recently that I thought too lovely to not share with you:
Hi Nicole, I just want to say thanks for the interview yesterday. I found your agency much more interested and helpful than previous agencies I have been to. You guys are really great. I look forward to joining your team. Have a great weekend. Siann
Thank you Siann, Welcome to the team and have a fantastic weekend!
Received this morning from one of our babysitting clients, a big thank you to Vanessa for trying our service and putting a smile on my dial!
Hi Bianca
We were very happy with Karen. Davrin took to her immediately and I had a lovely evening while they played, it was wonderful!
We will definitely ask for Karen again next time we need help with babysitting, she is great!
Thank you so much for the service you provide to all us exhausted mums!
Kind regards
Vanessa
I am ecstatic! Finally, months of work, sleepless nights and barely any social activity finally bears fruit…I am watching as I am typing this, our new website go live. Features include forms for every service, navigation that ensures you know where you are always, and some other wonderful features on our Content Management. Over 200 pages all neatly tucked into their individual spaces and all fully, easily navigable!
Like I said I am ecstatic. Check it out www.sitters4u.co.za
This weekend we will be hosting the Pediatric First Aid course in Midrand, we still have space available, so if you are keen to join sign up by clicking here now.
Water safety is of extreme importance at this time of the year. More children die from drowning in South Africa than vehicle accidents, statistics report approximately 3 children die daily from drowning and more than 2 per week in pools at home. So this should make it severely obvious as to how important water safety is. Water is the silent killer and it can happen in front of your eyes in as little as 30 seconds, children playing underwater games in the pool, or running around the pool, swimming in a river or ocean after lunch, a strong current, that’s as little as it can take, I personally drowned at age 2 and had to be given CPR by my mother ( this is one of the reasons I am so vigilant about first aid) So what can you do to protect your child?
Well to start off with no child under the age of 14 should be alone or even with peers in and around a pool, river, ocean or any body of water for that matter, not even children who are thoroughly competent swimmers. A small child can drown in only 4 cms of water so even the bathroom or a bucket can be fatal for our little ones. I urge parents, make sure that your child knows the dangers and never goes near water without you.
At home ensure to limit access to the pool and bathrooms, install a pool net and make sure that you have a pool alarm ( visit www.kindersafe.co.za or www.4akid.co.za , both pages are also accessible from our moms link directory on Sitters4U.co.za). Another thing one should be aware of , which a lot of parents do not think about, is warm water, I call it “warn water” and it is the most dangerous, drowning area, a jacuzzi, a bath, anywhere with hot water. Think about it, the hotter the water, the faster your heart rate and the greater the need for oxygen to the brain. In warm water it is easy to pass out, and drowning is far more damaging, you will be less likely to perform a successful Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR ( even if you are able to do CPR, the child will have irreparable brain trama and damage not to mention the rest of body). So always be with your children near water. Don’t swim after eating, and teach your children the dangers, talking to your child could save his or her life, even if they are the strongest swimmers they are not safe if you are not watching them.
Have a happy, safe, water fun filled summer folks! Till next time..
Bianca
This is actually an article I wrote a while ago for our website. You see I have found that no matter how good the au pair is , if the parents aren’t making the time to maintain the relationship with the au pair there is honestly no way its going to work in the end. Most of us often feel guilty for not having as much time as we would like to have with our kids, its easy to then live without rules and boundaries ( read our article about positive discipline). The au pair is not a replacement for you, she is instead a helper and needs your help and co operation to provide your children with the help you need. SO…
You have been through the interviews, you have asked the questions and found the au pair you have been looking for. Your children love her, she does a starling job. Maintaining this good relationship and a harmonious living space is of the utmost importance. There are always going to be moments when it is difficult to remember tact and compassion when emotions are in control. The question raised then, is how do you tackle difficult situations, how do you give feedback and communicate problems to your au pair whilst maintaining a good relationship with your au pair?
Tackling the issues:
- Take into account how your au pair usually reacts to feedback. Most au pairs tend to view all feedback as criticism and in most cases this is exactly what it has been. Changing this perception is up to you. If she seems to be defensive the minute you start talking, be careful. Don’t abandon dealing with the problem, however, do try to be gentle. It is best not to create an entire list of problems and then try to approach them all in one go. Try to approach one problem at a time, while remembering that any feedback should always be accompanied by constructive praise. Focus on the facts. They are easier to act on and less open to disagreement than vague assumptions. Keep your comments to focusing on behavior rather than personality traits. By explaining the problem and then discussing solutions you can work on together, rather than launching a straight forward attack without offering solutions, doing this will achieve results you desire.
- Is the anguish you are experiencing over an issue really worth it? There is a very easy answer to this question. If you find yourself feeling more concerned about the problem, than the concern you have about talking to her, then it is probably a good idea to speak to her. If not, let it go.
- Always consider your motive for approaching your au pair about a problem. If it is because you are wanting to get something off your chest, you feel like giving her a piece of your mind, or just feel that telling her off once in a while reasserts your authority, then the best reaction is no reaction! On the other hand, if your motives are centered around the welfare of your children, an genuine wish to help your au pair improve in her job or a chance to put right a misunderstanding, are all commendable reasons for giving feedback or bringing up a problem.
- Keep your feedback positive and action based. Once you have made your point and heard her side, move forward and enjoy the improvements. This will allow you to share in the action and monitor what happens next.
- If the problem is a serious one give your nanny a chance to state her case, especially when the problem was brought to your attention by a third party. You have a right bring up these concerns with your au pair and a right to expect progress. It is how you do it that makes the difference!
- There are also some things you can do to maintain a good relationship and you will find that keeping these things in mind will be appreciated and reflected back to you by your au pair:
- If you know you are going to be home late, call your au pair in advance to let her know.
- Always pay your au pairs wages or money owed on time. Your au pair will not be happy if she has to chase after you.
- Try to ensure that your home is clean when the au pair arrives.
- Do not view babysitting as automatic, this is an extra service and the au pair may have her own plans. Inform her as early as possible if you will need someone and ask if she is available.
- Be consistent with both your children and your au pair. She will know she has your support and will feel more confident in dealing with the children.
- Do not expect extra duties not in the contract unless thoroughly discussed and agreed to before dishing out demands.
- Do not talk to your friends about the au pair in front of children, they understand and repeat.
- Try to be sympathetic when your au pair is ill, unfortunately this does happen to everyone on occasion.
- Don’t let your friends and relatives boss her around.
- Ensure that should your au pair work over time, you remember to pay her.
- Give feedback.
- Once again consistency is key, do not expect your au pair to ensure a balanced diet for the children and then you feed them Junk food and Coke. Work together to provide your child or children with the best care possible.
Any relationship takes nurturing and caring, whether with your friends, work colleges and especially your family. The relationship with your au pair deserves the same treatment, if not more so. She is there too help your children reach their full potential in life. You will find that by following these simple guidelines not only will your behavior be reciprocated, but you will never be disappointed, you and your family will reap the rewards she offers.
Bianca Wagener
Welcome to Sitters4U’s Blog!A spot where you will find information about us, what we do, why we are unique and why we are the best local placement ageny in Cape Town Johannesburg and Pretoria for private child, home and frail care placements.
Its here you will find our articles, host discussions and bring the fun back into being a parent! The best paid and rewarding job in the world. We aim to add value to the lives we touch through consistent and dependable service…
Welcome to our Blog…read and enjoy!
