​Nanny Podcast season 2 episode 8 “Mary Poppins”


Welcome to the Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host today. I am so happy you are here :)


Today we are going to talk about Mary Poppins, the fictional super nanny that we have followed on her mission and adventures in two movies now, based on the books by P. L Travers. Disney has brought the stories to the big screen and into our homes in the most Disney of ways.


I hadn’t watched the first movie until a few years before I started Riviera Nannies. I had a friend who just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t watched it and it kind of became an event between us when I did. Thank you James for insisting I watch it and for introducing me to the amazing world of Mary Poppins :)


I think there are so many things in Mary Poppins that are great guiding principles for both parents and nannies, so many lessons and learning moments in big and small things. I definitely feel both inspired and validated as an adult spending a lot of time with kids after watching Mary Poppins.


Let’s talk about a few awesome things :)


The Mary Poppins films talk about how sometimes it takes a team to raise kids, and there is no shame in that. In the two films they address the change in nanny culture, in “Mary Poppins Returns” we hear that nobody hires nannies anymore, and the idea that the relationship between nanny and family is one that both nanny and family needs is mentioned. I think that’s something we don’t talk a lot about, not from that angle. When you question the constellation of relationships I think you are approaching how amazing and humble really deep and real relationships can be. Acknowledging that we both need each other is a start.


How helping people to figure out what they need to do by gentle suggestion can be the most effective way. Mary Poppins is clever, suggestive and never aggressive. She plants ideas with people and let them figure it out themselves. Isn’t that what we do on our best parenting days? See, hear and observe our kids and nudge them in the right direction? There is a deep calm in this kind of leadership. A confidence and level of respect for others. When we give others the space to be their best selves that’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it? I think it applies to all kinds of relationships we have, don’t you?


How discipline and good education is not in opposition to a rich imagination. Well behaved kids are not curbed kids, or don’t have to be. Being smart and well educated and letting your imagination take you on the most exciting adventures is possible even when you do your chores and learn how to be a contributing part of your family. Every day events turn into adventures when you dive into the bath tub during bath tub and go on an adventure.


Insisting on magic in your life is a great path to your ethics, morals and your education. Learning right from wrong, and how to not only see right from wrong, but being able to identifying and fighting for what is right, with all the magic and the beautiful places you go in your imagination is again one of the pillars of not only great but amazing parenting and nannying. I am thinking of the movie Life is Beautiful and all the stories through history where grown ups have used the imagination and magic to not only cope but to thrive. Allowing yourself to go with your imagination, creativity and follow your heart without judgement is such a powerful lesson, both for us and the kids. Don’t you think?


It’s about being a rebel, fighting for what is right. I love how the slow, steady and unapologetic the call for rebellion is. Maybe I am reading a lot into this, but I love a rebel, I love someone who decides to do what’s right even when it’s not within the rules or convention. I love a sincere protest and standing up to the man. I feel like Mary Poppins is raising free thinking rebels who are not afraid to protest, and I like that very much personally. Isn’t that what we all want for our kids? I know I do :)


And then there are all the stories that help you through difficult things. Giving kids stories to hold on to, letting them know that they are not alone and that the hard thing they are experiencing will be survived is always a strong message in children’s books, and no less in the teaching of Mary Poppins. There is so much to learn from all of our favorite nanny, and I wish that we could all be so open and willing to see and hear how much we would all benefit from a slower pace, more rebellion and good manners.


Thank you so much for spending some time with me today. Today’s episode is brought to you by the Mamatoto Pregnancy and Birth course from Mamatoto, the community for conscious mothers where support and community is everything. Take a look at mamatoto.info and see how they can support you.


If you haven’t already, head over to our instagram and follow us at @riveranannies. See you next time when we will talk about showing our kids, not telling our kids. See you then. Bye :)

Nanny Podcast season 2 episode 7 “Ending a job”


Welcome to this week’s episode of The Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host. I am so happy you are here.




Today we are going to talk about ending a job. We get questions about this from nannies from time to time, often from nannies we haven’t placed.


This might sound strange, but how you will end your job has a lot to do with how you started it. Did you feel a good connection with the family? Did you feel like you had a good and honest line of communication?


Ok, so let’s break it down.


You want to end a job. There are lots of reasons why people want to end a job. Let’s say you have decided that you want to take your career in a different direction and you want to look for a job that is a better fit for you.


Of course it could also be that you want to earn more money, that you want to work different hours and you want your tasks to be different.


Then maybe you don’t want to end the job bur rather renegotiate the terms of the job.


Assume you have a good communication and relationship with your family. And you have a contract in place. The importance of a contract has so much nuance. It is an agreement between you and your employer, they know what they can expect from you, and you know what you can expect from them. You have agreed on terms and it is very important that you keep them. It is as important that you honor the salary you have agreed on and don’t go asking for more a few weeks into the job (the time for renegotiating the salary can be in your agreement too) as it is that your family doesn’t start asking you to do things you have not agreed to do, like tasks not related to the kids, unless you have renegotiated the terms of the new work. You see where I am going with this.


If all those things are in place, having a conversation around ending your job might be a difficult conversation from an emotional perspective, but with agreed terms for how long ahead of time you give notice and so on, there aren’t any surprises.


From the nannies who come to us for advice, I know that most people do not set themselves up this way.


This is why it is so important from the beginning that you work with families that share your values, that see your value and that you respect and who respect you.


So if you don’t have that relationship with your family today, there are steps to take. Have very clear agreements. Just as a very basic start, what are the hours you work? What do you get compensated for that time? What happens if you work more, how are you compensated then? What are your tasks? If they want to renegotiate the tasks, you have to bring it up, either say, I am not comfortable doing this task, I am hired to do xyz, or say, with the added work responsibility I would like to talk about how I will be further compensated.


So when you want to end a job, be courteous, be kind, be respectful. Know before hand what you want, so that if you end up in a situation of negotiation where the family might want to keep you with different terms, you know what you want and where your boundaries are. Allow for their feelings and reactions and remember that they have nothing to do with you, it is about how they are feeling. There might be a moment of panic, looking for a new nanny is hard and emotional. Maybe they feel overwhelmed. That is not on you, but you have the option of creating the space for them to end on good terms.


Speaking of ending on good terms, do it. You might need the references, but it is just good manners and good human behavior to try to not end relationships badly if you can help it.




Thank you so much for listening and spending some time with me today.


If you have any comments on today’s episode, if you would like to ask any questions or if you just want to say hi, you can always email me at hello@rivieranannies.fr and put podcast in the subject line. I love hearing from you :)


Today’s episode is brought to you by Mamatoto, the place where mothers go for education, support and connection. It’s a great place to learn about prenatal nutrition, take courses to prepare for pregnancy and birth and find support into motherhood. Check them out at mamatoto.info

Nanny podcast season 2 episode 6 “Nanny as educator”


Welcome to this week’s episode of The Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host. I am so happy you are here.


Today we are going to talk about the nanny as educator. I think that when a lot of families think about hiring a nanny or even hire a nanny they think about it as someone who is going to look after their kids and keep them safe. But you and I know that there are benefits way beyond keeping safe and looking after when it comes to what a nanny can do for your family and your child’s education.


As a nanny you have a huge responsibility, not only to keep your kids safe, but to set a good example and emotionally nurture the kids. And to teach them. We know that kids do what we do, not what we say, so setting a good example in your behavior is so important. That’s also why parents who are hiring a nanny should look for how a nanny carries herself, how she communicates and how she interacts, that is what will imprint on your kids if they spend a lot of time together.


Your nanny can teach manners, they can teach your kids how to be respectful to all people and to always say please and thank you. Provided that is how they are themselves, I don’t believe you can be one person in private and one at work.


Please and thank you, for example.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really fit into one category of parenting style. I like to think that I am pretty laid back and progressive, but then I find myself really valuing some traditional values and one of my biggest pet peeves are kids that are rude and don’t know how not to be. I’m not talking about less than perfect, I mean kids who act inappropriately towards others. This is maybe a can of worms and might vary a lot between cultures, we are famously a mix culture family who mixes and matches, but this is where the person you choose as a nanny comes in.


Your nanny is probably going to be spending a lot of time with your children, so you want to make sure that they teach your children the values that you promote as a family. This is a great opportunity and potentially really good news.


When you have a good fit with your nanny, she or he will be an essential part of your child’s education and they learn how to navigate socially based on the cues you give them, but also the day to day, minute to minute things their nanny teaches them.


So if your nanny is adamant about pleases and thank you’s, your child might be too, and if you think about how being kind and considerate sets you up for success, the choice of person who is part of your parenting team becomes bigger.


I know one family where the little girl has grown up with the nanny as the primary caretaker, a highly educated, very focused nanny and this girl is the most well rounded, empathetic and polite child you will ever meet. She could have been spoiled and entitled, but she is not, thanks to being raised by an amazing nanny. That’s a good example of both good parenting and nannying, a team working together to give the kid the best it can have.


And your nanny is good for teaching all kinds of things.




Like Tying our shoes, literally and metaphorically.


When I was a kid I had the fastest and coolest shoes. I don’t remember the brand, I think it was “Lejon’”but they were light blue, had white stripes and velcro binding. I was the first one out on the playground at recess. Probably because I didn’t have to tie my shoes. (I went to school in Sweden where we take our shoes off inside.)


My dad always loved technology and novelties. In Sweden in the early 1980s velcro shoes were very new and cool and hip. So were digital watches. So even though my dad meant the best for me when he got me those cool gadgets, I didn’t learn to tie my shoes or read time until I was a bit older. I did have a cool watch though, from Donald Duck, my favorite character.


There are so many big and small gestures, much smaller than tying your shoes or reading time that our kids are learning every day. The person spending time with them is going to be their guide learning a lot of these things, like holding a pen, gross and fine motor skills, recognizing the nuance of colors and shapes, seeing relationships between objects, and navigating different surfaces. Every little thing they meet and experience each day is an opportunity to learn and relate. You want the person next to your child to be tuned in and conscious of that.


Your nanny will help develop your kids gross and fine motor skills.
Like Holding that pen


Children are naturally creative, I find that observing my kids make things, tell stories around their creations and getting to experience their world through their play and creativity is a way of getting to know them in a very deep and meaningful way. Drawing, painting, mark making in general is such an important and fun part of their development, from learning to hold and handle a pen, to the brain-hand connection that helps them process their stories and information in a way a tablet doesn’t, is significant. The time, the patience, the slow pace it takes to master skills like this is often overlooked but is essential.


One of the things I am personally really fascinated by, both for myself and my family, but also for work, is neuroplasticity. It is how our thoughts, actions, experiences and relationships physically change our brains, and the way we think.  How our brains can be rewired and our triggers and reactions changed. I am so interested and inspired by relationships between people, energies and objects and I think it’s pretty amazing how we throughout our lives can rewire our brains. Imagine the possibilities. Imagine exercising and strengthening the connections that make the pathways in our brains.


I have a friend that I love very much. Her name is Cara and she is a visual communicator and facilitator, and she told me something that I really loved. When you work visually, like doodle or draw something, or express yourself visually, your brain lights up in a completely different way than if you are just reading, or listening to something. And you process information more efficiently if you are doodling while listening, did you know that? I didn’t, but I like it. That is one reason that we ask our families to incorporate a visual element at the end of the client intake when hiring a nanny, through your drawing or making of the avatar we get a lot of information about who you are and what you like, in a way we don’t with a questionnaire.


Allowing space for creativity and visual thinking makes better results because it goes deeper. For both children and adults.


Thank you so much for listening and spending some time with me today.


If you have any comments on today’s episode, if you would like to ask any questions or if you just want to say hi, you can always email me at hello@rivieranannies.fr and put podcast in the subject line. I love hearing from you :)


Today’s episode is brought to you by Mamatoto, the place where mothers go for education, support and connection. It’s a great place to learn about prenatal nutrition, take courses to prepare for pregnancy and birth and find support into motherhood. Check them out at mamatoto.info


I will see you next week when we will be talking about ending a job. Until then, be safe and awesome. Bye :)

​Welcome to the Nanny Podcast, I’m Hanna from Riviera Nannies, I am so happy you are here today.


Today I wanted to talk about a complaint that I sometimes see from families, that their nanny is always sick.


I think there are two ways to see and talk about this.


First, is your nanny ok? Is she getting sick from your kid and is she ok? Is she really sick or is she not happy coming to work? For most issues, talking about it and having good communication with your nanny will resolve a lot of problems, so first, talk to her. What is going on with her?


I know how frustrating it can be as a family when you depend on your nanny for your work and to make sure that your kids are well taken care of. There is so much guilt and feelings of not being enough as a parent anyhow, you have hired a nanny because you want your kids taken care of, and now she is not there as consistently as you need. How can you support yourself and your nanny for this to work?


Talk to her. Ask her if there is anything she needs? You get the idea, see her and talk to her. Maybe tell her about how you stay away from germs situations or support yourself during flu season.


The other thing is of course, is it your kid passing germs to her that makes her always sick? Kids have germs and they often make their caretakers sick. There are lots of things to do to prevent it like eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, taking your supplements of vitamins, minerals and probiotics, and of course, washing your hands and having good hygiene, but sometimes when the kids are sick a lot, whoever is close to them will be too. So what do you do then?


Most families realize this and gives the nanny time to recover, which benefits everyone of course. Legal requirements are different in different countries, we are just talking about the ethical requirements that all employment should have in my opinion. It does not benefit anyone if your nanny is working when she is sick. In some cases maybe look over routines to make sure you eliminate some ways germs might spread. This requires good communication and listening skills on both sides, if someone gets defensive it won’t work. Approach it with kindness and without judgement. We have routines in our house depending on what kind of bugs the kids have to make sure they spread as little as possible. Knock on wood it works most of the time.


The thing to make sure though, as a nanny is that you eat well. Cut out sugar and processed foods. Eat whole foods, take your vitamins, minerals and probiotics. Get your vitamin D levels checked. Move your body, take care of yourself. And get enough sleep. And if you are a family that struggles with a nanny being away a lot, talk to her, and express your desire that she is healthy.


Thank you for spending some time with me today.


Today’s episode is brought to you by Mamatoto, the community for moms through pregnancy and birth and into motherhood. Go to Mamatoto.info to join the club.


Go over to Instagram and follow us @rivieranannies where we post all kinds of nanny things. See you next time :)

​D is one of our nannies, she is wonderful, kind and experienced. 
In this episode she shares her story in nannying with us. 
Enjoy :)

​Welcome to the Nanny Podcast season 2 episode 2. I am your host Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies, a nanny agency based in the south of France. I am so happy you are here.


Today we are going to talk about cell phones.


I think we can all agree that cell phones are really useful tools, we can choose to do a little or a lot on them. Some people use them just as phones. Some phone and text. Some use them as a camera. Some use them for social media.


I went to a really interesting talk with Elizabeth Milovidov from digitalparentingcoach.com about children and technology, and I thought her talk was really inspiring. I am not going to talk to you in this podcast about children and technology, but about us and technology. There are a lot of similarities though, and the most important points are the same.


I think technology is awesome. Thanks to technology you are listening to me now, I recorded this on my computer, edited it on user friendly software and brought it to you through syndication to your iTunes or android app and you are listening to me on a device. That’s pretty awesome, don’t you think?


We use advanced technology for our client and nanny intake, both for safety, efficiency and ease of use.




The problem I think, is when we are not in charge, and when we can’t stop. You might be surprised that a tech fan like me who always ends up in tech conversations at social events and love learning about new technology do a few things entirely off line. I use an analog watch and a paper calendar. It’s through trial and error that I found that those are distractions I do not need my phone to give me. I am more focused, efficient and present with those things separated from my digital devices.


I am not a multi talker. And if you want to be present, focused and do what you are doing well, you should not be either. There is a bit of research done on efficiency and multi tasking and it looks like if you want to do something well you need to focus on that thing.


I want to talk about two things that really apply to nannying when it comes to cell phone use.


The first is, what mindlessly being on your cell phone when working tells your family, both the children and the parents, and I will give you an example of their perspective of it. You might not like it.


The other is how you can protect yourself and your family, especially if you are working with high profile families, this is definitely a conversation you have to have with them about technology at work.


You and I both know that mindlessly being on our cell phones, I am talking about checking social media, scrolling through lists of useless information and playing games, is a waste of our time. When we are doing it we don’t feel it, we are numb to it, but it’s a waste of time. There is research done surveying how people feel on different apps, and the ones I am talking about all make us feel worse, while there are ones, like meditation apps, that make us happier.
In my opinion, you should never be mindlessly scrolling or messing about on your phone, checking messages, texting or spending time on social media when you are at work. What you do in private, at home is your business, but practice self care when at work and do not fall into the black hole that is mindless scrolling. Even if the kids are asleep. I promise you, there are things for you to do that are better for you. If you have to be on your phone, try Headspace and take care of yourself. Or read a book.


You can absolutely not be present and take care of the kids, physically and emotionally the way they need if you are distracted by notifications on your phone. Likes on IG or messages on fb will be there later, and you know what? They don’t matter. If you want to indulge and use the platforms (I sure do), do it after work, and do it in moderation. Make sure you are using tech, not the other way around.


Families ask how to talk to their nannies about tech, about using their phone during work, and I think it is pretty obvious that when you work you do not mindlessly mess around on your phone. If you need it to be able to call or be reached that is fair enough, but otherwise you do not need it. I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect the person you have hired and are paying to take care of your child to not be distracted by their phones, what do you think?


The other thing is really important. Your safety. Do you know that to protect the conversations and integrity of my clients (and myself), I don’t have the facebook app or messenger on my phone? I only use completely encrypted apps to talk to people.


Imagine this, you have given permission to a big social media app to have access to your photos, your sms conversations and your microphone. You are at work with your kids, and you take some photos of them. All your photos are then able to be accessed by the app. And with the access to the microphone it listens to your conversations. That’s how you sometimes get freaky ads in front of you, apps that are listening. Do you know what access you have given to apps? Have you had the conversation about internet safety with your family? Do you even know where to start?


Many families and nannies talk about photos of the children. Some families want photos to see what is going on during the day. How do you share them? Who has access to them? Have you thought about it? It’s not to scare you, just to make you aware of things you need to think of.


Do you know what? When I removed the fb app and messenger from my phone I felt such a relief. And I got back hours every day. I didn’t think I was on it that much, but it was such a distraction. My recommendation to you is to think about it, take off all the things that distract you. Turn off notifications. Decide times you check messages, it is completely and totally ok to not be available all the time. You might not even need as much Headspace after reducing the number of things that demand your attention every day. You are welcome :)


Thank you so much for listening and for spending time with me today, I am very thankful for you.


Today’s episode is brought to you by Mamatoto, the community for moms through pregnancy and birth and into motherhood. Go to Mamatoto.info to join the club.


If you aren’t following us on IG yet, head over and follow us on @rivieranannies Just don’t get stuck scrolling :)


See you next week, I will be talking to one of our awesome nannies Deidre then who will be sharing her story as a nanny with us. Bye :)

​Welcome to season 2 of the Nanny Podcast, I am so happy you are here.


Today we are going to ask ourselves the question “are you looking for the wrong things?”


It goes for both nannies and families, I think often nannies are looking for the wrong things in families to work with, and as often, families are looking for things in nannies that is not what is going to work for them.


Let me explain what I mean.


I get a lot of nannies contacting us, looking for work, and when they tell us what kind of work they want, to goal and the path to get there are often not compatible.


For example, we might have a nanny who wants to work in the villas in the cote d’azur, but she doesn’t drive, doesn’t have own transportation and is not interested in getting it. Fair enough, whatever the reason is for that, but looking for jobs in the villas is not going to work out in their favor, because often there is not public transportation that supports it, and the client might is probably not going to want to schedule their childcare around the bus schedule, so they will hire someone else.


Another example is high stress, high demand and high paid jobs. Are they right for everyone? No, they are not. Going into this kind of job requires a certain kind of skill and mind set. Know why you are doing it, the reasons are different for different nannies, and then set yourself up to thrive in that position, depending on what that is for you it can be everything from a social support network, sufficient self care that can be as simple as a good pair of running shoes or enough books to read on your downtime if you are in a remote place.


I see a lot of nannies who just want a job, if they just get the job they will figure it out after and make it work. If you are a quiet person who does not like physical activities you are not going to fit with a family that love the outdoors. If you are a sociable person who needs to feel connected to others, a remote rota position in Russia might not be right for you, no matter how much it pays. Knowing who you are, what your strengths are and where you do best is going to guide you to choose jobs where you shine, remember that there is a place for you to shine, and it might not be where you think it is.


The same things are true for families.


When you look for your nanny you might have a few things that you want, and then there might be things that are like shiny objects of desire on a CV that seem like things you really really want.


Families, I’m going to tell you something you might not like to hear, that shiny thing, that celebrity job or impressive training, it might not be what you need, or what is even compatible with your family.


I will give you an example. Imagine you are looking for a nanny for your six months old baby and you run into a nanny who speaks several languages and have an impressive list of education in early childhood development and has been a nanny to the stars. But she does not have experience with infants, she doesn’t drive and you live outside of the center of town and you need her to be able to drive. Then you run into another candidate who has a long experience working with infants, has been with each of her families for years and, she drives. She has not been a nanny to the stars (I talk about this a lot because it does not necessarily mean that a nanny is good), her formal education is less, but she seems like a great fit for your baby and your family. You click with her, but the CV is less impressive at first glance. And the first nanny is so shiny and has things on her CV that you desire, even though deep down you know that the second one is going to work out better.


Why? She has done what you want her to do, she is experienced. Her requirements match yours. And she has worked with families for a long time on each job, which is a huge piece of information for you about how she will be to work with. Excellent nannies who do short term jobs usually stick to short term jobs and jump around. Excellent nannies who do longer term jobs, and apply for longer terms jobs tend to have stayed with families longer. Which one would you pick? I see all the time that families jump for the shiny one, they interview a few of them, sometimes they even hire them, and then it doesn’t work out. The nanny sees another opportunity that fits her CV profile better and leaves, or you realize that all the certificates in the world do not give you experience with newborns, and the skills you need to figure out how yours works.


I think it’s something to think about for both nannies and families, to not just sell yourselves to get a job or a nanny, but to really look for someone who is compatible with what you are looking for. That’s what we do, and we often see both parties looking for things that are not in their interest.


Thank you for spending time with me today, I am really happy you chose to listen to our podcast.


If you aren’t following us on social media, head over to IG and follow us for tips, tricks and shenanigans @rivieranannies


This episode is brought to you by Mamatoto, the online community that supports women from pregnancy, birth and into motherhood. Go to Mamatoto.info and join the tribe of supportive mothers and their babies.


See you next time when we will talk about cell phones. Bye :)

What does a nanny agency do?
Sometimes, not very often, but every once in a while we get asked what it is we do. The short answer is we connect nannies and families. A longer answer, which is more accurate, is this: We build a database of caretakers. We find, we interview and keep up to date hundreds of caretakers who want to work with our local and visiting families. Without going into technical details, this is a very important part of our work to make sure that not only do we have the best nannies, their information is categorized correctly in a safe environment so that their information is never leaked. 
When a family contacts us to find a nanny we draw the best candidates for the job to be put forward for interviews. Inbetween here there are legal documents to be passed, signed and continually updated and improved to make sure we provide everyone with the best service possible. We do phone consultations with families, sometimes home visits and interviews, all to get a really good idea of how to find the best childcare solution for them. We negotiate salary and conditions, both for the family and the nanny so that everyone gets a fair deal and is happy. My father who passed away a few months ago who was a successful business man often told me that a deal is not good unless everyone is happy. We stand by that, for nannies, families and us. 
On the business side of things, without going into too much detail here either, we nurture and develop relationships with companies and individuals that do things our clients might want or need, so that when they ask, which they often do, we can give them sincere and personal recommendations for local services. Our integrity is not for sale, we only work with people with the same level of service and quality as we have. On top of this is of course maintaining our website and online presence and social media (how did you get to this page?), along with occasional blog posts, newsletters to families and nannies, staying in touch with you on Facebook and Instagram and of course always being available via email and phone. So next time you wonder what it is that we do, you have a tiny bit more insight to our work :)