Unlike previous generations, modern culture requires most parents to continue working full-time after having children. While some parents appear to have mastered the balancing act of their career, childcare, social life, and everything else in between, most of us rely on amazing grandparents, other family members, or even nannies to help with childcare.
Although having a nanny may appear to be a privilege reserved for the wealthy and famous, having some assistance might help us parents achieve the work/family balance that we all desire.
Emily Ward founded the Norland Institute in Norland Place in London on September 25, 1892. As a result, she established the first educational institution to provide any form of childcare training and the profession of a qualified nursery nurse.
Childcare was left mainly to housemaids in this period, who did nothing more than keep an eye on their children and make sure they didn’t run away or set anything on fire. Ward hoped to establish a more organised system based on the concepts of German educationalist Froebel that would aid children’s development from an early age.
Today, Norland graduates take pride in professionalism, adaptability, and the high level of experience and training they receive.
You have the option of hiring your nanny full-time or part-time. You may also engage a maternity expert who will be there to assist you from the moment you bring your new baby home from the hospital. Live-in nannies often work 50 hours a week, or 10 hours per day, five days a week, with weekends off.
The Norland Nanny Uniform
From the beginning, Norland Nannies were set apart from other nannies, which necessitated the creation of a uniform to make them stand out. The college required their nannies to wear a uniform at all times, including during training. Although the uniform has evolved slightly throughout time, it remains very similar to its initial design.
The nannies’ attire was originally pink and grey, which was altered to blue to distinguish them from hospital nurses. After that, the outfit was altered again to a blue one with a brown cloak; this has changed through time to its present state, which is:
- Brown dress
- Tights
- Brown shoes
- Brown gloves to be worn during wintertime
- White gloves to be worn in the summertime
- A hat
- If a cardigan is worn, it must be approved, with sleeves rolled down
Students are required to wear their uniforms while training at Norland College. However, they are permitted to wear a blue sweatshirt and brown socks during practical lessons. When nannies graduate, they are not obligated to wear the formal uniform at work unless the family explicitly requests it. Some do, while others do not!
What Are The Responsibilities of a Norland Nanny?
- The child’s physical needs
- Assisting and supplying activities for balanced development
- Speaking with parents about all areas of childcare
- Completing nanny paperwork to keep parents informed about their child’s care, development, and well-being
- Delivering healthy and well-balanced meals that are suited for the child’s dietary requirements
- Transporting the child to a playgroup, preschool, or school
- Taking the child on trips that are appropriate for their age and developmental stage
- Organising playdates for the youngster or taking them to the family’s home (prior approval from the employer must be sought)
- Getting ready for big occasions like birthday celebrations
- Taking care of a sick child may involve giving medicine and taking them to the doctor if required, all with the parents’ permission.
How Difficult Is The Training The Norland Nannies Receive?
Norland College offers a challenging training curriculum reminiscent of Edwardian days but manages to keep up with the times to guarantee that modern-day families do not fall behind!
A trained Norland Nanny’s first assignment is to care for a lifelike doll that cries, wets itself, requires food, and does everything a real baby does. Trainers keep a close eye on trainees and appraise them at all times. These dolls are also carried home at night, as the trainee nanny must be able to deal with a crying infant in the middle of the night.
Norland Nannies treat misbehaviour with love and discipline, handling it with ease. The college has a slogan for nannies to adhere to: “love never faileth”.
The total training programme encompasses far more than a typical childcare certificate course. Norland Nannies are taught how to utilise their senses to aid in the development of a child and how to keep youngsters occupied at all times by being inventive and innovative; there is nothing they can’t make or use out of an old tin can or toilet paper holder! Nannies learn how to arrange the perfect event or birthday party, and they do it without flinching.
In addition, Norland Nannies bring a variety of abilities to the table. Nannies are trained in martial arts to defend their children from prospective kidnappers and escape the paparazzi. Due to the high-profile nature of the families engaged with Norland Nannies, additional skills are required so that mothers and fathers may rest confident that their children are secure in often dangerous settings.
Royal Nannies
Maria Borrallo, the nanny of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, is a Norland-trained nanny who wears a unique brown costume that she only wears to important events like a Royal Christening.
In the 1950s, Prince Charles and Princess Anne also had a nanny. Tiggy Legge-Bourke was Prince William and Prince Harry’s Norland nanny from the early 1980s through the 1990s.
Norland Nannies are the pinnacle of a family’s social stature. To claim you have a Norland Nanny working with your family is something that most families can be incredibly proud of, and it’s virtually a boasting right for wealthier families!
A Norland Nanny will help your child grow and teach them to the most satisfactory possible standards. Families who want extra assistance, such as coping with challenging situations (paparazzi) or wanting their children to achieve greatness, frequently seek the services of a Norland Nanny.
