Nannies thrive when they have access to community support. While there are many online hubs for nannies to connect, some child care providers have trouble finding like-minded people to reach out to for advice. When career nanny Carrie Bland discovered the online nanny community, she became a fierce advocate for nannies to hop on the web and connect.
In the most recent episode of The Great Unicorn Search Podcast, Carrie joined us to talk about the importance of finding your village, teaching kids water safety, and balancing her nanny-life and mom-life.
Finding A Support Network
Like many child care professionals, Carrie started babysitting and working with kids at a young age. She even enrolled in a Nanny Certification Program where she met other sitters and valued chatting with them about their unique challenges in the child care field.
But something shifted when she took to Instagram and began posting about her experiences on the job. As time passed, more and more nannies from across the globe connected with Carrie, and they built lasting relationships around their lives as nannies.
Carrie says it’s essential to find your village because everyone needs support. On top of that, online communities help nannies learn new skills they may never have thought of otherwise. Carrie is passionate about promoting water safety and teaches her community how to prevent tragedy while swimming with kids.
Advocating for Water Safety
In her youth, Carrie was an avid member of her local swim team. She was also a swim coach and a lifeguard in her teen years. She loved the water and enjoyed bringing kids she worked with to the pool to cool off and have fun. But once Carrie became a new mom, she felt new anxieties emerge. Suddenly, all the potential dangers of the water came to her mind.
Since Carrie was already an experienced swimmer and lifeguard, she had the skills to teach her kid water safety tools. However, she knew that many nannies don’t have access to the same information, and she wanted to change that. That’s when she started to use her online platform to share advice on keeping kids safe in the water.
In our interview with Carrie, she also shares advice for encouraging kids to overcome their fears of swimming. She stresses the importance of learning to swim and feeling comfortable in the water from a young age. While swimming is a fun way to play and exercise, it’s also an essential safety tool.
Everyone Needs a Community
Carrie shared one essential piece of advice for nannies new to the industry: reach out to another nanny or two and build friendships with them. That way, you have someone to lean on when you need advice and someone to talk to when you need to vent. No one else but nannies understand the unique struggles of being a child care provider.
To learn more about Carrie’s extensive career, how she built her online platform, and how to teach water safety to kids, check out the latest Great Unicorn Search podcast. You can listen to it on the podcast website, Apple, Spotify, or Google.
