Meet Margret, a full-time nanny to Jack (aged six), Nina (aged three) and baby Wilson (aged one). On Monday’s her work week begins at 7am, when she wakes the little ones. She helps Nina and Wilson to get dressed, while Jack enthusiastically dresses himself. Then, she feeds them breakfast. While the little ones eat, she tidies up the kitchen, puts the dishes in the dishwasher, prepares their snack boxes and water, ensures the prams are clean and tidies their bedrooms. She waits with toothbrushes in hand, ready to help the children brush their teeth as they finish breakfast. Before driving Nina and Jack to school, she packs a bag. Checking the items off her list, she makes sure she has Sudocrem, Ibuprofen, muslin, a bib, nappies, wipes, and a change of clothes for Wilson, disinfectant wipes and a changing mat. She checks her purse for pocket money and enters the parents’ phone numbers into her mobile phone. Check, check, check – she is ready to take the children to school by 9am. When all three children are in school, their parents will opt for a part-time nanny. However, until then, Wilson will keep her busy all day. By 9:30am, they arrive at a large park. His parents choose different activities each day. On Mondays, when the weather is nice, they go to the park. On Tuesdays, they visit a museum in the city. On Wednesdays they attend a playgroup. On Thursdays they go to Gambardo (Wilson’s favourite), while on Fridays they spend the morning in the family’s playroom. By 11am, they will be back at home, and Margret will prepare the lunches that the parents planned, while Wilson colours. Before 12pm, they pick up Nina from school, and she joins them from lunch. Margret tidies the kitchen, puts the dishes in the dishwasher, cleans Nina and Wilson’s hands, combs their hair and helps them put on pjs. She changes Wilson’s nappy, and they are off to bed by 1pm. At her parent’s request, Nina watches a video as she falls asleep. While the children sleep, Margret keeps busy. She does the laundry and irons the clothes, disinfects the toys, cleans the surfaces in the kitchen, and prepares for dinner and bedtime. This afternoon, she will call Mrs Malcolm to arrange a play date for Wilson, and she will also do some batch cooking – Shepard’s Pie. She wakes the children by 3pm, at their parent’s request. She helps them dress and combs their hair. By 3:30pm, they pick up Jack from school. They have a snack, and she helps Jack with his homework. They walk to a nearby park and have a play date from 4 – 5pm. The children are hungry after their active day, when Margret serves dinner at 5:30pm. She tidies up as they eat. After dinner, she helps them bath, moisturise, put on pjs, brush their teeth and prepare for bed. She prepares a bottle for Wilson. Before going to sleep at 7pm, the children relax as she reads them a story. And that is a day in the life of Margret, a fulltime nanny.
