Lets see, where do I start..
The first memory I have of being interested in childcare would be of when I was about 5 years old, there was a 1 year old boy living next door and I always wanted to play "mum's and baby's" with him. I would take him by the hand and lead him around the garden pointing out flowers or little bugs that I could find. From there I have memories of being at Waiwera hot pools in the holidays, I would find toddlers and slide up close to them and start talking and playing with them, after a while their parents would end up leaving their babies with me while they went down the slides or for a bite to eat and my older brother would tease me for "stealing babies"! haha..
Throughout my school years I proved not to be much of an academic, my reports always commenting on my "Calm, Kind and Caring" demeanour rather then my academic abilities.
At 13 years old I had my first babysitting job looking after 2 children of a family that lived down the road, I looked after 10 month old Sam and 5 Year old Catherine after school on week days and once I was 14 I babysat at night when their parents went out on the weekends.
It was when I left school at 15 years old to pursue my Nanny career that I started to show good grades and by the time I was 16 I had completed my Nanny Diploma Certificate through Ashton Warner Nanny Academy - It turns out I just needed to be interested in the subject to be able to focus long enough to take in the information!
Over the next 13 years I had various nanny jobs in Auckland, and Melbourne.
I also worked in a childcare centre in Melbourne and Madrid, Spain.
At 30 years old I fell pregnant with my now 10 year old daughter, my relationship with her father wasn't to last however we have always maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship, putting our differences aside for the sake of our daughter.
With all my childcare experience I was pretty confident about becoming a mother even though I was doing it alone..
Being a mum has been the toughest but most rewarding job of my life!
The two big differences I see between being a Nanny and being a Mother is:
When it's your own flesh and blood it tugs at your heart strings like never before!
And there is no down time - you don't get to clock off at 6pm and go home for a full nights sleep... its relentless, sleepless night after sleepless night for the first few months, and you still have to get up and look after this little person that is completely dependant on you. While being utterly in love with my little girl I ended up feeling exhausted and isolated.
If only someone would come and look after her in my home where I knew she was safe for a few hours while I took a nap to catch up on much needed sleep!
When my daughter was about 2 years old I managed to start my first business Eco Nappy Services which is now a thriving business that supplies clean cloth nappies to ECE's across Auckland, Hamilton and Waipa.
With my partner having taken over the daily collections for ENS it has allowed me to step back to a managerial role which has freed up my time to get back to what I love - caring for new borns and their mum's!
So if you feel that you need a little extra support please reach out and let me care for you.
I would love to facilitate your rest/sleep, allowing you to better enjoy your baby bliss!
After all, you can't put a price on sleep!
Solange xx
