Nursery World - Magic moments

Nannies are a privileged audience to a child's earliest learning, says Jennie Lindon, and parents appreciate being alerted to tiny milestones they can look out for It seems common for adults - practitioners as well as parents - to assume that 'babies are rather boring'. Child psychology bears some responsibility for this misplaced belief, because research and theory has focused more on children of at least three and four years of age. It is too easy to regard early sound-making as less important than 'real talking', or to think that baby games are too short and simple to be seen as 'proper play'.

It seems common for adults - practitioners as well as parents - to assume that 'babies are rather boring'. Child psychology bears some responsibility for this misplaced belief, because research and theory has focused more on children of at least three and four years of age. It is too easy to regard early sound-making as less important than 'real talking', or to think that baby games are too short and simple to be seen as 'proper play'.

But as a nanny, you need to be able to focus on those daily examples of what a baby notices, can do or clearly remembers from another day. Your job is much more interesting because you see whenever a baby or toddler has found out something new about how the world works. If you didn't, baby care would seem an unrelenting round of nappies and bottles.

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