Making Caregiving
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"She talked herself up, claiming she was very good with children and an excellent cook, and that she only took long-term jobs. I thought she must be very capable, but the reality was extremely disappointing. She failed at every one of the three most basic aspects of childcare: 1. Feeding: Even after I taught her the “tips and tricks,” every morning one-third to one-half of the milk was still left, and my husband or I had to finish feeding it. She put a nipple on the milk-storage bottle to feed the baby, making it impossible to release air; even after being taught at least three times, she still could not figure out how many bags of breast milk needed to be thawed each day or how to thaw them. 2. Solid food: She gave me the impression that she had never made it before. She asked me what to make for every meal. After discovering that my daughter liked tomatoes and shrimp, she made that same dish for every meal. One morning, almost 9:00, I asked what my daughter had eaten for breakfast, and she said leftover food from the night before! (Yet her requirement for us was that she needed eggs, milk, and bread in the morning to ensure nutrition and calcium intake.) 3. Settling her for daytime naps: She could not soothe my daughter. My daughter is an angel baby who never cries when sleeping, but this nanny kept making her cry so hard she squealed like a pig, leaving me unable to work peacefully during the day. Also, I was looking for a live-in nanny who could balance childcare and simple household chores and manage her time reasonably. But once she held the child, she could not do anything else, claiming that her childcare philosophy was to ensure the child’s safety. Did I hire a mother-in-law instead? :) Other small things included not knowing how to use the dryer and leaving undried clothes piled in a basket, so after working late I discovered I still had to hang them up myself in the middle of the night; not closing the door behind her when she came into my room while I was sleeping to take my daughter out; when we were out all day and told her to help wash clothes and organize the rooms, we came home to find the play area still a mess and clothes still in the dryer the next day; after I tidied the sofa and folded my daughter’s clothes in the middle of the night, I woke up the next morning to find the sofa cluttered again with things tossed all over it; and so on. If all of those are small matters, the most intolerable part was that, despite her limited ability, she was inexplicably self-confident and argued with me forcefully. Whenever I expressed dissatisfaction, she had all kinds of excuses and rebuttals, raising her voice and going on and on. I have only one thing to say: parenting philosophy and ability are two different things; there is no need to argue. After one week, my husband and I decided to replace her. We even gave her a week to find another job to save her face, but she taught me a lesson instead: thank you, please immediately pack your things and leave. When she left, she said sorry, that she was a bit stubborn. Being stubborn means she is not suited to this line of work. Moms in the group, keep your eyes open. Many problems cannot be discovered in an interview. If you find that a nanny lacks ability and professionalism, replace her immediately and decisively. Do not put up with it and pay money only to make yourself upset."

"We were so fortunate to have Sister Xiuyun as our postpartum nanny! The whole family was extremely satisfied throughout this placement. Sister Xiuyun has worked as a postpartum nanny for many years; she is experienced and highly professional. Once the baby was in her care, the baby basically never cried or fussed. She kept the baby’s schedule, feeding, and care exceptionally well organized. We never had issues such as diaper rash or eczema, and the baby was clean and emotionally settled every day. She also took meticulous care of the new mother. She explained postpartum precautions very clearly and patiently taught us many childcare methods, so we felt confident caring for the baby ourselves. Her cooking was also beyond reproach: balanced meals with meat and vegetables, lots of variety, and her Shandong-style noodles and pastries were especially delicious. She was also very accommodating in adjusting meals to our tastes. What moved us most was her personality—optimistic, cheerful, positive, and very easy to get along with. Throughout the entire placement, the atmosphere at home was relaxed and pleasant, and she also took great care of the new mother’s postpartum emotions. Another especially rare quality: the father in our family is in an English-speaking environment, so Sister Xiuyun proactively learned English in order to communicate with him better. She was completely at ease in daily communication, and she was very thoughtful and respectful. We were truly so fortunate to have a postpartum nanny who is professional, caring, and eager to learn!"

"I highly recommend my maternity nanny, Auntie Wang! She has an outgoing, humorous personality and is especially easy to get along with. On the day she arrived, she immediately got into the role: she organized everything in the kitchen, sorted the ingredients, and then began caring for the baby. Auntie Wang is healthy and has even more energy than us young people. Because she loves children and is very professional, I felt completely at ease leaving the baby with her—we did not have to worry about anything. Our baby was premature, so I was especially concerned about feeding. Auntie Wang paid close attention to the baby’s feeding, helped the baby catch up in weight, and provided careful care. Whenever the baby cried or stirred, she woke up right away to check on the baby. The baby’s diaper rash also recovered quickly under her attentive care. During the period of colic in February, she gave the baby foot baths and did gas-relief exercises, which helped a lot. Before she finished her assignment with us, we took the baby for a checkup, and the baby was growing very well in every respect and had caught up with full-term babies. At the same time, she also established great routines for the baby, and the baby did not have the problem of waking up as soon as they were put down. Because we trusted Auntie Wang to take good care of the baby, we adults were able to rest well at night and recover ourselves. Auntie Wang is also a professional chef. She can make buns, dumplings, cakes, bread, jianbing guozi, and youtiao by hand for us. Other dishes, such as big-plate chicken, braised beef ribs, and sweet-and-sour crispy pork, also come naturally to her. We never had to worry about what to eat; every day, rich and delicious dishes were served on the table. It truly made us feel so happy! Hiring Auntie Wang was absolutely the right choice. Before she left, she even made dumplings, buns, sesame flatbreads, youtiao, and all kinds of food for us to stock up on because she was worried we would not take good care of ourselves. When she left, our whole family was extremely reluctant to say goodbye—we really cried our eyes out! I hope we have a chance to see each other again in the future~! Take care of yourself, Auntie Wang! (If we have a second child, we will hire you again, haha.)"