Vendor Spotlight: My Fair Nanny
The topic of having children at weddings is a sensitive and often controversial conversation….
Do we invite kids to our wedding? Do we only invite the children in our bridal party?
Do we invite only the small children in our family? Do we have a cut off age? What will the children do if they are at our wedding? Will they interfere? Will they have what to eat? Will we insult guests if we don’t include their children but include the children of our relatives?
If you are currently planning your wedding, it is very likely that these questions have come up in conversations with your fiancé, wedding planner or nosy relative looking to give you advice.
We recently learned about a wonderful babysitting service called My Fair Nanny which offers a wedding day child care solution!
We spoke with Kimberly, owner of My Fair Nanny, to better understand the child care services provided.
She shared a ton of valuable information with us so let’s take a look at our conversation!
How did you come up with the idea of starting My Fair Nanny?
When I was planning my own wedding , I chose to have two children in my bridal party, one as my flower girl and one as my ring bearer. I wanted their parents to enjoy the night without having to worry about diaper changes, feeding times or bedtimes.
Finding a sitter for the night became a challenge though! All of their regular sitters were also going to be attending my wedding! Since I had been a nanny throughout college, I figured I would just find a sitter for the children for the evening and we would be all set.
This was the first time that I had to ever personally look for a sitter which proved more challenging than I thought! I sifted through listings on popular websites of sitters who were certainly not qualified enough to care for the two most important munchkins in my life. I still remember the night that I discussed this dilemma with my now husband and he said “ You should just start a nanny company that caters to weddings” – needless to say about a week later, My Fair Nanny was created!
How far in advance should a wedding couple plan to call you to secure the date?
I would recommend calling us about three to four months prior to the wedding date just to ensure the spot and secure the date.
What if the wedding couple doesn’t know how many children they will have in attendance?
No problem at all! To book our services we require only a small booking fee. The remaining balance will be due with the final headcount two weeks prior to the wedding date, so that should give plenty of time to collect those RSVPs.
What do you need to know from the wedding couple before the wedding day?
We like to know as much as possible about the children before the wedding so we can bring along supplies that specifically fit their age range and interests.
Three weeks prior to the wedding we send out a questionnaire to collect information such as the children’s ages, names, interests, favorite characters and activities, if they’ve been left with a sitter before, if they have any allergies or special needs we need to be aware of etc.
What types of games and activities do the nannies bring with them?
Our sitters bring age appropriate toys, games, arts and crafts, movies, music, coloring books etc. Typically their bags are full with Jenga, Puzzles, Building blocks, puppet supplies, Elmo/Ninja Turtles/Frozen (or whatever the “cool” movies are at that time), cars, dolls, books, go fish, counting games etc.
Our supplies vary from event to event since each one is comprised of different children of different ages and interests.
Is there a nanny to child ratio per wedding?
Yes! To ensure each child is properly cared for we require the following ratio :
1 sitter : 2 infants (up to 12 months)
1 sitter : 2 toddlers (12 to 36 months)
1 sitter : 3 Preschool ( 3 to 4 years)
1 sitter : 4 School Age (4 years and above)
Is there a minimum number of kids? Maximum?
There is no minimum or maximum number of children.
Where do you set up your service in the venue? Is the wedding couple required to pay for the extra room if it is necessary to rent it out or is that part of the price?
Typically we set up in the bridal suite, in an empty room at the venue, bridal suite or guest room at the hotel. We are very flexible and can make any empty space work for the evening. If there is no empty space available and a space is required to rent, that would be the wedding couple’s responsibility.
Normally, we are able to work with the venue to acquire a quiet area for the kids to play without any problem.
Please describe who your nannies are including background and training.
Our sitters come from a variety of different backgrounds all with extensive experience in childcare. They are teachers, mothers, professional nannies, school counselors, and nurses.
Each sitter is First Aid and CPR certified. They are background-checked and trained with My Fair Nanny before heading out to their first event on their own. We also have a select group of nannies who are certified to work special needs children.
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Thank you Kimberly for taking the time to chat with us! Learn more about My Fair Nanny by visiting their website.
Of Possible Interest: Everything You Wanted To Know About Children At Weddings
