Norland Nannies receive royal approval.
Louenna Hood (37), a Suffolk native, has graduated more than 17 year ago from Norland College and worked for many high-profile royal and state families.
Graduates cater to the super-elite, the children of oligarchs, and since 1892, the British royal family, with Prince William and Kate Middleton chosing Norland Nanny Maria Borallo to look after their three children, who has been with them since Prince George, now eight, was eight-months-old.
Louenna received the exact same training as Maria, which included high-speed driving in order to avoid paparazzi and martial arts to protect against kidnappers, as well as classical skills like cooking.
Louenna was developed by her in 2020 as a way to help parents with their daily lives.FEMAIL is thrilled to share her 15 top tips for fixing every family.
It doesn’t take drastic measures to change your mood or wellbeing. But, simple things like playing board games in the morning and giving your kids the option of choosing one meal each week can make a big difference.
Her advice is that children below seven years of age should get to sleep by 7:15 p.m., as they are at their deepest sleep between midnight and dawn. It might be time for a rethink about your evening routine.
Louenna Hood from Suffolk (37 years old), is shown in her uniform. Louenna graduated from Norland College 17-years ago. Since then, she has worked for royal families as well as high-profile clientele.
1. BE A EARLY BIRD
Your alarm should be set half an hour prior to your children’s waking up. This sets your day off in the best possible way. It’s a peaceful way to shower, and you will feel refreshed and awake by the time the children wake up.
BOARD GAME
You can create a visual board or a list to help your children remember what they need to do each morning.
It will not only encourage independence, but also make it easier to get through your day. It’s fun for children to see a goal, so make a sticker sheet to track the completion of each job. Talk with your children about how many stickers they need to accumulate before getting a prize.
You can feel stressed every time you are forced to make a decision. So make sure to create a checklist of everything that needs to go in your schoolbag each day.
Norland College is the leading provider of childcare training, established in 1892 by Emily Ward. Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo is one of its alumni. This is her with Prince George and Kate Middleton.
CLOTHES ENCOUNTER
To help your child learn independence in dressing themselves, lay out everything they need the night before. It’ll not only save you time and slash your stress levels in the morning but getting dressed independently improves your child’s fine and gross motor skills. When your child gets dressed by themselves, praise them. This will boost their self-esteem and confidence. It also helps at school, when they need to dress independently.
4. AIR MAX
Get outside for plenty of fresh air everyday… don’t let the rain put you off, puddles make walks even more fun! Of course, this is easier in the summertime but even if it’s just five minutes at the playground after school, the smallest amount of fresh air will have a hugely beneficial effect on your child’s behaviour and mood. For yourself, go for the daily mile.
You can take just 20 minutes to yourself, even if the kids are at nursery or school. It will help clear your mind and boost your mood.
You can let your baby nap in the pram while you walk. It is worth letting them take a nap in the pram once per week. This teaches them how to move around and keeps them from being tied down to their house.
5: TARGET PRACTICE
Together, make new year’s resolutions. Whether it’s biking to school one day a week or making one day a week a vegetarian day, forward planning and setting goals gives everyone a sense of achievement and pride when carried out. Remember to celebrate your children’s accomplishments.
6: SCREEN MONITOR
Set technology rules: no iPads in the bedroom, create a docking station for everyone’s technology to go at 5pm and turn off WiFi overnight. It’s addictive. Don’t allow your children to spend too much time staring at screens.
You can ask them for a tablet but they will not allow you to use it. However, I would like your help setting the table within 20 minutes. You can limit your use of the tablet to only useful tasks.
Be realistic and don’t let your worries become a major issue. It’s not worth banning technology or television. My experience is that children who hear they cannot have something will only desire it more.
A child shouldn’t be staring at screens during certain times of the day, especially when it is before bedtime. The blueish-colored light from screens can disrupt sleep patterns and cause damage to the eyesight, according to research.
What does a Norland Nana do?
Norland College was founded by Emily Ward in 1892 and is an important provider of training for childcare.
Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo is one of its alumni. She was the nanny to Prince Charles and Duchess Catherine’s children.
Emily designed a uniform for Norland graduates so they would not be mistakenly thought of as housemaids.
Friedrich Froebel (German educationalist, who invented the kindergarten system) was the founder’s training.
Early Childhood Studies is a course that focuses on multiple aspects of child development.
Social science, psychology, education, child health and literature are all areas that students will be able to study.
It trains its students to be ‘Norlanders’, which is what they are known for when they graduate. They learn how to communicate with families, how to develop math skills, how to make healthy food, and how to help children cook.
In addition to the usual skills of sewing, cooking and first aid there are new subjects like Taekwondo and self defense.
Students learn from an instructor on the Castle Combe Racing Circuit (Wiltshire) in the second year. This prepares them to handle any kind of situation from treacherous roads to kidnappers and paparazzi.
Norland College is the leading provider of childcare training, established in 1892 by Emily Ward. Emily created a uniform for Norland students so they would not be mistakenly thought of as housemaids. This is still a part of Norland’s rich tradition. Pictured: College graduates
Throughout their two years at Norland College, where it costs £36,000 to train, students alternated weeks between college and placements, working at private homes, nurseries, schools and a maternity unit so you get experience working at every age.
Lectures in the morning and hands-on lessons in afternoon are the main activities.
You will be required to pass regular uniform checks.
Students undergoing its £36,000 training are not only banned from smoking, buying alcohol or going to fast-food outlets while in uniform, they are even forbidden from buying takeaway coffees.
7: WORD UP
Read a book together each night. It’s great for children to read together.
They are able to improve their cognitive development, understand more about the world and bond with others. Additionally, it has a tremendously positive impact upon their speech and language development.
By the 5th of their birthday, if you only read 1 story per day to them, they will have read 1,825 stories! Roald Dahl and Julia Donaldson are my favorites, as well as the classic Wind in the Willows of Kenneth Grahame.
8: MIND YOUR MINDS
Mindfulness is the ability to be present – being aware of where we are and what we’re doing in the moment. Through my years of observation, I’ve learned through the years that children are champions for mindfulness.
They are accustomed to living in the now and do not have much regard for the future. Whilst it can be irritating if you’re late for an appointment and your child gets distracted by something in the garden en route to the car, there’s also a beauty in how children are not affected by everyday stresses.
You can help your child practice mindfulness every day, to improve their mood and calm down the mind. It is possible to incorporate basic techniques into your daily life. Take a deep breath, smile and take in your mirror every morning before you head to the bathroom.
Make your day brighter by thinking of someone or something that makes you smile. Louenna also offers simple mindfulness tips for parents and children.
9: PROMOTE A MEAL PLAN
Write down what you’re going to eat for the week ahead and let your children choose one meal each. Planning meals is cheaper than shopping for ingredients each day.
When you write down what you’re eating, you’re also less likely to repeat dishes and have more variety. Not only will it reduce food waste, but you’ll also save money. Allowing your child to pick a meal is a way to make them feel more valued and included in the family-life decision making process.
10: MUNCH BUNCH
It’s best to eat with your family as often as possible. It’s less time consuming to cook one sitting, seeing you eating something new will encourage your children to be adventurous, and has a positive effect on children’s table manners.
To encourage natural behavior, we should teach them the basics of table manners, such as not getting up from the table and learning how to use cutlery and sitting down at the table until everybody is finished.
Best of all, sitting at a table together gives you an opportunity to talk about what’s happened in each of your days.
11. FILL YOUR GLASS HALF FULL
Positive outlook is key for the year ahead. Your children are more likely to mimic your behavior than you realize. If you’re happy about 2022 and enthusiastic about it, they will too.
Positive thinking equals positive attitudes, so make sure you have something to look forward too as a family. There are no costs for a beach trip or family movie night.
12. KNOW YOUR NUTRITION
A balanced breakfast can provide many benefits, including increased energy, protein, and calcium intake. It also helps to improve brain function. Breakfast smoothies and oats are my two favorite breakfast recipes.
Prepare healthy snacks like crudites, hummus and oatmeal energy balls for those hungry after-school munchies. Of course, the odd bit of chocolate or treat is absolutely fine and part of a balanced and realistic diet but dipping back into the festive chocolates every day isn’t the best plan of action for anyone!
13.: YOU RULE. OKAY?
Your children will feel safe, secure and protected if you set boundaries. My guidelines are to eat healthy, be well rested, have good manners, and show kindness towards others.
My belief is in choosing your battles. Don’t ever say no to anyone unless you mean it. Before a ‘no’, ask yourself, ‘Why am I saying this? Can I give a reason?’ You should always be able to justify your reason – for example, it’s bedtime now because otherwise you will be tired and miserable tomorrow; or you can’t have another ice cream because it will give you a tummy ache etc. Give a short explanation but don’t let the negotiations start!
Toddlers love to be independent and have the freedom to experiment with what control they can exercise. Tantrums only occur if they know you’ll eventually give in to them. If their tantrum doesn’t affect you or get a reaction, then they won’t repeat a tantrum in the future.
Louenna Hood, a Norland babysitter for 17 years has shared 15 parenting tips she learned through her experience working with royal children and other high-profile clients.
14: SUPPLEMENT SALVY
Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones, muscles and immune system. It can also help promote sleep and better quality of life.
It is advised that all breastfed babies take a Vitamin D supplement from birth, but it’s a beneficial supplement for all of us, especially during winter months when we need all the help we can get to fight coughs and colds!
15: RE-REGULATE ROUTE
Make sure your children are back to bed at their normal time. After a bath or a story, give your child a hug and then tuck them into bed at the time they prefer.
Older children may be allowed to sleep later on school holidays. If this is the case, you can gradually move your bedtime ahead so it’s easier for them to fall asleep. Children should go to bed at 7 pm until the time they turn seven.
In the early part of the night – up until midnight – children have their deepest and most uninterrupted sleep, so it’s really important that younger children are asleep in bed by 7pm.
The Louenna app is available to download on the App Store & Google Play or visit www.louenna.com for more information