There are many advantages to having a nanny, but a new survey by Nannies4hire.com shows that children with a nanny are less plugged into computers, iPods and video games than the national trend. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation reports average use of media by children ages 8-18 is about 7.5 hours a day, an increase since 2004. For children with a nanny, that average plummets to 1.6 hours a day.
To see if this is a global trend, Nannies4hire.com conducted a study with nannies and babysitters registered with the online database service. In a survey of 1,000 caregivers, the positive influence of a nanny in the house is clearly felt, as children ages 8-18 are only spending 1.6 hours a day on computers, watching TV, listening to music on iPods or mp3 players, and playing video games, almost 6 hours less than the average child. A surprise added benefit of having a nanny in the home involves the health of these children as well; on average children with a nanny spend 3 hours a day playing outdoors.
Candi Wingate, the founder of Nannies4hire.com believes the difference is with the qualities a nanny brings to a family, “The number one goal of a nanny is the health and happiness of the child they supervise. They are not paid to watch a child whittle away the day with video games; they are paid to contribute to emotional, intellectual and physical well-being of the children in their care,” states Wingate, author of The Nanny Factor, A Parent’s Guide to Finding the Right Nanny For Your Family (Spring, 2010)
“Nannies interact with the children in their care, taking them outside whenever possible and engaging their minds in much more than the mindless activity of watching TV or playing on the computer,” Wingate continues.
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