Estelle Matthews: What do you do if you're having problems taking care of your child and unfortunately there isn't a super nanny around to help you. Well, Tara Stanton and Sophie Burns are two nannies who've set up positive results to come to your rescue. Let's meet them now. Welcome to you both Tara and Sophie, and Edward. Edward is your little boy?
Tara Stanton: Yes.
Estelle Matthews: Tara, do tell us. What is Positive Results?
Tara Stanton: Well, basically we are a company which help parents with advice and tips from conception through to graduation and we offer all sorts of advice on anything if you can think off.
Estelle Matthews: And why you're qualified to do that?
Tara Stanton: Well, Sophie and I are both nannies and I found that when I fell pregnant with Edward, my credibility without the mummies went up, and I started asking me questions. So, I thought there is a gap in the market of mothers who want, somebody who is childcare qualified to give them advice and to give them tips.
Estelle Matthews: Now Sophie, the business is relatively new, but so far are you popular?
Sophie Burns: Yes, we had great feedback from all the clients that we've seen so far and we've had a lot of interest, and it's very exiting.
Estelle Matthews: Now, what would I do, if I've got a specific problem to say, I've got a teething problem with my two year old or something. Would I phone you up or how does the system work?
Sophie Burns: We have three tiers that you could choose from depending on your budget really, you can email us, you can telephone us or you can book us for a face to face consultation.
Estelle Matthews: Now, you're in fact, what's known as a super nanny. You've been a nanny for very long time and the Norland Nannies. So, you're hugely qualified for the task. Can you kind of run through some of the things so far that people have asked help on?
Sophie Burns: We've had a lot of parents who want a disciplined structure for their children. They find that they can't really agree; one parent wants to discipline in one way and another parent, another way. And they want something that we can come in with that, it is not necessarily a compromise, but it seeks them and it seeks their children and it gets the results that they want to have some kind of structure that works across the family, so that it's in best more harmony.
Estelle Matthews: Now Tara, how much does the service cost? Is it something anyone can afford?
Tara Stanton: Well, one of the reasons we set up was that we could be affordable for anybody. So, we have again a structure, where we have a mothers' network where you can have too short email answers a month. And also, you get a monthly news letter and that's currently four pounds a month.
Estelle Matthews: Oh, that's very good value.
Tara Stanton: And if you just want short email answer, then it's five pounds. If you want a telephone consultation, and then for every 15 minutes, it's ten pounds, and if you want face to face, it's 16 pounds per 15 minutes. It's all laid out in the website as well.
Estelle Matthews: And do you do an emergency service to someone who is having a real panic?
Tara Stanton: We actually do have an emergency service. We have an emergency telephone contact, which you can ring at anytime, which is a two pound surcharge on the ordinary telephone costs. And also, if you're a mom's network member, then you get 5% discount on all other contacts as well.
Estelle Matthews: With a telephone conversation, can you really provide an efficient service? Is that enough, do you think?
Tara Stanton: Certainly, for most cases especially, if you got a short something that we can answer within sort of 30 or 60 minutes, if you're clear on what is you're looking for, then we can offer a very clear response that's very tailored to the questions that you ask and the answers that you give. It's very easy, Sophie and I know the right questions to ask you, to get a feel for the type of parent you're and actually what the question is that you're asking. Because, sometimes, you say you want help with one thing, but what it actually is it's something slightly different.
Estelle Matthews: So, over to you experienced doing that nanny one. If I had well, and I do have my five year old daughters had chewing gum stuck into her hair. I phone you off and say panic beautiful long locks and I going to have chop them all off. What will you suggest to me?
Sophie Burns: I would say, go to a freezer and get some ice.
Estelle Matthews: And stick her head in that.
Sophie Burns: Stick some ice on to the chewing gum and you should be able to break it off without breaking her hair or having to cut it off.
Estelle Matthews: I mean are those, the sort of problems that you could deal with?
Sophie Burns: Yes. I mean it's, we've got probably 35 years of experience between us. There is not much that we haven't come across and could solve.
Estelle Matthews: And Tara, back to you again, I mean, what's the weirdest thing that someone has asked you?
Tara Stanton: Well, the chewing gum ones when that I've dealt with and again we have more than one tooth, but how to get rid of it? The weirdest one is probably, happily screened anytime of day or night whenever she was happy, so mom will be walking through the super market and the child would start screaming and the parents obviously thought though, the parents look around and tough taught you, they wanted some help with how to deal with it.
Estelle Matthews: And apart from masking tape, what did you suggest?
Tara Stanton: Well, there is various suggestions. One of them is to distract, to try and the find the behavior that leads up to the scream and to distract during that time. And the main one is to not reward them for the scream, to ignore them while they're screaming and as soon as they stop, turn back to them and give them a great big smile and say "clever girl, what a lovely quiet little girl". And unfortunately, in the meantime you should put up with the embarrassment.
Estelle Matthews: And Sophie, you must have this all the time, but people with children who are causing a problem and they don't know how to cope without losing their rag, getting really angry with the child and obviously, I suppose sometimes it border lines a real help line doesn't it?
Sophie Burns: Well, it does. Yes. We always say to parents that you can't expect your children to know how to control themselves and their emotions, if you can't keep your control. So, if you feel that you will lose your control in front of your children, we recommend that the parents have a time out and they go somewhere, and they set and they count ten until they can get it back and be in charge of the situation because, the children shouldn't be in charge. They shouldn't be in control.
Estelle Matthews: Talking of someone who is in charge at the situation. Teddy, you look like, you're having a pretty good time. What's your mummy like, if she is a nanny? Are you a super mom?
Tara Stanton: Oh, yes. Absolutely.
Estelle Matthews: Does it make you a better mom?
Tara Stanton: I think it makes me more confident mother now, but certainly early on, it was very difficult. I expected to find it easier than I did. And I has just as many troubles as other moms and it makes me much more empathetic with the moms that we talk to now.
Estelle Matthews: So that helped you to set up this business really well?
Tara Stanton: Certainly did. Yes, it helped me to realize that there was a space that somewhat people needed, a phone number that they could ring, they needed an email address, they could just say, I have no idea what to do. Is this normal? what's supposed to be happening at the moment?
Estelle Matthews: So Sophie, what kind of people call you?
Sophie Burns: We have people who are very educated calling us. They found out so much information from the internet and from all the books that you could possibly have in the subject of childcare and parenting. And still, they a haven't got the definitive answer and that's what we want to provide something quick, that they don't have to spend hours looking up. They can just phone us and we can tell them and save them a lot of time.
Estelle Matthews: Do you work with any consultants or pediatricians, or do you just really have your knowledge from being a nanny and that's where you door upon and I supposed books has well helped?
Sophie Burns: Yes, but mostly it's the experience of walking so long with children and dealing with parents as well, because you have to know how to, if parents are having a problem with their child, you can't go in and tell them that they're being bad parents. You have to tell them that they're doing a great job, but they might like to try an alternative.
Estelle Matthews: Thank you. Well, I'm sure Edward had has something to say about and your business is not becoming an empire too quickly, but it's going to grow. It's going to get bigger and bigger.
Tara Stanton: We hope so. Yes, today London; next week, the world.
Estelle Matthews: Well, best of luck with your business. I really hope it takes off.
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