Homebodies

Homebodies Homebodies is London's most bespoke specialist Nanny Agency Homebodies offers a bespoke service to each & every one of our clients.

We give you as much advice and attention you require, and listen attentively to what you need. We offer our expert advice and often come up with creative options which you may not have thought were possible - saving you both time and money when trying to attract the right type of support for your family. Call us for a no obligation chat to get a feel for who we are and what we can offer you.

A lot of the professionals I work with aren't just raising children - they’re also quietly looking after the people who ...
20/08/2026

A lot of the professionals I work with aren't just raising children - they’re also quietly looking after the people who once raised them.

They're often called the "sandwich generation" - caught between the needs of their children and the needs of their parents, while holding down demanding careers at the same time. Pulled in three directions at once, and quietly carrying an enormous amount.

It's a particular kind of pressure, and one that often goes unspoken. You might have a school run and a hospital appointment to fit into the same week, or find yourself moving straight from a child's bedtime routine to a worried phone call with a parent. Everyone needs a piece of you, and there simply isn't enough of you to go round.

I don't think this gets acknowledged nearly enough, either at home or at work.

What I do know is that removing even one source of pressure can make a real difference. When your childcare is dependable and you trust the person caring for your children completely, that's one less thing to worry about, and a little more room to breathe when so much else is demanding your attention.

If you're caring for children and parents at the same time, know that you're not alone in it - and that asking for support isn't a weakness. It's often the wisest thing you can do.

Are you part of the sandwich generation? What has helped you carry it?

One of the most predictable costs on your payroll doesn't appear anywhere on it: the productivity lost every time an emp...
18/08/2026

One of the most predictable costs on your payroll doesn't appear anywhere on it: the productivity lost every time an employee's childcare falls through.

Most organisations still treat this as a personal matter for employees to manage, when it's really a workforce issue that quietly affects productivity, attendance, and retention across the business.

Consider what actually happens. A parent who is capable and committed loses a morning, or a full day, to a problem entirely outside their control. Meetings are rearranged, deadlines slip, and even when they do make it to their desk, their focus is elsewhere.

Multiply that across a workforce over a year, and the cost is significant, yet it rarely appears on any balance sheet.

The impact isn't evenly shared, either. When care breaks down, it's disproportionately mothers who take the leave or step back, which is one of the quiet ways careers stall and progress toward workplace equality slows.

This is precisely one of the problems Nannovo was built to solve. We provide employers with dependable backup childcare their people will actually use, because it's delivered by professionals we know personally and vouch for, rather than anonymous names from a database.

Trust is what turns a benefit on paper into one that genuinely protects your business when it matters.

The organisations that get this right don't just reduce absence. They strengthen retention, support their working parents to perform at their best, and signal something meaningful in a competitive hiring market: that they understand the realities of modern working life.

If supporting working parents is on your agenda this year, I'd be glad to share what we're seeing and how it might apply to your organisation. Visit Nannovo's website to find out more and to contact us: https://www.nannovo.com/

"But who do you call when it all goes wrong?"It's a question I find myself coming back to a lot, because for so many of ...
13/08/2026

"But who do you call when it all goes wrong?"

It's a question I find myself coming back to a lot, because for so many of the families I work with, the honest answer is: no one nearby.

Plenty of professional parents in London are raising their children without grandparents down the road or family close by to step in.

On a good day, that's manageable. But childcare is fragile, and when it breaks - a sudden illness, a nursery closure, a nanny off sick - there's often no safety net to catch the fall.

This is one of the reasons I feel so strongly about the role a trusted nanny plays. She becomes far more than childcare during working hours. She becomes part of your support network, the person you can rely on when life throws the unexpected at you, and the reassurance that you're not facing it all alone.

Having someone dependable in your corner doesn't just solve the practical problem - it takes away that low, constant worry that so many parents without local support carry with them.

I believe everyone deserves a safety net, even if they've had to build it themselves.

If you're raising your children without family nearby, how have you built your support network?

Here's a blog post to find out more about this topic: https://www.homebodieslondon.com/post/hiring-nanny-relocating

Since the start of the year, I've been building something alongside my work at Homebodies, and I’m excited to finally sh...
11/08/2026

Since the start of the year, I've been building something alongside my work at Homebodies, and I’m excited to finally share it.

It's called Nannovo, and I've co-founded it with James McCrossen of Manny and Me. Nannovo helps employers support their working parents through trusted, high-quality backup childcare, for the moments when regular arrangements break down and the working day would otherwise fall apart.

The idea came from something I've watched happen throughout my years running Homebodies.

Time and again, I saw talented professionals thrown into crisis by a single unexpected childcare gap - a sick child, a closed nursery, a carer who cancels.

The cost of those moments is real, and it lands on families and businesses alike, through lost productivity, absence, and experienced people even stepping back from careers it took them years to build.

There are backup childcare services already, but most are built for scale rather than trust. They send whoever is available, with little personal knowledge of who that person is.

In my experience, parents simply won't use a service they don't trust, which means the benefit goes unused and the investment is wasted.

Nannovo takes a different approach. Drawing on more than 30 years of combined experience between James and I placing childcare professionals, we've built a carefully selected network of professional, vetted nannies we know personally, and we stand behind every placement.

Availability matters, but it's the last thing we consider, not the first. Over the last year, we've taken our time getting this right, because when it comes to someone caring for your child, having the right person is the one thing that counts.

If you lead an HR or benefits team and you'd like to understand how dependable backup childcare could support your workforce, I would love to arrange a call or meeting with you. Find out more about Nannovo and get in touch here: https://www.nannovo.com/

Most working parents are holding down two full-time jobs, but only one of them comes with a salary.So many of the parent...
06/08/2026

Most working parents are holding down two full-time jobs, but only one of them comes with a salary.

So many of the parents I work with are thriving in their careers while also raising a family, and doing both brilliantly.

But they'll be the first to tell you it rarely feels effortless. There's the constant mental juggling, the guilt that pulls in both directions, and the sense that if any one part of the system wobbles, the whole week is at risk.

What I've seen again and again over the years is that the right childcare changes everything here.

And I don’t mean just any childcare, but someone who genuinely fits your family and flexes around the reality of your working life. Someone who can stay a little later when a meeting overruns, understands your routines, and also becomes a trusted part of your world rather than just a pair of hands.

When that support is in place, parents stop operating in ‘crisis mode’. They're more present at work because they're not worrying about home, and more present at home because they're not carrying the stress of work.

You shouldn't have to choose between being good at your job and being the parent you want to be. Because with the right support behind you, you don't have to.

Here's a blog post to find out more about this topic: https://www.homebodieslondon.com/post/qualities-professional-nanny

If you're balancing a career with family life, what's made the biggest difference for you?

"Simone from Homebodies has been immensely helpful in finding us a fantastic nanny."Thank you Veronika, for this lovely ...
30/07/2026

"Simone from Homebodies has been immensely helpful in finding us a fantastic nanny."

Thank you Veronika, for this lovely review, and we are delighted that we found you and your family a fantastic nanny.

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Are you a family searching for the perfect nanny or a nanny looking for a new role? Head to our website (https://www.homebodieslondon.com/) for more info and read the full review below:

⭐ Immensely helpful ⭐

"Simone from Homebodies has been immensely helpful in finding us a fantastic nanny.

She offered us a very professional and bespoke service, listening to our needs and sending only the most relevant matches through for consideration.

It’s been a pleasure working with Simone and I would highly recommend Homebodies and Simone in particular if you’re seeking a nanny."

- Veronika, Belsize Park

Something we hear from new parents, almost word for word, again and again: "I had no idea it would be this hard."The joy...
28/07/2026

Something we hear from new parents, almost word for word, again and again: "I had no idea it would be this hard."

The joy of a new baby is very real. But so is the exhaustion, the broken sleep, the feeding challenges, and the sheer weight of round-the-clock responsibility, often while you're still recovering from the birth yourself.

For working parents in London, there's the added question of how you'll ever be ready to return to the office when you're barely finding your footing at home.

This is where the right support changes everything.

In those early weeks, a maternity nurse or night nanny can be a genuine game-changer.

A maternity nurse provides round-the-clock support, helping with feeding, settling, and gently establishing routines when you feel ready, while making sure you rest and recover.

A night nanny takes on the overnight hours, so you can actually sleep, knowing your baby is in expert, attentive hands.

It's not just practical help, though that matters enormously. It's the emotional reassurance of having someone experienced beside you during a time that can feel genuinely overwhelming.

And there's a quieter benefit too. Working with a professional in those early days helps you understand your own preferences and your baby's needs, which makes finding the right full-time nanny later on so much easier when the time comes to return to work.

Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness. So many of our clients tell us it was one of the best decisions they made for their family.

We've written about how the right support can simplify the journey into parenthood for busy working parents, read it here: https://www.homebodieslondon.com/post/working-parents-london

Did you have support in those early weeks? Looking back, what made the biggest difference for you?

One of the most common worries we hear from parents is this: "Will my child develop as well with a nanny as they would a...
23/07/2026

One of the most common worries we hear from parents is this: "Will my child develop as well with a nanny as they would at nursery, surrounded by other children?"

It's a really understandable concern, but it's based on a misconception worth unpicking.

Nurseries do wonderful work, and group settings suit many children well. But a nanny offers something different - completely one-to-one care, with activities tailored to your child's specific age, stage, and interests.

Learning gets woven into everyday life, whether that's counting flowers on a walk, spotting the first letter of their name on a road sign, or practising manners at the table.

And the social side is covered too. An experienced nanny arranges playdates and takes children to classes and groups, so they get plenty of interaction with other children.

As Mhairi, a Norland nanny we recently interviewed, put it beautifully - a nanny gives you the best of both worlds. Your child gets dedicated one-to-one attention alongside social interaction and learning through play.

The real magic happens when parents and nanny work as a team. When your values around development and daily life align, and there's consistency between you, a child feels secure and thrives.

Interested to learn more about this topic? We sat down with Mhairi to talk about how nannies really support child development, from emotional security and boundaries to making learning fun, read it all here: https://www.homebodieslondon.com/post/nannies-child-development

Parents, what matters most to you when it comes to your child's development? And nannies, how do you weave learning into everyday moments?

There's a common assumption that having twins is simply twice the work of having one baby.The reality is a little differ...
21/07/2026

There's a common assumption that having twins is simply twice the work of having one baby.

The reality is a little different.

With one baby, you can usually feed, soothe, and settle them one task at a time. With twins, everything happens at once. Two babies hungry at the same moment, two nappies to change, and two little people with completely different temperaments and sleep patterns to understand, often while running on barely any sleep yourself.

It's not double the work. It's a different kind of work altogether, and it calls for a different kind of support.

This is why so many families of multiples find a maternity nanny or night nanny invaluable in those early weeks, and why experience genuinely matters when choosing someone to help.

A nanny who has cared for twins before knows how to bring two babies into the same routine gently, how to keep the day running smoothly, and how to give each child individual attention. Getting both babies in sync is often the single biggest turning point for exhausted parents, and it's a real skill.

There's also the question of cost, which understandably worries a lot of twin parents. Here's something worth knowing: unlike nursery, where you pay per child, one nanny cares for both your babies for a single salary, which often makes it far more cost-effective than families expect.

We've written a complete guide for parents of twins and multiples, drawing on both our professional experience and a good deal of personal understanding, since I am a twin mum myself, read it here: https://www.homebodieslondon.com/post/nanny-for-twins

If you're expecting multiples, we'd love to help you feel prepared and supported.

We’d love to hear from you - what's been the biggest challenge, or the biggest joy, of raising twins for your family?

The night before returning to work after maternity leave, many parents lie awake asking themselves the same question.Can...
14/07/2026

The night before returning to work after maternity leave, many parents lie awake asking themselves the same question.

Can I really trust someone else to look after my baby?

It's one of the hardest parts of going back to work, and it's something we talk about with parents all the time.

The guilt of leaving your child.

The worry about missing milestones.

The strange feeling of handing your most precious little person over to someone who, at first, is essentially a stranger.

These feelings are completely normal, and they deserve to be taken seriously rather than brushed aside.

What we've learnt over the years is that the right nanny doesn't just care for your child while you're at work. She becomes someone your child genuinely bonds with, someone who keeps you involved even when you're not there, and someone who gives you the peace of mind to focus on your career without that constant pull of worry.

The transition back to work is so much easier when you're not doing it alone. From understanding exactly what kind of nanny would suit your family, to interviewing candidates who've already been vetted and reference-checked, to the ongoing support once your nanny starts, having someone hold your hand through the process makes all the difference.

We've written a guide for parents navigating this exact moment, covering both the emotional side and the practical steps, so returning to work feels less daunting and more like a new chapter you're ready for, read it here: https://www.homebodieslondon.com/post/returning-work-nanny

If you're preparing to go back to work, what's been your biggest worry about finding the right childcare?

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