Hiring a Nanny is an important decision that requires a lot of research and patience because your child’s safety and development is at stake.  And it’s not something we recommend to compromise on. The challenge of finding the right nanny has forced some parents to leave their careers and focus on their child.  However here are some tips that can help you find good nannies for your children.

Where To Find Nannies?

It can take a while to find someone you love. But you can start your search by the following:

• Nanny Agencies: Registering with a nanny agency is a great route. Especially for families that are pressed for time. Agencies can provide listings of pre-screened nannies.
• University or college Job Boards: Most universities have job boards that allow individuals to post for a position that they’re seeking to fill. If you’re looking for a part-time nanny or a graduate student who’s available for that position, this may be a good option.
• Malls or local message board: if you live in your area where there is a local message board or a mall, chances are they’ll feature “nanny available” listings. Or you can also post your need there.
• Local newspapers: Advertising online or in newspaper classifieds can be overwhelming due to the flood of responses from strangers. So be very specific about what you’re looking for.
• Friends or family recommendations: One of the best options.

Consider Long Term

Most Parents focus on the immediate needs of their child. Considering a child going from sitting to crawling, walking, running, jumping and leaping, parents should also think of long term needs.  Who will handle discipline and control tantrums of your child? A great nanny is someone who can grow with your child and challenge him or her along the way.

Find Good Nannies: Strategic Interview Process

when it comes to find good nannies, the interview process  is one of the most important steps. It’s highly recommended that parents include questions they think the nanny doesn’t expect. Ask a lot of “what if” questions. Here are couple of examples.

• What would you do if you got locked out of the house with the kids?
• What would you do if my daughter fell and hit her head?

Those type of questions will allow you to assess how a nanny would handle an emergency. Of course, in addition to that there are few basic questions. For instance:

• What do you think are the qualities needed to be a good nanny?
• What do you enjoy most and least about being a nanny
• How would you plan a typical day?
• What are your favorite activities with children?

Experts also recommend to pay careful attention to the candidate’s body language. If a person appears nervous and doesn’t make eye contact it can be a sign that something is amiss.

Finally try to make the interview a little more casual. After all, the nanny isn’t going to be working in a formal capacity with your children. So it’s good to know who she really is.

Background Check

When you find good nannies that you love, it’s important to do some background check. Because some families have been through several bad nannies – one who falsified all their references (they were friends), some turned out to have records. And parents only knew after the fact, since they miss to do their own background check.

It’s better to call the references (at least three) instead of sending them an email. You can glean a great deal of information during a short chat with the nanny’s former families

As you check a nanny’s references, ask challenging and specific questions.

• Ask the reference to reveal one bad thing about their experience with the nanny.
• Find out how often the nanny was unable to come to work.
• Ask the reference if they’ve ever checked up on the nanny.
• Why did she stop working with them?

It’s also worth searching online and social media sites to vet potential nannies and their off-time behaviors.

Find Good Nannies: Do a Trial Run

Finally it’s wise to do a few days trial run. Have each finalist spend a few paid hours with your child and observe the interaction. There’s no better way to make a decision than to see for yourself how a nanny is on the job.

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