There are many women who claim to be nannies, but it takes a special set of skills and talent to be a good nanny. Whether you need a professional baby nurse for your newborn or an older lady to care for a few teenagers, you need to know what to look for when hiring a nanny.

References are of course vital. Hiring someone perhaps who has used a particular nanny in the past is always a good choice. Frequently a nanny will stay with a family for years and when the children get old enough to take care of themselves, or even go off to school, she usually needs to find another job. This is actually how many nannies find employment, and many families find the perfect new nanny.

Experience is important as well, especially the precise type of experience needed to perform the duties you need handled. For instance, a nanny who will be responsible for an infant will need a completely different set of skills than perhaps someone who will be caring for toddlers or school age children.

If you need someone to care for your infant, it’s very important to decide if you need someone around the clock, during the day, only at night (she would be responsible for getting up for midnight feedings and diaper changes so you can sleep), or a combination of everything. This type of nanny is usually referred to as a baby nurse and should have plenty of experience in not only changing diapers, but in safety, feeding, making formula, looking for signs of distress, and even in preventing and treating diaper rash.

Of course, anyone who will be alone with your children or even near your children should undergo a complete background check. Don’t rely on some cheap website that claims to have access to all types of records. Hire a real company with real investigators. If the nanny is from another country you should ask to see her passport to find out when she visited other countries and have background checks done abroad as well.

Her health is important as well. Many families now request a physical, at their expense, that includes testing for infectious diseases such as TB, hepatitis, etc., along with a typical drug and alcohol screening panel. If a nanny refuses on the grounds of possible privacy violations, remind her that you are an employer and the law allows you access to this information in order to determine eligibility for employment.

Personality is important, too. Sometimes it’s the reason a nanny is hired or not. Many families insist their nanny was actually chosen by their kids because of the chemistry. Perhaps she didn’t have the years of experience they were looking for, but knowing the children would actually enjoy being with this woman sometimes means more than how well she can cook or make a bed.

Before making a major commitment, offer a trial period of a few weeks. See how things go. The children will be able to express their pleasure or displeasure.

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Category: Parenting
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