Tips for choosing a great nanny

Choosing a right nanny for your family is not an easy task. You need to take enough time to find that one right person who will handle your kids well. It is an important decision that needs enough planning and research. After all, your child will spend his most crucial years of growth with the nanny you hire. Moreover, it is more about safety of your child too. Thus you need to have enough patience and contact your friends, agencies or search online to find promising candidates. Here are a few tips for choosing a great nanny:

Know your priorities: To start with, you must know what you are looking for. Discuss your priorities with your partner. Know what type of nanny you want for your child. Should she be experienced and matured enough? Should the nanny you hire, hold a degree in early childhood education? What all responsibilities would she be given, like bathing, feeding etc.? How independently she would take care of the child? Or do you want to hire a nanny who will give your child the parental needs? Keep these questions handy before you interview the applicants or before contacting the agencies.

Do your research carefully: Start your research by contacting your family and friends. Personal contacts could be more reliable. Put the message on your chat groups or even a school notice board could be helpful. Check for online resources too. There are several reliable online agencies that have got a list of experienced and educated nannies. You may also enroll in a nanny training program in your area. Later contact the team for any references. Local nanny placement agencies can be of great help too. These agencies do a complete background check of the candidates before they represent them. They will also help you find the nanny that best suits your criteria. You can also put up an advertisement in a local newspaper or online. Though you would be flooded with responses from unknown people, but you can find a perfect nanny is you are specific about your preferences.

Interviewing the possible candidates: You can ask as many questions to as many applicants you can. Questions regarding their work experience, child related philosophies, their personal interests, their activities after work, background cheek, driving record, why are they into this profession, how much do they care about the child’s development and past experiences related to child with special needs and many more. You can ask questions till you are completely satisfied with the candidate. Moreover, “listen to your gut instinct, if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.” While interviewing, you will easily make out of the nanny is warm and friendly in her approach.

Talk to the references: After selecting a few “suitable” candidates for the nanny job, you can contact their references. Clear all your doubts by asking them several questions. You may ask them for more references too. Make sure you know about the nanny’s strengths and weaknesses by contacting her previous employers. Ask them the reason for leaving her job or why she isn’t with them anymore. This will help you know about her in detail.

Give a try: Ask the selected candidates to come home one by one for a few days for trial sessions. Keenly observe her behavior with your child and how well she interacts with your baby. Is she warm, considerate, friendly and caring? Is your child comfortable and happy in her company? Are you satisfied? Do you feel safe that your child will be with her when you are not around? You will be able to judge only after a trial round and see for yourself how well she is at her job.

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