How to Find the Right Nanny For Your Family

Choosing the person in whose care you will place your precious child can be a very tough decision to make. A nanny is a person you employ to provide one-on-one care for your child in your home. You can choose to have a live-in nanny, who will stay in your home or a day nanny to come around when needed or at a specific times.

The first step to take after you decide to get a nanny is to consider all your child and family needs and use it to create a solid job description. Would a live-in or live-out nanny be best for you and your family? What duties do you expect a nanny to perform in addition to child care? Does your child have special needs? Once you know all your family needs and dynamics, write it all up into a job description. Don’t forget to check your budget too so you’ll get a nanny you can afford.

Start the search. You can reach out to family and friends, ask if they can recommend any nanny in your area. Personal recommendations are usually very reliable. If don’t get any recommendations, you can look into nanny agencies around you or online nanny listing sites.

Once you make a list of prospective nannies, review their resumes if any, call the references and narrow your list down to about four or five nannies before scheduling interviews.

Make the interviews strategic; have a list of four or five questions that will help you get a good knowledge of each nanny’s personality, work ethics, abilities and worthiness. After the interviews, choose the best two, schedule a final interview and pick the best nanny.

Go through a trial period for a couple of weeks to see how your new nanny works with your child and family. During the trial, get your nanny’s health and background check, create rules regarding attending to your child’s need, the use of cell phones, social media and privacy. Also make sure your nanny knows how to handle medical emergencies.

When you are satisfied, review and sign the contract that should include their schedule, responsibilities, compensation and benefit terms. Create a healthy working relationship with your nanny to ensure your child gets the best care possible.