When it comes to nanny services there is no reason to accept anything less than high standards of care from a reliable person that genuinely invests into the wellbeing of your family, and children. service from a caring person that actually invests themselves into you and your family. Anything less than that, you are getting a bad deal. There are a plethora of compassionate, caring nannies out there that are looking for a family just like yours to connect with.
In order to find this person, your family has to be willing to search high and low for the perfect candidate. This however, can take weeks of persistence and diligence. This is why many families opt to hire a nanny agency to do the heavy lifting.
Nannies not only are in charge of watching our children and keeping them out of harm’s way, but they also are a big part of what our children learn and how they will treat people as they grow up. Hiring a nanny means bringing on a new family member that will be diligent about caring for the safety and welfare of the kids.
Nannies should always have:
- Unquestionable references
- Longstanding experience
- Adequate educational credentials
- A health-conscious attitude
- Clean driving record
- A clear background
- Any other qualities that are of importance to your families core values
Any nanny that you would consider to be a working part of your home should be able to provide you with documentation and proof that they are experienced, qualified, and trustworthy. Since a nanny will ultimately become an extended part of your family, always make sure that it is safe to leave them with your children before you ever do.
As a nanny agency, we always recommend working trials where the parents are present to assess how the children interact and adapt with the potential candidate. This is where parent instincts come into play. Use your gut instincts.
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Finding a Nanny
Although it is not very ethical, anybody and everybody can make up a profile on the internet and claim to be a nanny. Yes, it might be tempting to hire a nice-looking person with a great smile and good energy, however, the way that they handle critical situations is what will ultimately save your kids, or put them in danger.
Having younger siblings at home or having babysat throughout junior high and high school does not make someone eligible to work as a professional career nanny. Nannies have to do a lot of learning and must understand real-life situations in order to be able to safely care for children. This is exactly why our agency recommends asking scenario-based questions in an interview.
Upstanding professional nannies are educated and have backgrounds in subjects such as child development and psychology. Most professional nannies will carry certifications that prove they have passed various courses pertaining to child care.
There are workshops that provide hands-on training and experience such as:
- Life-saving CPR
- First aid
- Nutrition
- Newborn care
- Physical fitness
- Healthy meal preparation
- Conflict resolution
- Communication skills
- Parenting skills
The very best way to find a nanny is to go to an agency that specializes in connecting busy families with qualified nannies. When you choose to go with a reputable agency you save yourself a lot of time, unforeseen problems, and cut way down on any risks that could be associated with hiring a lone nanny without any credible affiliations.
One of the great things about finding your nanny through a professional nanny agency is that most of the more reputable agencies will always carefully screen and scrutinize any applicant that asks to join them. What this means is that they do the work so that you don’t have to.
- Background check
- Experience verification
- Reference validation
- Education screen
- Social media audit
- Motor vehicle record check
All of the characteristics that a nanny should have in order to be a trusted part of the family are already sought out and validated through the agency before you ever talk to the nanny.
What a Nanny is Supposed to Do
Being a nanny for the children of a family is a big responsibility. Bringing another person into the family and letting them make decisions is an important step for a parent.
Expectations and a very clear job description should be clearly outlined in a working agreement between a family and their nanny. Every duty that the nanny has should be clearly understood and agreed upon by both the parents (or single parent) and the nanny. This step can be the difference between a successful placement, and a complete misunderstanding.
A clear line of communication between all of the parties involved will be the catalyst that shifts a relationship from murky and uncertain to one that is well-understood and respected.
Since each family will have its own unique lifestyle the nanny will have various roles to play and daily tasks that will allow the family to get things done in a way that is most efficient and effective.
For example, one family may have 4 children in various age groups that have different needs. One child might have a self-defense class, while another has a piano class. The remaining two could be very young and still take naps that may interfere with the others’ schedules.
In another scenario, the family could have several children that are part of sports teams or clubs.
In any event, the nanny will be aware of the schedules of all of the family members and be able to make things work within the parameters that are available. The nanny might get the kids up and take them to school, pick them up from school, take them to practice, or appointments, and generally keep all of the members of the family in perfect harmony with the flow of life.
- Cooking meals for the children
- Cleaning up after the children
- Transportation for the children
- Guidance for the children
- Education and school prep
- Support for the children and family
- Children’s laundry & bed sheets
- Homework help
A nanny essentially serves as an extra set of hands, eyes, and ears for the family as well as an extra heart to take care of the children, while keeping the household running smoothly throughout the work week.
Family Needs
A nanny is not a person that comes into the home to be the house mouse and shy away when things get tricky. The nanny will have the sense and responsibility to face whatever challenges the family faces with great rigor. When the nanny is in charge there are a number of things that can happen that will require fast decision-making and courage. The responsibility of the nanny will be the immediate needs of the family from one moment to the next. This comes with experience and qualifications.
If a child becomes ill or injured while they are under the supervision of the nanny, it is important to have a nanny with the ability to handle the situation appropriately and not become overwhelmed or intimidated.
- Parental emergencies
- Child emergencies
- Pet emergencies
- Life emergencies
There is no expectation for the nanny to handle any and all emergency situations that may occur while caring for the family. Rather, the nanny needs to know how to handle emergency situations in a way that doesn’t exacerbate the problem.
Also, Nannie’s need to have good decision making skills and know when to handle things independently versus making parents immediately aware.
Compassionate and Caring
Even though working with and being around children is a joy, they are always changing and developing, therefore their caregiver may need to exercise patience and flexibility from time to time. Being able to be kind, nurturing, pleasant, and caring while simultaneously having the capacity to set reasonable and healthy boundaries and provide structure is one of the best abilities a nanny can bring to the table.
More than anybody else, kids need love and understanding, but they also need to understand that they don’t get to dictate the parameters or control what happens. A nanny is there to bond with the children creating a safe space where the children feel guided and supported. If a child becomes excessively emotional during a tough situation, a nanny should be able to support them, but not let them take the situation even further.
No matter the circumstance, all nannies should be expected to manage challenging situations without using physical discipline or raising their voices.
Trustworthy and Dependable
It takes a certain level of trust to welcome someone into your home to care for your children and be involved in the day-to-day routine of the household.
Just imagine if you hired a nanny who rummaged through your drawers whenever they had a chance to take jewels and other valuables. Even worse would be if they repeatedly did it over a period of time while you were unaware of it. Situations such as this can be completely avoided if you allow a trusted partner to filter out risks and provide you with healthy options.
You provide your family with more possibilities to meet competent candidates who you can trust and feel safe having in your house and around your children when you hire and source an experienced and qualified nanny through a reputable agency.
Your family will be inviting someone into a highly personal place and disclosing private information. Whenever you invite someone into your home to manage the schedule of the kids and assist with household management, you have to be able to trust them. If you have any doubts, you are probably working with the wrong person. We encourage families to always lead with their intuition when considering a nanny.
Conclusion
A nanny who enters your home for the purpose of helping you to raise your children safely and ethically needs to be of the highest caliber. They are coming into your life for a reason, and they must respect that reason by providing the greatest care that they possibly can.
A mutual level of respect is what facilitates a harmonious partnership. When people feel appreciated for their work they tend to go above and beyond the call of duty. We encourage families to always bare that in mind to ensure that their family receives the best care
You should be employing someone who has taken the time to fully understand what your family needs and who will help to carry out those needs even when things get tough. One of the best ways to find your perfect nanny, that has been around for many years, is to get the help of a trusted and respected nanny agency. The agency will have many resources that you would otherwise not have access to, and they will ask questions and get answers about things you may have never thought to ask. What should you expect? Nothing less than the best for your family.
