Nanny care, in my opinion, is awesome for many reasons (and that’s not just because it’s what I do!). While daycare teachers and in home child care providers focus on supporting the developmental growth of your individual children, nannies are special because they support the developmental growth of your children, but also the overall family dynamic of your household.
We provide childcare, but also usually do cleaning and cooking relevant to the care of your children. For example, I unload and reload the dishwasher, tidy up around the baby’s room, do baby laundry once a week, sometimes bathe the baby, assist in packing for the baby when the family goes on vacation, and go through the baby’s closet at the start of a new season. This is lovely for the parents, because when they come home at night, they get to spend less time doing mundane baby related work and more time enjoying their evenings with their kids.
Another thing I love about the Nanny child care style, particularly for baby care, is the one on one time the child gets with their caregiver. Babies and toddlers really need one on one time, and down time, that daycares are not always so great at giving (due to high child-teacher ratios and the busyness of having a bunch of little ones all in one room). Some nannies, such as myself, will also take the child to playgroups or other activities. Personally, I find that going to a play group each days gives a nice mix of being around other children the same age, and then having nice quiet, one on one times at home. Being in a room with 16 other toddlers all day long can sometimes be exhausting for little ones, particularly the little ones who have more difficult temperaments.
One thing that parents tend to worry about with Nanny care is the fact that it can sometimes be an isolating job. They worry that their baby is not getting as much social interaction as it should. Well, that is why I promote playgroups and other social outings on a regular basis. Most cities and towns have programs available that the Nanny can take the baby to, such as Baby Yoga, Mom & Toddler Swimming, Library Preschool Reading Sessions, and Art Classes for Babies & Toddlers. In Ontario, there’s a variety of Ontario Early Year Centres and Parenting & Family Literacy Centres which are drop-in playgroups for Children 0-6 years old. Doing something like this on most days helps prevent isolation and really breaks up the daily schedule a bit.
Another reason for considering Nanny care is not having to pack up your kids to bring them to Daycare every morning, or if there is a special concern. Sadly, many daycares in Ontario still do not have the equipment to properly care for certain disabilities and therefore, children with special needs have a harder time finding out of home child care and can actually be denied daycare. Other times, if a child has severe food allergies, parents might feel more comfortable of having the child eat at home, where they are confident that everything in their cupboards is okay for their baby(Most daycares accommodate food allergies by leaving out certain ingredients or altering the recipe, but there’s still that tiny chance of the altered food coming into contact with the food that’s being served to the majority of the children. Also, small children sometimes reach into other children’s plates and such so it can be quite hard to monitor if the child is not eating completely secluded) . Children who are preemie or have compromised immune systems might also do better at home, where they are less likely to catch as many colds and flu’s.
The other thing I love about nanny care, is how personal it becomes. I consider the family I work for, to be family in a way. The baby I take care of, is almost like a nephew or a little cousin to me. His parents are great. Its not just a “job”. When he was sick, I went and visited him in the hospital. I went to his birthday party and made his birthday cake. I miss him on the weekends! Its really a nice dynamic. He is going to be the ring bearer in my wedding next year!
So where do you start when you are considering letting a stranger in most cases, come into your home and take care of the most important little beings in your life? First and foremost, make a list of your families needs and wants (being realistic with how many hours there is in a day- and remembering that your nanny will need breaks in the day too!) Also, keep in mind that the more “house work” you include as duties, the less time your nanny will have with your child. Housework, in my opinion should mainly be baby related… otherwise, hire a housekeeper not a nanny 
Possible Needs/ Preferences:
- Baby / Children’s Laundry
- Special Needs or Special Allergy Information
- Playgroups? Programs that you would like the Nanny to be responsible for
- Going for daily walks/ Spending time outside
- TV – Some parents want to limit television time, so it’s good to be clear about TV rules
- Dishwasher loading/unloading – I would consider this baby related as bottles and meal clean up
- Do you want your Nanny to be responsible for taking your kids to Doctor’s appointments and stuff.
Next, think about some of these requirements:
- Police clearance – You are letting this person into your home, and take care of your baby! Make sure this is something the Nanny can provide!
- First Aid Training- Is something that you should consider. This doesn’t mean that if there was an emergency the person you hire will be fully able to rescue your child, but it gives them something to think about and basic knowledge of what to do and how to get help if an emergency did occur.
- Education/ Experience- A graduate in the field of Early Childhood Education should be a priority, extra training such as a Respite Certificate, or Child & Youth Worker is nice too. Someone with a little experience is lovely, you WILL definitely want references!
- CPR Training- Better to be safe than sorry!
- If you are making playgroups or Dr’s appointments a requirement of the job, will your caregiver be able to walk to these places or take a bus, or will someone who has a car and a license be a requirement?
- Do you prefer someone who is Non Smoking?
It’s important to have someone who is physically able to handle caring for a child. Carrying a baby around can be tiresome, but keeping up with their energy and play is important too! The person you hire should be in good enough health that they can take the baby for walks and such too.
Keeping all of those things in mind, write up an ad specifying the requirements of the person you need, and what the duties of the individual might include. Decide on what you are willing to pay. Keep in mind that you are looking for a professional who has went to school and likely has debt and such because of it. You are more likely to have someone committed to you if you treat them well and are fair about pay. Include expected wage in the ad, and put your ad out there. You can contact local collages and ask them to send a mass email out to their most recent ECE graduates, put an ad in the newspaper or on a listing website like kajiji.com. Wait and see who replies.
With reply’s and inquiries, I would thank the applicants for calling and set up a time to interview them on the phone first. This will weed out the people you are less interested in before you invite them into your home for a face to face interview. Over the phone interview questions might include:
- Why did you choose the field of Early Childhood Education?
- What are your long term goals?
- What is your biggest flaw?
- What are your three biggest assets?
- Do you have experience?
- What is your favorite age group of children to work with?
- What do you consider appropriate discipline methods?
Get a feel for confidence levels and think about how they respond. Do the responses seem like those coming from someone who genuinely loves working with children? Does the applicant seem excited and eager? After getting a few phone interviews, set up some interviews in your home or a public place if you are more comfortable (like a coffee shop) with the applicants you are most impressed with. Ask them to bring their resume, 3 professional references and their police clearance and such. Its a good idea to have your spouse or another close family member with you. One of you can ask questions and the other can quickly note down answers to compare later. After the interview, discuss how you both felt about the person you met.Consider professionalism.Were they dressed up a bit? Did they appear to have good hygiene? Did they come prepared with all the documents you requested? Most of all, were you comfortable with the person?
- Once you settle on who you like, check up with references and review the police clearance and such. If everything goes through well, go ahead and hire
Advice:
- Make up a contract outlining daily hours, sick days,vacation days if offering, holidays they will get off paid.
- Always make a receipt for income tax purposes
- Have the nanny come in a few days while you are home, watch them interact and get used to your children some. Let your kids feel comfortable with them before you leave them alone.
- Remember and be considerate that your nanny will do things differently than you. This is ok! (Go easy on her/him!)
So, Congratulations toooooo ……… *insert drumroll* ….
