Work At Home Resources

Before you hire the nanny make sure the kids are happy around her

When you hire a babysitter you are placing the welfare of your children in the babysitter’s hands. The kids’ safety and well being for those two to four or more hours that you are gone can be a happy experience for all-the sitter, the kids and parents. How do you know for sure? For sure you have thoroughly vetted your sitter, haven’t you? References, background checks etc. all to make sure your sitter is who he or she says they are. You cannot be too sure can you? After all we are talking about your kids. When you hire a nanny you need to make sure that she is the best person for the job. You do not, after all, just want to leave your kids with just anyone.

Start your search at least 2 to 3 months before you go back to work so you have enough time to make a thoughtful decision. Ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. Before hiring or accepting an offer to baby-sit from relatives or friends, be sure they are qualified to care for your child and that you would feel comfortable giving those instructions or disagreeing with them on child-care issues that are important to you. Avoid hiring someone who is looking for something to do until a better offer comes along. To find candidates, check with a local agency that provides training and placement for in-home providers. Ask your doctor for names.

You should be as thorough as possible about performing background checks. This does not mean that you have to enlist the Federal Bureau of Investigation, only that you must insist that all background checks are completed by the agency. Incomplete background checks can lead to abuse and neglect being captured on your nanny cams. Even if the nanny performed well in past employments, you might just be unlucky enough to be the victim of nanny duplicity. You should avoid hiring nannies on the first interview. You can conduct two personal interviews at the minimum, where you can ask questions like childcare philosophy and ideas, personal interests, discuss compensation package and work expectations, and opinions on nanny cams. The disclosure and discussion on nanny cams is a must.

You can give the prospective nanny the opportunity to back out of the hiring process without negative implications should she express hesitance with their presence. After the two personal interviews, you also need to conduct a working interview. You can observe how she interacts with the children (under your supervision) as well as study how the children take to her. Only after being satisfied with the above procedures should you consider hiring the nanny. Before actually employing the nanny, be sure to formulate a detailed work agreement signed by you and the nanny.

This document should spell out specific duties like house chores, childcare tasks, and use of supplies, provisions for meals, accommodations and transportation, among others. During the first few days of employment, you have to spend time getting acquainted with your nanny like daily conversations and updates, occasional and surprise visits during working hours, and if necessary, scheduled meetings on important matters. Most important of all, respect your nanny and show confidence in her abilities. When the time comes, you might even consider spy gears almost disposable and your nanny indispensable!