Find a Good Nanny
Edited by estrella sacragon, Eng, Lynn, Nlangster
Planning to go back to work but don't want to leave your child in day care? There's always a solution!
Finding a good nanny is a very important decision, especially for a working mom. Whether you are contemplating hiring a full-time nanny, a live-in nanny, or just someone to give you some relief for a few hours in a week, finding a responsible, attentive, and reliable nanny to take care of your child can be quite a challenge. But just to be certain of your baby's well-being, everything is worth your effort. Here is a guide on how you can find a nanny that best fits for you and your child.
- 1 How to find a good nanny
- 2 Ensure good childcare through a good nanny
- 3 What makes a caring nanny and where to find one
- 4 Qualifications of a good nanny: Knowing that kids will be in good hands while you're away
- 5 Importance of nanny training: Various nanny training courses and perks of undergoing nanny training
- 6 Comments
How to find a good nanny
- 1Take some time in making a list of what you and your spouse want in your ideal nanny. Do you wish to have somebody older with lots of experience, or do you prefer a younger one who can keep pace with the energy level of your children? Do you go for a nanny that's bilingual? Should the nanny live close by so they can make it at your home on time? How much can you afford for a nanny? Do you need a man or a woman? There are just some of the many things you need to consider. Thus, it sure takes a lot of time discussing your priorities before you actually start searching for one.Identify your priorities.
- 2After you have established the primary considerations you are looking for in a potential nanny, reach out to your family or friends for leads and references. You may also consider posting notices on school bulletin boards or at the park, or at your local coffee shop. Or better yet, try advertising online. This is quite a popular choice these days. Sites like craigslist.Com or 4nannies.Com are great sites that allow you to list exactly what and who you are looking for in a nanny. Local nanny placement organizations may also be a good option, although this is a more expensive choice since these organizations have already their pre-screened candidates, and so they take a commission fee.Getting the word out.
- 3Before you meet prospective candidates, write down all your possible questions for the interview and make sure your priorities are addressed. Upon welcoming the candidate nanny, pay close attention to even the smaller things. Did the nanny arrive on time? Did they take time washing their hands before they held your baby?Preparing for the interview.
- 4Once you have narrowed down your list of nanny applicants, it is very important to check their character references. While some potential nannies can say and answer all the right things on their interview, it is their past employers who can provide you the most honest answers as far as the nanny's dependability and capability is concerned.Check for references.
- 5After meeting with a candidate nanny, how do you feel when you are with this person? Is their presence making you feel safe? Can you imagine confiding in them if you needed some comfort? These are just some of the many things you need to consider when looking for a good nanny. Although finding the most reliable one is a challenge, it pays to take all the necessary precautions before you actually hire one.Check your intuition.
Ensure good childcare through a good nanny
almost all parents want to be hands-on and to take care of their children by themselves.
However, such desire has to be balanced and weighed against the responsibility to provide for the family's needs. Thus, with the intent of being able to afford the needs of the kids, most parents resort to taking full-time jobs and hiring a nanny to watch over and take good care of their beloved little ones while the parents are at work.
Since you will be entrusting your little ones to the hands of the nanny, it is very crucial to find one who will give you peace of mind. Regardless of how long you intend for your nanny to work for you, you have to make sure that you are placing your kids' welfare in good hands. Here is a rundown of a couple of tips to guide you in hiring a nanny that will be a good fit to your child and to your family.
- 1Avoid making general expectations of how you want your nanny to be. You and your spouse have to devote time to sit down together and discuss your expectations on what responsibilities you expect your nanny to handle. You may wish for the nanny to be bilingual or to be high-spirited so she could keep up with your child's energy. You may also wish for the nanny to reside, more or less, close to where you live so she could immediately attend to the kid's needs during emergencies or unexpected situations. You may also prefer a live-in nanny. You also need to look into whether you want the nanny to just fill in your absence for a couple of days or you want her to be the long-term caregiver for your kid. Clarifying your expectations on the nanny you think you need will place you one step further in the decision-making process.Clarify your expectations.
- 2For nannies, expertise and experience are as important as trustworthiness. You have to bear in mind that the nanny you choose to hire will have access to your home. At the same time, he or she will also be spending a lot of time with your children. It has often been emphasized by childcare experts that during the earlier stages of a child's growth and development, the people (parents and nannies) the child will spend much time with will have tremendous influence on his or her attitude, behaviors and mindset. Thus, it is very critical that the nanny will be a positive influence to your child. You can get the word out by asking your friends and relatives, especially those who are already parents. Some of them will likely know of nannies who previously worked with them or someone they know, and who they could recommend.Ask for recommendations.
- 3If you are not able to get enough leads from people you know, you can also advertise. The most common practice is to put up a poster outside your house. You can also post in online sites to get more leads. Just make sure you do your background checks first.Advertise.
- 4Never hire a nanny without talking to him or her first. Meeting with a potential nanny will help you assess whether you feel comfortable with him or her. Make sure to check references first. Ask a potential nanny for a list of clients he or she previously served.Interview.
What makes a caring nanny and where to find one
it's innate to parents to ensure that they can render all of the necessities of their family, primarily of their kids. This is why some dads tend to work overtime, so that they can ensure a higher pay at the end of the month. However, there are also some mothers who can't stand the idea of staying at home. No matter how much they want to do so, their instinct to help their partners may prevail, or they may just wish to pursue a career.
There are also those women, who unfortunately, don't have a partner, and they have to carry all the obligations by themselves. In some households, even though the woman is a stay-at-home mother, she can't shoulder all the responsibilities because of the number of children. These are the common situations why several parents are in search for a good nanny.
There are a lot of parents who claim that it's not that easy to find a caring nanny. As highly cognizable, there are a lot of reported cases, wherein the nanny physically, emotionally, and some, sexually abuse the kids that they're babysitting. This is why parents must be very vigilant whenever they're on the road, looking for a good nanny. Below are some of the qualities that make a caring, loving, and excellent nanny. Perfect locations where to find a suitable nanny are also given.
the qualities of an ideal nanny
- 1For nannies, taking care of the kids is a professional career, and is something that should not be entrusted to the hands of the wrong person. Thus, nannies are expected to take care of the children as if they're their own.An excellent nanny is an individual who is willing to devote most of her time to taking care of the children.
places to look for a nanny
almost everything can be done online now, and as a matter of fact, there even websites that offer lists of pre-screened nannies. These websites have records of the pre-screened nannies' availability, experience, background checks, references, and salary requirements.
- 1This website enables users to acquire a basic membership for free. Users can post about their job description, as well as see the profiles of pre-screened nannies. However, in order for users to contact the nannies that they're considering to hire, they should upgrade their membership to premium.Care.Com.
- 2This website offers three kinds of memberships. Each of these memberships enable parents to view the profiles of the nannies, as well as post about their jobs. Users can also save the profiles of the nannies that they're considering to hire, and do advanced searches.Nannies4hire.Com.
- 3This website has profiles of more than two million various kinds of caregivers, like pet sitters and babysitters, and of course, nannies. Just like nannies4hire.Com, the site also have fees for all of its membership packages.Sittercity.Com.
Qualifications of a good nanny: Knowing that kids will be in good hands while you're away
It's not rare to see both parents are working. After all, most couples have vowed to each other that they'll work together for the betterment of the family, especially for the kids. When it comes to taking care of the kids, parents may decide to look for a suitable nanny, although not everyone is okay with the thought of entrusting their kids to somebody that they don't know.
Therefore, for those parents who are considering hiring a nanny, they should have a checklist of the qualities that the caregiver should possess. It's crucial for parents to ensure that everything on the checklist will be covered. Of course, they have to make sure that the safety of their kids won't be compromised. Parents should see to it that aside from the fact that the nanny could protect their children; the nanny won't impose danger either.
On top of background checks and other kinds of pre-screening processes, parents could consider the list of qualities that a suitable nanny should embody. Remember, nannies are meant to render care, love, and show concern; they're not meant to impose harm.
- 1Good nannies are those who can even spend a day with just the kids, even with only a bit of adult interaction.A qualified nanny is someone who can render genuine love for the child or children he or she is going to look after.
- 2Qualified nannies are those who don't find it difficult to spend most of their time with the child or children he or she takes care of.
- 3Suffice to say, in order to become a nanny, one needs to have excellent comprehension of childcare. As a matter of fact, they can even be considered specialists when it comes to childcare. Nannies are expected to render experiences that are appropriate for the growth and development of children.Excellent nannies possess a basic comprehension of child development.
- 4Good nannies are those who can speak up if they think the well-being of the kid or kids that they're looking after are being jeopardized, while at the same minding what the parents say.A qualified nanny is someone who advocates the kid or kids that are in his or her care.
- 5Of course, they'll be engaging in various activities with the kids, which require tons of energy.Good nannies are those people who are well-energized.
- 6Nannies are expected to have a long cord of patience. Since they deal with the kids most of the time, they see and experience the behaviors and moods of the children they look after. Thus, they're expected to deal with these behaviors and moods, without being outwardly irritated or losing their temper.This aspect is highly relevant when scouting for suitable nannies.
- 7This is one of their priorities, since the parents entrusted it to them.Excellent nannies always think about the safety of the child or children they take care of.
- 8Thus, they should efficiently relay, as well as acquire information, both from the children and parents. Excellent communication skills are indeed a must when screening nannies.Nannies are also expected to establish good communication with the parents.
- 9As highly cognizable, spending time with the kids every day is somewhat an unpredictable kind of life. They must have good adaptation skills and they must know how to respond to various situations.A highly qualified nanny is someone who is flexible.
Importance of nanny training: Various nanny training courses and perks of undergoing nanny training
In the old times, it was really the responsibility of the mothers to look after the children. Suffice to say, it was also the mothers' responsibility to take care of the household stuff. However, as time passed by, probably from the time women fought for their rights to vote, acquire education, and have a career, there were a lot of changes that took place. One of these changes is the setting when it comes to childcare.
Of course, many fathers would not like to stay at home. It's not because they don't want to look after their kids, but it's because it's imperative for them to be the primary provider of the family. Nevertheless, especially today, there are a lot of moms who don't want to simply stay at home; they don't want to entrust all of the financial responsibilities to their spouse. And that is where nannies come in. It's quite difficult to trace back the time when did the nannies emerge.
Nevertheless, several parents are thankful, because they can acquire a helping hand when it comes to childcare, especially for when they're at work. However, it's crucial for parents to choose a suitable nanny, and not just someone who's willing to accept the responsibility.
Thus, nanny training is highly relevant. There are a lot of institutions that offer nanny training certifications, as well as courses. In some cases, before a person applies as a nanny, he or she must undergo training first. There are also cases wherein once hired as a nanny, as a pre-requisite, the person needs to undergo nanny training, before working full-time.
The perks behind nanny training certifications and courses
Cultural assumptions with the caregiver are typically related to differences in terms of home environments and upbringing. These could create discord between the employer and the caregiver.
- 1The working relationship of the nanny and the employer is much better.
- 2The communication inside the house will be enhanced.
- 3Through nanny training, the cultural assumptions, as well as the usual expectations, or anything that could damage the working relationship of the employer and nanny are being emphasized.
Different nanny training certifications and courses
- 1Who says that first aid training, as well as CPA, is only for healthcare providers? As a matter of fact, healthcare experts even agree that it is crucial for nannies to take such courses and training. It's good to know that there are a lot of people aiming to work as a nanny who are taking such courses prior to application. The majority of certificates for first aid and CPA are only good for two years, so updating the skills is a must.First aid training.
- 2There are employers who also subject the nannies of their children to water-safety certification. This is a must grab nanny training, especially if the family of the employer loves to go to beaches and resorts, or has a backyard swimming pool. Yes, it is some sort of life-guarding course. It could be acquired from a YMCA branch, American Red Cross, and local pool administrators.Water safety certification.
- 3For those who are about to take care of infants, before starting as a full-time nanny, they should consider taking infant care training. Taking care of infants, particularly newborns, is a very tough job, knowing that these cuties are very fragile. Therefore, specialized knowledge about infants is a must.Infant caring certification.
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