The Nanny Diaries: 3 Tips for Choosing the Right Child Care Provider

If you decide to hire a nanny, it will probably be one of the biggest decisions of your life (not to mention, they don't come cheap).  Handing your baby over to someone that you don't know on a personal level, in most cases, will be a very difficult experience.

Having a best friend that was a nanny for years with various families, I got to see first hand what it took to be a great nanny. She was dedicated, invested, and committed to the child's well-being.

But what set her apart from the rest was that she protected and cared for each child, as if they were her own.  Of course, this is the ideal situation that all parents hope for.

Sadly, there is a flip side to it.  I've seen a handful of horrible nannies at various places and if it wasn't for the child coming up to them and crying, I would have mistaken them for just another person at the park, enjoying the nice weather.

If I went down the list of everything I've witnessed over the years, you would most likely develop what I call, "nanny-phobia."  To put it simply, you would be paying money to have your nanny eat at the park with her friends, talk on the phone with her boyfriend or simply dropping your child off at some other stranger's house or other child dumping schemes as reported by NPR.

While it almost sounds all too crazy,  I've seen and heard enough to know that these are all real stories -- not made up.  If you did a search on Google right now, you would come across blogs solely dedicated to reporting bad nannies, such as I Saw Your Nanny.
So as a parent, how do you know if you're choosing the right nanny for your child?  There are three things you should think about, even before you sit down with a potential candidate.

Job Description:  Your child will spend a huge chunk of the day with this individual and you want to make sure that you get the best person for the job.  Remember, it is a job and you are paying them with your hard earned money.

Write a clear description of what the job entails.  If you want them to do laundry, clean around the house, take your child to the park, and cook dinner for you, make sure it's in the job description (some nannies will only watch your child and do nothing else). 

You may even want to right down a sample schedule of what's expected on a day to day basis and show it to the candidate during the interview.

Experience:  Do you want a grad student without any prior child-rearing experience to look after your child or a veteran Mary Poppins?  There are no right or wrong answers.  It's a matter of preference and what makes sense for your family.

If you have a newborn, more than likely, you would want someone with at least one year of infant experience.  You may also want them to have infant CPR certification and First Aid training before they start working.

If you have school-aged children, having a grad student that could help out with homework while watching over your kids, could be ideal for your family.

Pay:  How much are you willing to pay?  Be realistic with your budget.  Just because you pay more doesn't mean you're going to get a better nanny. 

Gather your resources from friends, family, nanny agencies, and message boards to come up with a fair rate for your job expectations.  I think it's only fair that if you expect them to do more, they should be compensated accordingly.

Sometimes the money factor could be a deal breaker for either parties (we all need to survive).  So make sure you know what you can afford.

As a parent you always have to be prepared.  When choosing your child's caregiver, it's important that you have a clear idea of what your wants and needs are.  With this, it will be easier to narrow down the selection of potential candidates who are right for the position.

While there are other factors that will come into play during the interview process such as personality, character, beliefs, interaction with your child, and so on and so forth, having an exact idea of what you want will make the entire interviewing process smoother (it will also show the nanny how serious you are, as in "don't mess with me").

Lastly, DO NOT HIRE anyone without an extensive background and referral check.  I emphasize this strongly because even if you think you've found the perfect childcare provider, let their past actions do the talking.

You don't want to discover your 9 month-old in the crib all alone, while the nanny goes out to do her own "short" errands (this was revealed to a family I knew, during a referral check).

While finding the right nanny might seem like a scary process, knowing what you want, need, and can offer will make a world of difference.  Know that the best nanny for your child is out there, but it does take work to find that special individual.