How To Choose The Right Nanny For Your Family - From A Nanny Agency
- Kershia Perumal
- Feb 1
- 7 min read
This article covers the following:
What to look for in a nanny (experience, certifications and personality).
How to conduct interviews effectively.
How our agency simplifies the process.
So, you've decided that you need a nanny. You may be a first-time mum who's going back to work after maternity leave or you may be a seasoned pro and need additional support. Whatever the reason, finding a nanny can be a daunting experience, especially if you're not sure how to go about it. Without a specific plan of what you're looking for, you can wind up with a bad fit for your family. If you're anything like me, a busy mum who has a job in the corporate world, it can be a time-consuming and emotionally exhausting exercise. In fact, it can take anything from 20 - 40 hours when you do it yourself.
This is a big decision, one you can't afford to take lightly because the nanny you hire will not only play a significant role in your child's life, but they will also become a beloved member of your household. Furthermore, cycling through as many nannies as possible in a short window of time - say 30, 60 or 90 days (other agencies provide replacement guarantees within these time windows) is not ideal as it can create instability for your children.
As parents, we understand firsthand how important it is to choose the RIGHT nanny for your family. At SmartCare Professional Nannies, we connect families with top-tier nannies who have qualities that are essential for your peace of mind and your child's wellbeing. Every family has their own unique requirements, however there are certain essential qualities to look for in a nanny who will be a great fit for your family. If you focus on these key traits, it will ensure you find a nanny who will provide high-quality, personalised care. According to Figure 1 below, reliability, availability and qualifications ranked among the top 3 factors for parents when choosing childcare for children below 5 years old who were not in kindergarten/preschool yet. I'm sure this hasn't changed much since 2019. I can attest that when I looked for a nanny, the number 1 priority for me was someone I could count on to be there when they say they would, show up on time and is someone I can trust.
Figure 1. Among children age 5 and under who were not yet in pre-school and were in at least one weekly care arrangement, percentage whose parents indicated that the factor was “very important” when choosing child’s care arrangement: 2019
Upon going through the pain of a couple of rounds of nannies for my children and doing a little bit of research, I have put together a comprehensive list of key points to consider when looking for a nanny:
Reliability & Trustworthiness
A great nanny shows up on time, follows through on commitments and ultimately is someone you can count on. They ensure that your child's needs are top priority which creates a safe and organised space.
Experience & Qualifications
The most important thing to look for here is experience in caring for children who are of a similar age to yours. There's nothing worse than giving someone a chance to care for a newborn without prior experience. You will only end up frustrated as you will have to train them yourself. You need someone who will understand children's different developmental stages and milestones and how to engage your little one appropriately, whether that means doing necessary tummy time, creating a sensory board or using their imagination to engage in creative outdoor play. If you'd like, you can look for someone with experience in working at a creche or other educational institution or someone with relevant qualifications in early childhood education. Your child's safety is paramount so look for CPR and First Aid training or certifications. These should also be completed fairly recently.
Strong Communication Skills
Effective communication is the foundation for successful relationships. Great nannies inform you about your child's day and are receptive to your parenting style and concerns. We encourage our nannies to log meals, activities and any issues that may arise. Our nannies provide regular updates on your child's progress and are encouraged to keep open lines of communication so that you're always in the loop.
Caring and Nurturing Qualities
Caring, warm and nurturing - these are qualities found in a great nanny. Our nannies are passionate about what they do and why they are in the childcare industry. They know how to form strong, positive bonds with the children they care for and they encourage exploration and development of your child's unique personalities. No stifling here! Having a nanny who is kind, caring and warm is key to your child's emotional wellbeing and helps create a loving, supportive environment.
Respect For You & Your Parenting Approach
Last, but not least is respect - for both you as a parent and your parenting approach. In my opinion, this one's a little underrated but extremely important. If you happen to find a bad fit, this person may not respect your rules or instructions which can lead to uncertainty and a lack of trust. Trust is absolutely critical as you are entrusting someone else with the care of your child in your absence. The person you're looking to hire should basically be your stand-in/ substitute, at least that's my take on it, and they should see it that way, too. It's a huge responsibility to look after someone else's children and a great nanny understands the importance and significance of this.
The key thing here is that a great nanny is someone who will follow your instructions to the tee (for OCD mums like myself!). She is someone who respects your rules and parenting philosophy and will be able to implement your parenting style and align to your family's values. A great nanny, irrespective of previous roles and experience, will be able to adapt to your family's specific needs and requirements.
How To Conduct Interviews Effectively After Receiving Profiles From A Nanny Agency
This part can be a little confusing. I look back to when my husband were on this journey... we REALLY leaned into his background and experience in recruitment. I was a little lost, to say the least... I felt helpless. Something you need to know about me is that I love to be in the driver's seat. I love to take ownership of things and I felt like I knew what I wanted in a nanny because of the way I wanted my children to be taken care of. None of the people we interviewed ticked all the boxes but I was willing to take a chance.
Needless to say, we ended up going through 3 nannies before settling on the perfect fit for our family. AND we had gone through agencies for them all! What other agencies do is basically take a fee to post an advert. They receive a bunch of CVs and send you MANY to sift through. It's a tedious process. You still have to do reference checks, mind you, they say they do criminal and background checks but NEVER SEND YOU ANY REPORTS. Yet, you are to trust this person with your child! It's not an easy process by any means. The nanny usually starts off great and may end up slacking after a month or 2. This is where the replacement guarantee comes in and you get to choose another nanny and so on. All the while, what happens to your kids? What about how frustrating it is to start over and explain all your rules to the replacement nanny who needs time to adjust? Just as your children are getting used to the nanny, you feel as though she's not a great fit and then you need a different one.
SmartCare Professional Nannies takes care of the entire recruitment process so you get a maximum of the 3 best candidates suited to your specific needs. We take away the frustration of you sifting through tons of CVs and we do all the background, criminal, sex offender and reference checks, not to mention payroll and nanny management for your child's safety and for your peace of mind.
You will choose who you'd like to interview from the profiles we share. We also help schedule these interviews (you will not have to pay any transport costs - that's on us!). To help guide these conversations, I've put together some helpful, yet important questions to ask during the interview:
What makes you a good nanny?
What experience do you have in caring for children of a similar age to ours?
How do you handle discipline situations?
What strategies do you use for promoting positive child development?
Are you comfortable with certain activities such as swimming, cooking or outdoor play?
How do you handle change? What would you do in the event that the child's schedule changes?
Can you describe each childcare position?
Are you trained in CPR/ First Aid?
How do you comfort children?
What do you do really well (their strengths) and what could you work on (their developmental areas)?
How SmartCare Professional Nannies Can Help Simplify The Process
Background checks: This is one of the basic, yet most critical checks. We verify employment history, conduct criminal checks, reference checks and registered sex offender checks.
Experience & qualifications: We look for candidates who have the necessary and relevant experience such as knowledge of age-appropriate developmental milestones, CPR and First Aid certified. If you have special requirements such as activity planning for toddlers, we will go above and beyond to find candidates with extensive experience in early childhood education.
Child-specific needs: If your child has specific needs such as dietary, developmental or other special needs, we connect you with nannies who have the right qualities, qualifications and experience.
Availability & flexibility: SmartCare Nannies understand the hours of care you need, are able to accommodate your schedule and have flexibility in the event of a potential emergency. At SmartCare, we provide a Backup Nanny Service and in the event your placed nanny is unavailable due to annual or sick leave, we provide a replacement nanny (undergoes the same rigorous background checks as your current nanny) at no additional cost to you.
Finding the perfect nanny is about more than ticking all the boxes - it's about finding someone who aligns with your family's values, routines and expectations. Trust, experience and clear communication are critical to ensure a fulfilling and successful relationship for both your family and your nanny.
At SmartCare Professional Nannies, we take the stress out of the process by carefully vetting and matching nannies to the right families. We know how hard it is to find GOOD HELP these days! If you're ready to find a dedicated and reliable nanny, we're here to help!
Book an no-obligation FREE virtual consultation with us today to start your journey to finding the perfect nanny.
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