A Live-In Nanny – In the fast-moving world of today both parents have to generally work to maintain the social standard of living. The children get neglected in the process. Every parent wants their children to have good care and attention but may not be available due to the lack of time.
This is where some parents consider using daycare, they feel that their children are safer there than being alone with the nanny; while others prefer hiring a nanny because the personal attention a nanny can give to their children is a valuable service many daycares are not capable of providing due to the number of children in their care.
So which choice is better than the other?
Hiring a Nanny is still the best solution. This doesn’t make you less a diligent homemaker. The convenience of having childcare available outside of standard daycare operating hours cannot be compromised.
Because a nanny will also become an integral part of the family, choosing wisely is an important step to selecting the best nanny for your children. So, before you employ a nanny you must understand what a nanny is and the steps to take in hiring one.
Who Is A Nanny?
A nanny is a person who provides care for one or more children in a family. She is going to be a companion to your child when you are not around. A nanny is a caretaker, an educator, and even a mentor to your child. Modern nannies, like other domestic workers, may live in or out of the house depending on their circumstances and those of their employers.
5 Steps To Hiring The Best Nanny For Your Children
1. Decide What Kind of Nanny You Want
There are two types of nannies, a live-in nanny, and a part-time nanny or the come-and-go nanny. A live-in nanny will stay with your child for the entire period of time that you hire her, whereas a part-time nanny will come and go as per working hours. Therefore you have to first decide what kind of nanny you want to employ, a live-in nanny or a part-time one.
To decide on the kind of nanny to hire, ( a live-in nanny or a part-time ) consider what your exact needs and expectations are. Decide what days and hours you will need her care and what your budget is going to be.
Next, make a list of what requirements you need your new a live-in nanny, or a part-time nanny to possess. Do you want someone that specializes in infant care; a nurse to take care of your child’s special needs; a teacher to help improve your child’s learning ability, or you need someone that has a vehicle and/or driver’s license, so they can take the child to school, doctor’s appointments or to other fun activities during the day.
Be sure you are clear about what your requirements are versus the things that are nice to have, but not essential.
2. Start Looking For A Nanny
Once the time factor is decided, you need to start looking for a nanny. To look for a nanny you can, give a local advertisement, look for one by the word of mouth, ask your near ones to help you, contact an agency which specializes in nannies or search the internet. The last option is that you can look on your own at the schools around you or your place of worship.
What you must consider here is that our children are the most important people in our lives. When we have to work, and cannot care for them ourselves, we need to be able to trust the people we hire to take care of our precious ones. This is why you need to take extra care in finding the best nanny. Nanny agencies can offer more of a thorough screening process than even the most diligent parent can.
Each applicant is screened; every aspect of his or her life is an open book. Nanny agencies do an extensive criminal background check complete with fingerprints, the employment history, and check all references very carefully to rule out any possible threat to a child. Even though the agency screens each applicant, it is in the best interest of your child or children for you to check out the references yourself.
3. Interview The Prospective Nanny
When you get the feedback from the sources you engaged, you should look into the background, skills, qualifications, and experience of the future nanny of your child. Write down all of the questions you want to ask.
Often, when you have an actual face-to-face meeting, you are nervous and forget what you wanted to ask.
Ask questions. The nanny will be taking care of your children, ask as many questions as it takes until you feel comfortable with the prospective nanny.
4. Talk And Negotiate With The Nanny
When you have zeroed up on one nanny then comes the time to talk and negotiate.
As a parent, you have to make your expectations and limitations clear to the nanny. Discuss with her the basic job of protecting, teaching, loving, and playing with your child. Also tell her about how to take care of your child’s meals, laundry, room, and personal belongings. At the final step, you should discuss the salary with her.
The question of the rates and fees of the nanny or nanny agencies is important. No one wants to think that they cannot afford the best for their children, but in today’s economy, it is impossible not to take this into consideration. It is counterproductive to hire a nanny one month, and not be able to pay for it the next.
Professional nannies are usually qualified in First Aid and have a degree or extensive training in child development but they are quite expensive. I’ll advise you to go for one if you can afford the fee.
5. Install A Nanny Camera
Now you have done a thorough background check and interview, you are convinced that you got the perfect nanny but, you are still struggling with the thought of a stranger taking care of your children then get a nanny cam installed.
There is no way of knowing for sure what the nanny is capable of doing when you are not there. Only a good quality hidden nanny camera is going to show you what the nanny is doing when you are away and it is just the nanny and the baby.
There are a few different kinds of hidden nanny cameras on the market today. Depending on your choice and specifications, some are as small as pins and they can be hidden absolutely anywhere and the nanny will never detect it.
Divineeagle Spy Cam is a highly recommended nanny cam. It protects your family and personal property. This hidden spy camera lets you keep an eye on your children and nannies at home or anywhere else.
When you have this hidden nanny camera in your home nothing is going to be a secret any longer, you will know exactly what is happening when you are not there. Either you will finally have your mind put to rest about the quality of care that this nanny is providing or you will find out that she is terrible and that it is time to get a new one.
Either way, you win,! You simply cannot go wrong when you purchase a hidden nanny camera.
Ultimately, a nanny gradually becomes a child’s best friend, but that may not be always true. So you should keep checking the compatibility of your child with the nanny when you at home or away.
The relationship between the nanny and the child’s family should be built on trust. Don’t expect a nanny to be your housekeeper, a maid, your best friend, and your confidant. Always remember she’s there for the most important member of your family – your child.
As a diligent homemaker, hiring a nanny means that you will be hiring a household employee and that means you will become an employer. Understand what your responsibilities are, as an employer, including how to address wages, taxes, and staff welfare.
