Has anyone had success with Nanny/Baby Nurse Agencies in the area?

[Anonymous]

I am looking to find a long term (more than 1-2 years) nanny/baby nurse. I have tried myself to find someone but I have no idea what look for and what factors are rule outs. I want to have someone with experience handle it, but I don't want to incur a lot of random costs. I have heard from a lot of my Mommy Friends that many agencies are charging a fee for every portion of their services, thus meaning I end up paying them 5-6 times if not more!

I want something simple and personalized to what we need for our LO. We are planning another, and really want a nanny but are afraid of hiring the wrong one...

HELP!!!

~Stacy P.

[Anonymous]

Besides picking your spouse, it's probably the hardest, but most important thing. Most people seem to put
more into picking their next house.
It's good that you seem to realize the critical consequences of your choice. You are the kind of parent I like to work with.
(nanny here)

[Anonymous]

Stacy,

I too have experienced the woes of finding a good nanny. It is so time consuming, I was spending less time working my job than searching all over the web for a decent qualified nanny. That is why I decided to look into agencies around D.C. I worked with Georgetown Nannies and White House Nannies, but was frankly disappointed. I was sent (sometimes without notice!) nannies who did not meet my needs both education and salary wise. I felt like I was working with a Realtor scamming me with overpriced homes too far away from my ideal location! Sounds silly, but that is exactly how I felt.

I decided to look around and talk to some of my friends who had "baby nurses" and then got nannies later on. One name that I heard quite a few times was DC Nannymatch. It was started by an exclusive baby nurse who does really good sleep training. Her big thing is personalization, which appealed to me. I got her number from a friend (I am not sure if she has a website for her nanny agency service) and called her up. She spoke with me on the phone and via e-mail. Then she came to my home and asked me questions no one had ever bothered to ask. I didn't have to pay her until she explained her goals and after the Q & A session. She was delightful and found three amazing nanny hopefuls that she had screened ahead of time. We interviewed them all in one night and picked our (now current) nanny from the three. I know her rates are going up because she is getting more families wanting her services, but I paid 300$ (150 and 150) for the entire process and she even has a guarantee if the nanny doesn't work out. We are going on four weeks with our nanny she found us, and we love her.

I don't think she will mind so I will give you her e-mail address. She is really helpful and doesn't feel like the other main stream agencies. [e-mail] is her contact.

Best of luck and don't forget, you are not alone on the journey to find a good nanny!


Pietra

[Anonymous]

Thanks Peitra I will e-mail her and see if she can help me. I feel so frantic and stressed with this search. It's good to know I am not alone.

~Stacey P.

[Anonymous]

I am good nanny. You can trust me and I have car. I love children and know lots of fun games. Please call 5719843749

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I just got off the same circumstance. I had a wonderful
lady. Pls email me at bluejaynature.com. We we very
happy with her services and no added cost.

Thanks
Ritryn

[Anonymous]

Stacy - try your neighborhood listservs, groups you belong to (church, community orgs, book group?, etc...) The folks you find through word of mouth are often the best - especially the ones where former families are trying to find a great position for their nanny. You avoid agency issues that way and get a MUCH more informed reference/resource that way.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Ditto!
LNSU - Leave no stone unturned.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

And don't forget to post here. Many of us working with the local agencies also find work on our own through these boards saving you the agency fees!

[Anonymous]

What's a good way to attract the best nannies? I can pay up to 25 if she's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Hi Stacy
The fact that you are looking for a long-term Nanny/Baby-nurse tells me that you are looking for a Baby-Nurse who would like to transition from being a Baby-Nurse to accept a Nanny position once the baby or babies start sleeping through the night.
There are some differences in the positions.
Baby-nurses do 24 hour shifts for a set fee, depending on the amount of babies, or, night shifts at an hourly rate of $20.00 to $25.00 per hour for 10 to 12 hour shifts per night. per baby.
Depending on the baby, they will start sleeping through the night by 6 months some earlier and some later.
Once you know that this is not just a one or two time occurrence , and that it is an established pattern, this is when you want to hire your Nanny or have your Baby-Nurse whom you have made prior arrangements with, transition from Nurse to nanny.
Whether your Nanny is live in or out, the arrangements, duties, hours, salary are quite different from that of a baby nurse .
It might be difficult to find and hire a baby-nurse for more than a year, because most baby-nurses love what they do and don't want to work as nannies, because,the job changes so dramatically,because you are now moving into a different phase of the child's life, with different responsibilities, as your baby is no longer an infant , and is now a toddler.
A good way to attract the best nannies. is to be Fair, honest, clear on all requests, wants, needs, demands, expectations, salaries, etc., be generous. put all on paper, discussing and signing together so that no one is confused, and everyone has a hard-copy to refer to at all times.
When employees feel they are being treated with honesty and fairness, they will give 100% of themselves to their employers. after all who has more to gain, the absolute best care of your most precious possessions, This is called a match made in heaven. A win, win situation.
I placed a nanny with one of my baby-nurse clients 14 years ago, the babies were 2 months old when I left, she is still there. her duties have changed over the years, but, everyone is still happy, and no one wants the relationship to end.
Trust your instincts, when you talk to referrals from your friends, or referrals by agencies that are willing to work with you and find you the best fit for your family. and budget.
Best Wishes in your search. There are many wonderful people out there willing to please you, interview with an open mind
Marcia
Baby Nurse and Co-founder of
www.Sistersbabynurse.com \Agency

[Anonymous]

Where exactly are you located?

[Anonymous]

You should post here.

You will get responses from baby nurses who also work through agencies without having to pay the agency fees.

Even going through an agency you MUST insist on proof of everything they say they've done (background check- make sure you SEE it.), cpr/first aid? Again- visually see it.) references should absolutely be checked by you- most agencies do not do an adequate job of it.

There have been agencies that placed people with questionable histories or without doing their due diligence. Don't assume yours has just because they say so.

[Anonymous]

I found my baby nurse here on DCUM after being frustrated with having the agencies being the middle man - so unnecessary! The little bit of work you have to do on the front end, like call references and have the tax thing set up outweighs the PITA it is to deal with agencies while you pay a high fee. Now she babysits for us, with some agencies that may not be possible due to non-compete agreements.

[Anonymous]

How much do agencies charge?