Why do you like being a nanny?

[Anonymous]

I am a new mom interviewing nannies. The process is pretty daunting and long. I printed out a list of questions to ask prospective nannies but I am unsure of the answers I should receive? Neither my husband or I have ever been around children or caregivers and we want to be prepared of what answers to look for from a good nanny? Here are a few questions from the list.

1. Why did you become a nanny?
2. What do you like about being a nanny?
3. What do you like about caring for children of infants? toddlers? Why did you choose this age?
4. What do like/dislike about being a nanny?
5. What kind of family are you looking for?
6. What things do you do throughout the day with an infant( 3 months old). What about 6 months?, etc.

Any other answers would be lovely and helpful

[Anonymous]

These are kind of terrible questions. Obviously they like kids and that's why they became a nanny or it's because that's all they're able to do either skill wise or legally it's that or waitressing or something. Everyone dislikes changing diapers and being puked on and watching a kid cry.

Here are some better questions:

1. Do you do best with lots of freedom to schedule your own day or when you're given a set schedule to adhere to?
2. What is your discipline philosophy?
3. How would you handle it if a 3 month old was crying unconsoleably? A 10 month old? An 18 month old? A 3 year old?
4. Tell me about a time when you lost your temper while working with kids.
5. Tell me about a time you had a punish a child.
6. Give me three examples of when you would call the parents?
7. Do you teach baby sign language? Do you know first aid? Are you cpr certified?
8. How often do you like to go to the library?
9. What do you do in your free time?
10. What is the shortest amount of time you've ever nannied for someone? Why?

[Anonymous]

Both sets of questions are stupid rather like asking, "What is your nesy\worst quality."

[Anonymous]

lolololol...I had a set of parents ask me, what mistakes I'd remembered making on the job. Not a good fit for either of us, and I'm not sad about it either.

[Anonymous]

I asked what answers and responses to look for. Not what questions to ask. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Those are bad questions op. no clue what to look for. Your going to get bs for answers

[Anonymous]

While I agree that these aren't great questions, I'll give my answers as an idea of what a nanny who interviews well might respond.

Anonymous wrote:
1. Why did you become a nanny? I'd tell the story of my first nanny job
2. What do you like about being a nanny? Love working in home environment and having a positive impact on the home and the family unit as a whole that hopefully carries over to the child's entire life--well- run household, relaxed, happy parents means a kid with a better life.
3. What do you like about caring for children of infants? toddlers? Why did you choose this age? Infants are just inherently sweet. They crave love and connection and it's so touching to be able to give and receive love in such a pure way (and yes, I have even felt this way about colicy babies). Toddler are fun because they are mastering new tasks and new ways of thinking every day. Love watching the transition and laying the foundation for future development.
4. What do like/dislike about being a nanny? I like the freedom to go on a hike on a lovely day or enjoy all the free museums in the area through the eyes of a child.
5. What kind of family are you looking for? People who want to communicate with me about their child, people who will be considerate of my time, and people who have similar philosophy on child-rearing and nutrition.
6. What things do you do throughout the day with an infant( 3 months old). What about 6 months?, etc. At 3 months it would be working on establishing a routine that allows for eat, play and sleep, with a little tummy rime worked in. At six month would be working on floor time--sitting independently, etc.--introducing solids and rotating in different activities.

Any other answers would be lovely and helpful

As I said, the other posters' questions will give you much more relevant info. Ask both sets if you want, but I hope this isn't your only list.

[Anonymous]

Here's how I would answer these questions. I don't really know what answers would be "good" answers, I guess that's up to you to decide. What would be the perfect answer for one family wouldn't be for another.

1. Why did you become a nanny? Because I enjoy working with children and I like that fact that no two days are the same. I like to have variety in my work and nannying provides that for me.
2. What do you like about being a nanny? I like the variety and how no two days are the same. I like going out and doing fun activities and I enjoy watching the kids change and grow over time. I enjoy watching them discover something new for the first time.
3. What do you like about caring for children of infants? They're sweet and quiet. They do a lot of changing in a short amount of time. toddlers? They're starting to discover the world around them and it's fun to watch. Why did you choose this age? I'd probably give some BS answer about your child being my favorite age but the fact is I don't have a favorite age. I apply for jobs that fit my needs. I don't care that much about what ages the kids are. If your kids are small I'll say it's because you'll need me for a few years and I'll get to build a relationship with the kids. If they're preschool aged I'll say it's because they're more portable and can go on fun outings and it will be fun to help them get ready for kindergarten.
4. What do like/dislike about being a nanny? like: the variety and change the work offers, being able to watch the kids grow an change over time, not having to account for every second of my day, being able to do things that will help the household run better and give the parents more time w/ their kids, being able to go out and about...walks around the neighborhood, trips to the library and zoo and things like that. don't like: kids who are sick and just want their mom but mom can't be there for them because she has a busy work day, anything related to the dishwasher (I hate unloading the dishwasher!) last minute cancellations w/o pay, parents who don't know what they want or are manipulative in a variety of ways. Of course I wouldn't tell you any of this during an interview.
5. What kind of family are you looking for? One who is honest and straightforward with me and doesn't have a lot of hang ups and quirks.
6. What things do you do throughout the day with an infant( 3 months old). What about 6 months?, etc. Three month olds sleep and eat most of the day so that's generally what we'd be doing. 6 month olds would be spending more and more time on the floor playing and working on sitting, crawling etc. and would be introduced to solids. We'd be going for short walks around the neighborhood. They still tend to sleep a good bit so we wouldn't be going crazy with the outings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's how I would answer these questions. I don't really know what answers would be "good" answers, I guess that's up to you to decide. What would be the perfect answer for one family wouldn't be for another.

1. Why did you become a nanny? Because I enjoy working with children and I like that fact that no two days are the same. I like to have variety in my work and nannying provides that for me.
2. What do you like about being a nanny? I like the variety and how no two days are the same. I like going out and doing fun activities and I enjoy watching the kids change and grow over time. I enjoy watching them discover something new for the first time.
3. What do you like about caring for children of infants? They're sweet and quiet. They do a lot of changing in a short amount of time. toddlers? They're starting to discover the world around them and it's fun to watch. Why did you choose this age? I'd probably give some BS answer about your child being my favorite age but the fact is I don't have a favorite age. I apply for jobs that fit my needs. I don't care that much about what ages the kids are. If your kids are small I'll say it's because you'll need me for a few years and I'll get to build a relationship with the kids. If they're preschool aged I'll say it's because they're more portable and can go on fun outings and it will be fun to help them get ready for kindergarten.
4. What do like/dislike about being a nanny? like: the variety and change the work offers, being able to watch the kids grow an change over time, not having to account for every second of my day, being able to do things that will help the household run better and give the parents more time w/ their kids, being able to go out and about...walks around the neighborhood, trips to the library and zoo and things like that. don't like: kids who are sick and just want their mom but mom can't be there for them because she has a busy work day, anything related to the dishwasher (I hate unloading the dishwasher!) last minute cancellations w/o pay, parents who don't know what they want or are manipulative in a variety of ways. Of course I wouldn't tell you any of this during an interview.
5. What kind of family are you looking for? One who is honest and straightforward with me and doesn't have a lot of hang ups and quirks.
6. What things do you do throughout the day with an infant( 3 months old). What about 6 months?, etc. Three month olds sleep and eat most of the day so that's generally what we'd be doing. 6 month olds would be spending more and more time on the floor playing and working on sitting, crawling etc. and would be introduced to solids. We'd be going for short walks around the neighborhood. They still tend to sleep a good bit so we wouldn't be going crazy with the outings.

[phone]....excellent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked what answers and responses to look for. Not what questions to ask. Thanks.

People are trying to help you. These questions are amateur and you will get BS answers if you ask them.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm an MB. I agree w/ much of the feedback you're getting - your questions are pretty vague and open-ended. I didn't really know what I was doing when I hired our nanny (was a first time mom, and first time hiring someone to work in our home).

It's a tough thing to find the right person. It isn't hard to find someone who can keep your child safe, but it's hard to find someone who is the right fit for you and your husband, and the family dynamic you want to build. You should interview at least as much based on what you and your husband are looking for, as on what makes a person want to be a nanny.

Think about some of the following, and then come up w/ interview conversations that address whether the candidate is a good match for how you plan to handle these things:
- schedule - do you want the baby fed on demand or kept on a schedule. This may seem trivial now, it may seem HUGE when the baby is 3 or 4 months old.
- sleep training - do you believe in/want to do that or will you be baby led
- feeding - will you be breast feeding or pumping or formula feeding or some combination of all of those things - there are ramifications for the caregiver depending on how you handle that. Also, no matter which route you go you will want a nanny who will actively support your decision. (So - just a for instance - if you don't plan to breastfeed you won't want someone who is strongly pro-breastfeeding and will balk at giving formula.)
- putting to bed - goes w/ sleep training somewhat, do you want to soothe to sleep, co-sleep, let the child cry, etc... The nanny you hire has to be able to do what you want, and be comfortable doing it.
- discipline - what kind of approach do you think you and your husband will have? If your nanny will be with you potentially into toddler years this will be an important thing to be sure you all agree on/feel comfortable with.
- visitors - will you have lots of friends and family in/out of your house, coming for visits, etc... Managing visiting grandparents (for instance) takes skill. A nanny who has dealt with that and doesn't mind might be important.
- working at home - will you or your husband ever be working at home? Hugely important in terms of the comfort level w/ you and the nanny - on all sides.
- communication - how critical is english fluency, technical fluency (ability to communicate by email during the day for instance), etc... What will you want in a communication style?


Just some things to think about. Questions like "what have been some of your most rewarding or toughest days on the job been", or "in your prior experiences, which relationships with your bosses have worked the best and why" will tell you more than "what do you dislike".

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm an MB. I agree w/ much of the feedback you're getting - your questions are pretty vague and open-ended. I didn't really know what I was doing when I hired our nanny (was a first time mom, and first time hiring someone to work in our home).

It's a tough thing to find the right person. It isn't hard to find someone who can keep your child safe, but it's hard to find someone who is the right fit for you and your husband, and the family dynamic you want to build. You should interview at least as much based on what you and your husband are looking for, as on what makes a person want to be a nanny.

Think about some of the following, and then come up w/ interview conversations that address whether the candidate is a good match for how you plan to handle these things:
- schedule - do you want the baby fed on demand or kept on a schedule. This may seem trivial now, it may seem HUGE when the baby is 3 or 4 months old.
- sleep training - do you believe in/want to do that or will you be baby led
- feeding - will you be breast feeding or pumping or formula feeding or some combination of all of those things - there are ramifications for the caregiver depending on how you handle that. Also, no matter which route you go you will want a nanny who will actively support your decision. (So - just a for instance - if you don't plan to breastfeed you won't want someone who is strongly pro-breastfeeding and will balk at giving formula.)
- putting to bed - goes w/ sleep training somewhat, do you want to soothe to sleep, co-sleep, let the child cry, etc... The nanny you hire has to be able to do what you want, and be comfortable doing it.
- discipline - what kind of approach do you think you and your husband will have? If your nanny will be with you potentially into toddler years this will be an important thing to be sure you all agree on/feel comfortable with.
- visitors - will you have lots of friends and family in/out of your house, coming for visits, etc... Managing visiting grandparents (for instance) takes skill. A nanny who has dealt with that and doesn't mind might be important.
- working at home - will you or your husband ever be working at home? Hugely important in terms of the comfort level w/ you and the nanny - on all sides.
- communication - how critical is english fluency, technical fluency (ability to communicate by email during the day for instance), etc... What will you want in a communication style?


Just some things to think about. Questions like "what have been some of your most rewarding or toughest days on the job been", or "in your prior experiences, which relationships with your bosses have worked the best and why" will tell you more than "what do you dislike".

Good luck.

Nanny here. This is very good advice.