Great nanny candidate will only start with newborn

[Anonymous]

I found a great nanny candidate who turned down even a phone interview because she said she only started with newborns (I have a three year old and a newborn). She has stayed with families through two and three new additions after that so it’s not about not wanting to handle more than one child. She said it was important to her to bond from the beginning, when they are newborn, with all the children.

Is this a common feeling among career, experienced nannies? I am pretty bummed about not even being given a chance.

[Anonymous]

For me, yes. Bonding and teaching are fundamental for nannies. I don’t want to try to break the bad habits from another childcare provider or parent.

[Anonymous]

I feel the same way, much easier to bond with a newborn.

[Anonymous]

I am the same, OP. I only start with newborns. It’s a preference like any other. I know a great nanny who will only work with twin newborns!

[Anonymous]

Another agreement here. I was recently hired for a newborn primarily but there is also a 3.5 year old who in in school/camp during the day but I am responsible for after when her mother goes back to work. It’s not working out at all. I just cannot bond or even feel anything for this child. I just want to be with the baby.

I don’t think this job is going to work out for me. (Plus the parents are slobs).

[Anonymous]

It is. It’s tough going into a position with an older child. It’s so much easier to start out with them young (even for the child’s sake). I’ve had older children and the parents had a newborn when I started and I regretted it- I left after about 5 months. I loved being with the baby but the older kids made my job tough and they were rude. They were already stuck in their ways and the parents did nothing to try and help.

[Anonymous]

It's not true for everyone. There are plenty of career nannies who have experience with newborns and 2-5 year-olds. Many nannies are able to connect with older siblings and newborn.

[Anonymous]

I might take a job with a one or two year old and a newborn, but three is a really tough age and honestly it is when a lot of discipline problems start to come home to roost. So if I took a job with a 3.5 yo and a newborn I would expect to love and bond with the newborn and to be consistently annoyed with fixing someone else’s discipline issues AND dealing with sibling rivalry with the 3.5yo and it would be very hard to love them as much. And no kid deserves that. I think you want a nanny who is mostly a preschooler nanny who is reasonably competent with babies vs a nanny who is mostly a baby/toddler nanny but sometimes sticks around past preschool age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found a great nanny candidate who turned down even a phone interview because she said she only started with newborns (I have a three year old and a newborn). She has stayed with families through two and three new additions after that so it’s not about not wanting to handle more than one child. She said it was important to her to bond from the beginning, when they are newborn, with all the children.

Is this a common feeling among career, experienced nannies? I am pretty bummed about not even being given a chance.

Smart nanny.

[Anonymous]

Great nanny candidates have lots of choices and can generally find their preferences when it comes to a new job. Don’t take it personally, OP. In my experience, I cannot truly bond with an older child so I always start with a single/first born newborn and stay through the other births if any.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. I only start from newborn and I’ve been a nanny for 20 years. It’s hard to undo other people’s bad habits so o like to start fresh.

[Anonymous]

I simply cannot love a new three-year-old child the way I love and am devoted to a child I have been with from birth to three. I think this is natural and prevalent among most nannies as it is simply human.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I simply cannot love a new three-year-old child the way I love and am devoted to a child I have been with from birth to three. I think this is natural and prevalent among most nannies as it is simply human.

I don't think this is true at all. And I wouldn't ever want someone who felt this way working around children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I simply cannot love a new three-year-old child the way I love and am devoted to a child I have been with from birth to three. I think this is natural and prevalent among most nannies as it is simply human.

I don't think this is true at all. And I wouldn't ever want someone who felt this way working around children.

You don’t think how someone feels is true? Do you tell your child that them feeling sad isn’t true?

[Anonymous]

Lol lol lol
I’ve been a nanny for over 12 years and started job at the 2 and 3 year olds and with babies or babies being born soon later, and most of the older kids loved me and I fell in love with them! There was a couple interviews where the older kid didn’t like me lol
If you’re a loving nanny and fun, and not a spoiled nanny who just wants to watch tv and play on her phone, then the older children will love you. Might take a few weeks though, it takes time, especially when the child had a nanny before. So I really don’t understand the responses here, all you nanny’s only look for jobs with newborns???