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[quote=Anonymous]Ask her what the hardest part of nannying is for her. Ask her some "what would you do if..." questions - be aware that this is not a right/wrong scenario but an opportunity for you to hear her train of thought when it comes to kids. Ask her about her philosophies on sleep training (since you have an infant) and toddler discipline (how does she do it, what is she comfortable with). Ask her how she likes to check in with parents about the day. Ask her if she is comfortable keeping a short log or sending you photos during the day (if that's what you want). And when you call her references, along with asking about punctuality, reliability, responsibility, warmth, etc. make sure to ask the parents if they felt like she kept them involved (as much as possible) in their days. This is indicative of a nanny who knows how to build a good working relationship with the parents and that is easily as important as her ability to be sweet with the children.

Also, look for nannies who will give you slightly less than perfect answers. The very best nannies will be interviewing you as much as you're interviewing them (even if it doesn't seem like it) as they'll want to be sure you're the right fit for each other. The mediocre (and crappy) nannies will be so anxious for a job they'll gloss over issues that could turn out to be huge stumbling blocks down the road, so even though they may sound better in the interview ("she agreed with everything we said!") it might not turn out well in the end.

Also, don't worry about setting up two interviews for candidates you like. Especially for your first time through it is completely reasonable to have a first interview with just you/DH and the nanny and a second interview to meet the kids. This may or may not be possible for you, but even if the kids are there the first time, go ahead and have a second interview if you need to distinguish between a couple of strong candidates. Sometimes a great nanny might be having a bad day, or a bad nanny might be having a good day, or maybe you didn't sleep well the night before and are having a hard time reading the candidates well. Do whatever you need to feel comfortable.[/quote]

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