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[quote=Anonymous]There are endless pros and cons to any "type" of nanny you might hire, so this shouldn't make or break her candidacy, but for older, SAHMs moving into nannying I'd say some big ones are:

PRO - she's a veteran of anything and everything that can come with having kids; she won't be surprised by the toddler phase, or when a formerly eager eater turns picky, and she'll have had experience managing children while cooking meals and tidying the house. [[or maybe her house was always a pigsty and the kids ate microwave dinners every night]]

CON - it has probably been a while since she had young kids, and she may be out of the loop in terms of new recommendations (think things like - putting babies to sleep on their back/front, how much milk to give a 3yo daily, new assessments of developmental milestones, types of carseats that are safe/appropriate). [[or maybe she reads up on these issues regularly, out of interest or because she's got grandkids, etc.]]

PRO - having been a mother herself, she should be sensitive to your position and would be (hopefully!) less likely to be critical or make you feel judged for your parenting/caregiving preferences than a nanny who is not also a parent. [[or perhaps she'll feel like having done it all successfully before, you should take her word as gospel and will have a difficult time stepping back when you disagree.]]

CON - she has never been a nanny and it is quite different from being a parent; she won't have had experience navigating the employer-employee relationship in such an intimate job, won't be in a position to gauge whether what you're asking for is normal and reasonable or over the top, and some things that come naturally to experienced nannies (like taking and texting photos during the day) might not even occur to her. [[or she might be a great employee in any position who learns and adapts quickly]]

But really, as you can see these points could apply (or not) to ANY candidate. The important thing is that you feel 1) she is ready and able to offer safe, loving, trustworthy care to your DC and 2) that you can communicate comfortably with her and trust her to follow your instructions and address any concerns she has directly with you.[/quote]

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