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[quote=Anonymous][quote=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.[/quote]

Nanny here.  This is very good advice.[/quote]

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