I just posted about our nanny on another thread - she is 60 and brilliant! Lots of energy, a lot of drive and IS NEVER ON HER PHONE. The phone-addiction is such a problem with young nannies that that reason alone is enough to look for a mature nanny.

I do not think it’s possible to give a definitive answer on this due to so many variables.

Sure, as people get older....they do have less energy.

However there are some young girls who may not eat well, sleep well & perhaps smoke or drink too much on weekends.
So their bodies may not be as healthy + fit to take on all the physical labor that a toddler ensues.

There are also older adults who prioritize their health as they get older.
They may eat healthy food, avoid excessive drinking and go to the gym to exercise whenever they get the chance.

It really does depend not only on each person’s individual lifestyle habits, but also partly good genes.

I worked one day a week for a family who had a 70 yr old nanny for twins. I think the kids were about 18 mo old when I met them. The parents were residents who worked long weeks, especially when they were on call.

The nanny was definitely too old...both physically and with her old school knowledge. She would try and overfeed them, and if they didn't eat "enough" she would shovel spoonfuls of peanut butter in their mouths. She didn't speak much English so I couldn't communicate with her. She didn't have them on a nap schedule. When they dropped the morning nap she didn't adjust the afternoon nap. They got up around 5 am and then didn't go down again until 2-3 pm. When I was there, I'd put them in the stroller and they'd fall asleep almost instantly because they were so exhausted all the time. She never went anywhere with them, not even for a walk around the block.

She would put dry pans on the stove and walk away. I'd get home and the place would be smoky and smell bad from the dry pan. She put dishwasher pods in the washing machine. She worked way too much for her age and took care of all the laundry, cooking and whatever meager cleaning got done. They ended on a sour note which was sad.

My two cents is some older people are great and have no problem keeping up but others just can't handle it, especially long term. If you're planning to put the child in daycare at 1 yr it might be fine, but if you're looking for someone long term, you might have more to consider in terms of keeping up with a toddler who's a runner.

It really depends on the person and the personality of your kid.

Anonymous wrote:Our young nanny has so many health issues (most in her head) that DH and I started numbering them. I can't imagine an oldnanny who uses a walker wouldn't be better than our nanny. Today she has a #46 (sore knee) so she can't play on the floor with kids

We had a nanny like this. We finally had a conversation where I said that she needed more time to focus on her health. I gave her several options, including switching to part time. Things ultimately resolved, but I think the most important part of the conversation was her realizing her job was in jeopardy if she couldn't perform her duties. So at the very least, I stopped having to hear so much about it.

Our young nanny has so many health issues (most in her head) that DH and I started numbering them. I can't imagine an oldnanny who uses a walker wouldn't be better than our nanny. Today she has a #46 (sore knee) so she can't play on the floor with kids

Our young nanny has so many health issues (most in her head) that DH and I started numbering them. I can't imagine an oldnanny who uses a walker wouldn't be better than our nanny. Today she has a #46 (sore knee) so she can't play on the floor with kids

Ask about her ability to lift and walk with up to 40lbs of weight, ask how often she runs, ask how she does running up and down stairs, etc...

Make your expectations re activity level clear - i.e. "We'd like Johnny to get to a park or playground every day if possible - even in hot or cold weather. We want him to run, we want a nanny who can actively run and play with him, etc..."

Then do a trial day or two and make it active, outdoorsy, inclusive of stairs, etc... and see how she does.

It is necessary that a caregiver is able to move quickly enough to grab a child in danger and be strong enough to lift them in or out of spaces, etc... Older or heavier nannies can be great at those things, just as younger, skinnier nannies could also be slow, lazy or weak. So know what you need and expect and then assess the individual's capabilites.

We hired a 59 year old woman to be our nanny when our twins were infants. She was fantastic. When they hit 3/4 she started struggling to keep up w/ them and we made a change, but she's still a fantastic baby nanny and she is a regular sitter for us at age 65.

Ask her about her hobbies. Hopefully some of them are active.

My twins nanny is 58 and still going strong after two years with us.

Install nanny-cams (you should have them anyway) and see if she is physically up to the job. Some older nannies are fit and others aren't - but some younger nannies are fit and others aren't so take all that into consideration.

I echo that it all depends on the nanny. Our nanny is 65 and in brilliant health - she chases my toddlers all over the place and carries them up and down stairs with not problem. Before we found this nanny, we had another nanny for two months - she was only 26 but had more complaints and sick days than we could handle.

Older nannies are generally not addicted to their phones and will not get pregnant and leave you. Plus they are grown ups and generally drama-free. I recommend hiring older.

All depends on the nanny. Our nanny is 62 and has more energy and stamina than I do. She was 59 when she started with us.

Anonymous wrote:Well, here's a test you can ask her to perform in front of you:

Buy a 30 lb octopus. If no octopi are for sale, buys 30 lb monkey.

Hand animal to potential nanny. Start filming nanny holding animal.

Tell her to climb up and down stairs while holding the animal you purchased. Repeat at various speeds 4-8 times.

Agitate animal with loud noises. Have potential nanny carry agitated animal up and down stairs at least 12 times. Chant "Faster, faster, faster, don't slip!" at her occasionally.

Retrieve animal. Thank nanny and tell her you will be in touch.

Return animal to seller.

Review video footage.

Realize nanny managed quite well. No tripping.

Call nanny and offer her the job.

Be laughed at by nanny who accepted position with sane employers.

Start nanny search again.

Retrieve octopus or monkey as needed for testing other potential nannies.

Be turned down repeatedly due to your insanity.

Place child in day care.

Awesome! And hilarious! And true!

Well, here's a test you can ask her to perform in front of you:

Buy a 30 lb octopus. If no octopi are for sale, buys 30 lb monkey.

Hand animal to potential nanny. Start filming nanny holding animal.

Tell her to climb up and down stairs while holding the animal you purchased. Repeat at various speeds 4-8 times.

Agitate animal with loud noises. Have potential nanny carry agitated animal up and down stairs at least 12 times. Chant "Faster, faster, faster, don't slip!" at her occasionally.

Retrieve animal. Thank nanny and tell her you will be in touch.

Return animal to seller.

Review video footage.

Realize nanny managed quite well. No tripping.

Call nanny and offer her the job.

Be laughed at by nanny who accepted position with sane employers.

Start nanny search again.

Retrieve octopus or monkey as needed for testing other potential nannies.

Be turned down repeatedly due to your insanity.

Place child in day care.

Lots of grandmothers provide childcare all the time,
but 50 hours every week would be a very long week for anyone.

We are considering an older woman as our nanny, she says she's up for an active baby and last family gives great reviews but their kids were 5 and 7 when she left them. Our house has a lot of stairs, we need her 50 hours a week and some particularly long days to travel (which she knows), and neither of us work from home to keep an eye on things. I worry I wouldn't even know if she was unsteady carrying a squirmy kid on the stairs etc.