Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for your thoughtful answers. Does anyone have a list of starter questions to ask when interviewing a nanny? I will obviously ask questions that are specific to my kids, but it would be nice to have a list of questions to start with that may trigger other questions I should ask.

Describe your perfect job and explain what would make it perfect.
Which age do you prefer most and why?

Go over everything. Education for nanny and kids, creativity, patience, etc. Get an idea of what you want in your contract, go over all of it. Figure out what you need for your kids, ask that. It’s different for everyone.

OP here. Thank you for your thoughtful answers. Does anyone have a list of starter questions to ask when interviewing a nanny? I will obviously ask questions that are specific to my kids, but it would be nice to have a list of questions to start with that may trigger other questions I should ask.

Ask open ended questions in the interview. “Tell me what you might do during a long rainy day with all three kids.” “4 year old takes oldest child’s toy and oldest child grabs it back and hits the 4 year old. What would you do?” Go over all of the big things: discipline style, parenting style, potty training, chores for kids/nanny, etc.

This is true about references; there is a shocking amount of fake references out there. Also check that the education is real .

Google all the references. We had two nanny applicants who faked their references and one we figured out by a Google search.

I had extremely good luck finding our nanny on care.com. I limited applications by asking only for college graduates with teaching experience and still got way too many unqualified responses. Word what you want carefully. Or go through an agency.

As a PP pointed out - you have to know what you want in a nanny. For three children, your nanny better have at least 10+ years of experience with mixed aged children and very recent experience with newborns.

Education and experience. Decide how much of each you want. Decide what you want her to do with the baby and older kids when they are home ( which is a lot). Think about your parenting philosophy and how you want the nanny to implement it.

When deciding on hourly wage and benefits, remember that a good nanny would rather take a job with just one newborn. Pay wisely.

I used a nanny service to provide us with candidates.

Hi,

New to the nanny process What is the best way to advertise for a nanny (care.com, neighborhood list serves, etc.)?

In addition to calling references, are there specific sites to do background checks?

Where do I even start with wages? I have three kids 1, 4, and 7. I am looking for full-time care for our 1-year-old and 4-year-old and part-time care for our 7-year-old until June. This summer, I will need full-time care for all three kids, and in the fall it will be full time only for the baby and part time for the two oldest who will be in school full-time. (FWIW, I live in close-in Silver Spring.)

We are also hoping to find someone with a good driving record to take kids to activities. (We will provide the vehicle.) What considerations, besides reviewing driving record, do I need to take into consideration?

Any other advise?

Thanks!