13:13, just like a lot of mb's are mediocre or worse. I am nota nanny, GWIW.

I had a bout of short term jobs. It scared people away. It was a bout because my employers lost jobs or moved. So don't always cast away short term people. I wanted to be long term. I am now. I had a family take a chance.

A lot of people looked at my degrees thought I was leaving them when I found something better. Not true.

Look at the type of nanny jobs your candidate had. I had jobs with special needs, a very large family, family with two ill newborn twins. All have great things to say about me. I know other nannies won't touch those jobs. Some want easy jobs. Those are the ones to avoid.

MB here. OP, great nannies are really hard to find. They are out there, but a lot of nannies are, frankly, pretty mediocre or worse.

For us references have been key. We google all references. We have interviewed two nannies in the past who faked references. Try to talk at length with references about what they liked, what they'd do differently, any challenges they had with the nanny, etc. Talk to every single reference you get and request that the nanny candidate provide at least three, even if one is someone they've only babysat for.

I have not typically found experience to correlate with excellence. We had two great nannies as part of a nanny-share and both had only part-time nanny experience. Another nanny we later hired who had a lot more experience was mediocre.

I look for energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and reliability. Also someone I just like on a gut level. We also try to treat our nannies really really well, and I think that does help somewhat.

There's no perfect nanny, though, and some "wants" you may have to let go of.

Hi OP - I am going to echo the experience advice. Past behavior is predictive of future behavior. Look for a nanny who has a work history of several years at a job, one who has previously worked with children of similar age to yours, ask behavioral interview questions (some have been previously suggested in this thread) and check references in detail.

Good luck. If the budget permits, you may have best luck using a reputable nanny agency as they have tons of experience sorting through the applicants.

The International Nanny Association also publishes a free eBook The Nanny Employer's Handbook that may be helpful?

http://nannyassociation.org/ina-nanny-employer-handbook/

If you are interested in a great nanny, mine is available in Feb. She's been with us since March 2011. We originally hired ther through a nanny agency and she has worked out great. She is caring, though sets boundaries. Let me konw if you are interested; I can provide more feedback. gcw7774@yahoo.com