I wouldn't pass you by, but I would worry that you're so stuck in your ways that you'd try to get my household to run the way your last job ran, and you might be inflexible.

You need to figure out some other references that are not relatives. Did you volunteer at all anywhere? Do you have a relationship with anyone else that worked with your nanny kids, like a teacher, therapist, or club leader?

Also, parents who see themselves as only using a nanny for a couple of years may think that you won't really be interested in anything other than a long-term job.

Your base rate may be too high now, or people may think that you're expecting another 55-hour/wk job and they can't provide that.

I have four kids, and the fact that you stuck around as the kids got older would be a plus in my book. If I had an infant or multiple small ones at home, I'd also wonder if you were really willing to go back to the hard work of toddlers. That's probably not fair, but if I were choosing between someone with great references who has spent all of the last 5 years running around with babies, vs. someone with one reference who was largely doing elementary-school stuff for the last couple of years, I'd probably lean toward the person I thought wouldn't get burnt out in a couple of months.

1. Ask both parents to be references for you - explain the problem and ask that both respond to reference calls. Give their cell and work phones. Not that you are hiding it, but if they have different names it would be even better! List them separately

Name 1: mother's name, cell ph, work ph

Name 2: father's name, cell ph, work ph

And I'd call and ask the parents you did babysit for and see if they would act as references. You do need to call them, because after 5 years you need to remind them of who you are, and ask if they'll do it.

In your interviews with parents, I'd bring this up. I worked for one family for 10 years, bringing them through the birth and growing up of 3 children, only leaving when their youngest entered kindergarten and they no longer needed a full time nanny. I'm excited to start with a new family and baby! I have lots of experience managing all 3 children's needs, as different as they were based on their ages and development. However, I don't have multiple families as references, because I've worked for this one family for 10 years. I have both parents down as references, and I hope you'll call both of them for different viewpoints on my skills.

I'd just take the bull by the horns - for some who want multiple references, others love the longevity and multiple age groups, etc!

Its probably your rate/benefits vs. longevity. I would think being with a family that long and a good reference would be a great bonus vs. a nanny whose been through multiple families in several years.