When hiring a nanny for the first time, you probably know you need to agree on pay, coordinate schedule availability and make sure personalities gel. But there’s other important nanny criteria to consider, according to Marcia Hall, certified professional nanny, Academy for Coaching Parents International (ACPI) certified coach for families and former executive director of the International Association of Nannies in Milwaukee.
“For instance, if the parents want a nanny long term, selecting an individual who is in college might not be the right choice because that individual would be less likely to commit to them indefinitely,” Hall says. “If the parents’ goal is for the nanny to be able to keep after-school activities and supplies well organized, the parents will want to make it a priority to find a caregiver who has experience juggling a lot of activities.”
Dr. Lisa Lewis, a pediatrician in Fort Worth, Texas recommends listing your three must-haves, then listing out your would-like-to-haves. “The nanny who meets all three must-haves plus the most would-like-to-haves is the best candidate,” she says.
Before you write your nanny job description, check out some of the top qualities and characteristics of a good nanny, according to experts. While every family’s requirements will be different, here’s the crucial nanny criteria you don’t want to miss when hiring.
What to look for in a nanny
1. Interest in working with children
This may sound obvious, but a nanny should delight in being around children, above all else. “A genuine desire to invest in the life of children should be the first requirement parents have for a nanny,” says Hall.
Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a pediatrician, adjunct professor of Medicine at Stanford School of Medicine, and director of digital health at Stanford’s Sean Parker Center for Asthma and Allergy Research, says to trust your intuition on whether a candidate has this quality.
“If something feels awkward, dishonest, wrong or unsafe during your search or interviews, follow that feeling and walk away from that candidate,” she says. “Delaying a hire is always better than making the wrong hire.”
“If something feels awkward, dishonest, wrong or unsafe during your search or interviews, follow that feeling and walk away from that candidate.”
— Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, pediatrician
Read more: How to find a nanny: 5 expert recommendations for where to look
2. Safety certifications and child care training
“First and foremost, any nanny or babysitter should learn CPR certification through the American Heart Association,” says Lewis.
Other training and certifications to look for may include:
- Water safety instruction.
- Baby care, child nutrition and child development classes.
- A driver’s license with a clean driving record.
- First-aid certification.
Lewis says formal education and degrees don’t necessarily have to be must-haves. What’s most important is having good references and experience.
3. Special needs training
If you’re hiring a nanny to care for a child with special needs, whether those needs are from a disability, allergies or otherwise, it’s important that the nanny you hire is capable of handling that particular situation — though it’s not necessarily a requirement to have past experience with the same need or even special certifications.
“Parents should look for a quick learner and someone who is eager to learn about the need,” says Hall. “If the parent has an initial interview with an individual and by the second conversation, that person has already done some research into the special need, that show of initiative should be highly sought after.”
Lewis advises asking the child’s doctor how a caretaker would obtain some extra instruction for the needs at hand, since every child’s situation is different, and Hall suggests offering to pay for any extra courses or certifications.
4. Caregiving philosophies
A lot of parenting philosophies are floating around these days: attachment parenting, free-range parenting, authoritative parenting, slow parenting. If any of these are important to you, be sure your nanny is aware. Ask specific questions about your preferences, such as favorite type of carrier if you value baby-wearing, and you’ll get a good sense of their prior knowledge and current interest.
Also consider a candidate’s philosophy on screen time and even whether they’re keeping their own phone usage in check while caring for the children. “Unless specific monitored screen-time requirements are in place, it’s best to keep the household screen-free while the nanny is taking care of the children,” Lewis says.
If there are any philosophy clashes, it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker.
“The relationship between parent and nanny is really a partnership and just like all partnerships, each person has strengths and weaknesses, but all should be on the same page about the overall goals and rules of the house,” Hall says.
“The relationship between parent and nanny is really a partnership and just like all partnerships, each person has strengths and weaknesses, but all should be on the same page about the overall goals and rules of the house.”
— Marcia Hall, certified professional nanny
5. Ability to take on additional household responsibilities
While care of your children should be your nanny’s first priority, Hall says reasonable chores to ask a nanny to do include:
- Doing the children’s laundry and linens.
- Cleaning dishes the children and nanny use.
- Basic cleanup and organizing of the children’s toys and rooms.
But if you want your nanny to take on additional household chores or duties, then you need to work with the nanny and negotiate additional pay for those.
“The employer can determine together with the nanny what responsibilities might be,” Hall says. “A detailed explanation of them, including extra compensation, should be included in a work agreement.”
6. Complementary personality traits
A personality match between nanny and employer is similar to dating and can make or break a working relationship. So how do you know from an interview whether opposites will attract or repel? You need to ask the hard questions, Lewis says, such as, “What will you do if my child cries?”
Other good questions to ask a prospective nanny:
- Do you tend to keep a more structured or a more spontaneous schedule when you take care of a child?
- What do you like least and most about caregiving and why?
- What kind of play do you enjoy with children?
And then ask your children to talk with candidates. Even if the kids are shy, you’ll get an idea of how the nanny will interact with them. “Children are instinctual and will likely have a good or bad feeling about a candidate,” Swanson says.
Recognize, too, that a nanny’s personality can complement your own and benefit the children in a special way; it doesn’t necessarily have to be the same.
Read more: How to interview a nanny: Your questions checklist
Keep in mind: Hiring a nanny gets easier with practice
Rest assured, even those who have hired multiple nannies have a hard time prioritizing their wish list. But Swanson promises that it gets easier.
“I’ve just completed another search for support from a nanny and this time, for my older children, it was smooth and the least stressful it’s been for me,” she says, noting that she was more confident in her priorities and sticking to them. “If this is your first search, it will undoubtedly cause a little queasiness. I think like all things, we get better at this the more we do it.”
