Once you have found a potential nanny candidate (or candiates), you should consider where will be the best place to have the interview.  If you do not feel comfortable having the nanny come to your home, then pick a mutual place such as a Starbucks to conduct your interview.  Many nannies prefer to interview in home so that they know what type of environment they will be working in.   If you choose to have them come to your home, many people ask... Should the kids be present during the interview?  Absolutley!  It is very important to see how the children interact with the nanny, and the nanny interacts with the children.  This will be a huge indicator if she may be a fit for your family.

Some very important questions that I suggest asking your potential nanny during the interview are.

1.  Can you tell us about your childcare experiences?   It is good to get a feel for her experiences with children.Has she been in the childcare business for long?  What has been her experience, and where?

2.  Have you had experience with children the same ages as our children?  It is important to know that she will know what to do with certain age groups,and handle children in an experienced and professional manner.   EX) you do not want a nanny for your newborn who does not have infant/newborn experience.

3. Describe what a day would be like for you, if you worked as our nanny.  What would you do with our children?  This is very important.  You do not want to hire a nanny who is lazy and is the type who will put the kids in front of a movie.  Look for someone who is willing to go to the park, go for walks, sing songs and read to your children. 

4. What is your philosophy on dicipline?  This is a good indicator of what type of experience a person has with children. (Many great nannies will give choices, or try to redirect the child).  Other tend to use age appropriate time outs. Even if her philosophy is a bit different from yours, make sure that you are both on the same page and that she will respect and follow through with the type of dicipline you use in your home.

 Before you make your final decision as to if you want to hire the nanny, be sure to check at least 3 references that she has provided for you.  If she has chilcare references, be sure to check them first.  Once you make her an offer and she accepts, be sure that she will consent to a background check and provide you with the information that you will need to run the check. Many background checks are available on the internet.  Background checks are a very important factor when hiring a nanny!

Night nannies can be very helpful to families who have new babies at home.  Many parents are exhausted and need to get a few good nights rest.  Night nannies are there to ease your mind and care for you little one whie you sleep.  They are responsible for feeding, changing , and caring for the baby.  They will aslo bring baby to mom if she is breastfeeding.  Night nannies are able to help get your baby on a schedule, incliding feeding and sleeping.  She will usually arrive around 8 or 9 PM and stay until 7 0r 8 am.  They will charge anywhere from $18-25 per hour, but most moms do not care about the cost and long as they are rested and their baby is well taken care of!   Some families will hire a night nanny to work 2-3 nights, where others will hire her to work 5-6 nights per week for the first few months of the newborn being home.  Working moms especially love taking advantage of the exra help at night if they have to get up and be at work all day.  Sleep deprivation will get the best of someone after days of no sleep.  Moms want to be happy and have lots of energy when they are spending time with their new baby.  I highly recommed looking into night nanny services, especially if you are expectng multiples!  They can be a huge help and a big relief for your family!

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