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How to Find and Hire a Trustworthy Nanny

By: Author Jeff Campbell

Posted on Last updated:

Categories Guest Posts

When it comes to your children, only the highest quality care will suffice, which is exactly why you’re looking for a nanny in the first place. Unfortunately, finding and hiring a trustworthy nanny isn’t always the easiest task.

Let’s face it; you’re still letting a stranger into your home to care for the most valuable possession you have—your children.

Before hiring anyone to work within your home, it’s always a wise idea to perform a background check. Using a site like CheckPeople.com can validate any credentials your nanny may have and will also give you peace of mind seeing their criminal and credit history. After all, the last thing you want is someone with a spotty background caring for your kids.

Here are 4 ways of finding quality care for your children:

  • Determine a list of “must-haves” for your nanny. If you’re trying to find a quality nanny, having a list of skills and qualifications can help make your search easier. It’s always wise to have someone in the home with first aid training, in case emergencies arise during their care.

If you’re looking for an educational experience, consider adding teaching or early childhood education to the list as well. Finally, if you have a set budget in mind for your childcare, make sure you write that down too – after all, if the budget isn’t negotiable, there’s no reason to look outside of that number.

  • Ask around. One of the easiest ways to source a new nanny is through family and friends, especially if they’ve recently been in the childcare market. If you’re active on social media, feel free to use local groups and pages to ask for recommendations as well. Personal experience with an individual is the ultimate resource.

It allows you to ask the parent questions on the care within their home. Talk to them about routines, nutrition, and discipline, as these are key areas to consider before hiring. Look for someone with positive discipline techniques, as they promote healthy and effective structure for children.

  • Consider using a caregiver website. Many websites offer a pre-screened list of nannies available for hire in your area. These profiles will highlight experience, skills, salary requirements, and availability for your consideration. The benefit to these sites is having multiple people to review at the same time. The downside of these websites is the steep monthly fee just to browse the profiles. If you’re unable to find a nanny to fit your requirements on the platform, the expense may not be justified, especially long-term.
  • Talk to local schools and universities. Many parents, caregivers, and teachers have access to resources the public may not know of, nannies included. Universities often offer a job board within the school, which may be an ideal choice for someone looking for evening or weekend care. Additionally, teachers or parents may have previous experience working with a student that they could recommend. Always make sure to interview your prospective hire to find out what availability they’d have, especially when it comes to their school schedule.

Finding a reliable and trustworthy nanny isn’t always the easiest task, especially if you’ve never searched for one previously.

Always make sure you feel confident and comfortable with the individual you’ve chosen. To get a better understanding of how the nanny works, ask them to visit one day that you’re home to supervise the interaction. See how your children respond to the nanny; do they react positively? Do they seem apprehensive or shy?

Listen to communication cues throughout their visit.

If the nanny is soft-spoken and quiet, will your children take her as an authority figure? This person is going to have a strong emotional impact on your child while you’re away, and high-quality care makes a difference in the daily functioning of your child.

At the end of the day, you want your child to feel safe, happy, and confident—regardless of if that’s with you or with the nanny that you’ve chosen to hire.

Jeff Campbell
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