Nanny and DC questions

jd614

Come the fall we are going to look at Dc and also interview nannies. Can you give me some must ask questions for both . Also if you have a nanny- what type of expectations do you lay out and what would go in a contract? Up until now my mom and MIL watch DS and I've been very lax. With someone else I will make sure there is more structure etc. I'm nervous to start this process and not sure which is the right move! 

TheBorg7of9

In some places, daycare have very long waiting lists. I have to sign up for mine 6 months to a year in advance. But nannies only need 4 to 6 weeks. You might need to look at dcs first, ASAP. Spend 50 to get on waiting list. Then interview nannies closer to the time you need her.

Reilly626

I was on a year long waiting list for daycare and we finally got in! So happy. I just couldn't trust a nanny unless she was family or a friend. I was told I should have put their names on the daycare list while I was pregnant! So competitive here in the northeast!

jd614

TheBorg7of9:

In some places, daycare have very long waiting lists. I have to sign up for mine 6 months to a year in advance. But nannies only need 4 to 6 weeks. You might need to look at dcs first, ASAP. Spend 50 to get on waiting list. Then interview nannies closer to the time you need her.

One day care I love doesn't take them before a year so I'm in that wait list until feb. there is one other I'm considering calling today.

QueSrah

Centers tend to address a lot of the "must ask" questions in their spiel they give to prospective parents after getting the questions on every single tour.  So I wouldn't worry about particular questions to plan in advance unless there's something you care extremely strongly about.  Just keep your eyes open on the tour and ask about anything that didn't seem clear.

traveltheworld

I would ask about their food policies, sickness policies, and staff turn-over rate.  If your child is older, I would also ask about their approach to discpline and make sure that it is something you feel comfortable with.  

jd614

Thank you everyone !

virginiagirl11

Yes, get on the DC waiting list asap. I put DS1 on the waiting list for ours when I was 16 weeks pregnant with him and he didn't get in until he was a year old.

I actually just hired our new long-term babysitter today after a couple of months of actively looking for the right person.

I put ads on Care.com and I am very specific about the position. I got like 32 applicants for this most recent job that I posted, which was insane! I whittled the list down to 9 people in about two hours and then reached out to my five top choices to meet at Starbucks for a 30-min. chat.

I chose my top two favorites and invited them to our house while everyone was here to get a feel for the environment. Then we chose the one who was the best fit.

Aside from the obvious (non-smoking, own transportation, solid experience), the most important thing to me in a nanny/long-term babysitter is their personality. If it fits our family and if they seem open to receiving instruction from us (in a friendly, constructive way), then almost everything else will fall into place.

virginiagirl11

Oh, and we haven't done contracts as we haven't needed to.

Expectations...I try to touch on the main points during the interview: hours/week, hourly rate for one and both kids, method of payment, what their day will generally look like, meal prep, no housekeeping, activities we do, our general approach with our kids and discipline, etc.