What Qualities Make A Good Nanny?

What qualities make a good nanny? A good nanny is someone that you feel comfortable with, someone who is trustworthy and reliable, and someone who really cares about your children. When interviewing a potential nanny, don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve.

Hiring a nanny can be an exciting process but it can also be daunting. Here are some things to look for when choosing a new nanny:

Essential skills every good nanny should have

• -Honest communication
• Flexibility – Experience with the age bracket of children you have in your care
• Sound judgment in emergencies like fires or intruders etc
• Ability to work well with people including children and adults of different ages
• Punctuality
• Ability to work independently but with a high amount of initiative
• Knowledge of first aid and CPR certification if you have any children under three years old.
• References of those who have employed the candidate in the past
• Ability to provide a good working environment for you and your other employees
• Confidence is a big factor in childcare, someone who is confident and doesn’t second guess themselves will be better at providing care than someone who isn’t as confident.

A good nanny has lots of patience and if they do something wrong they admit it instead of just making excuses.

• A good nanny will have a sense of humor and be able to see the funny side of any situation.
  
• A good nanny always puts the child’s needs first, not their own.
  
• The candidate should appear to like children as if they don’t then chances are they won’t be a very good nanny or caretaker.
  
• A good nanny will have many skills, from cooking to cleaning, and will be willing and able to carry out any task assigned to them without complaining.

Remember when hiring a new nanny that you are hiring them because you trust them with your children’s lives. If you don’t feel comfortable with a candidate then don’t hire them. You can come up with a list of questions to ask anyone wanting to work in your home.

Key questions to ask a nanny when considering them for hire

Do you have young children? An important question is “How many children under the age of three have you cared for in the past?”

If they haven’t any experience with children that young then it doesn’t mean that they are unqualified or incapable, but it may be a precautionary sign and so to get an understanding of how they will adapt to caring for children that young, ask “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

A good nanny will be able to provide examples of their strengths and weaknesses. They will tell you that they have good communication skills and the ability to read children’s emotions.

They will also tell you about their weaknesses, they may say that they don’t always listen to instructions and that if something goes wrong, instead of getting upset they laugh it off. The best nannies are honest about their weaknesses because then you know what to expect and how to handle them.

Another question you can ask is
“How old were the children you cared for in the past?”

If they have done a lot of childcare before then it may help to hire them, but if they just started caring for children with young children then that may be a warning sign. It is worth considering even if they say they have experience with older children because you can never tell.

A good way to test the candidate’s experience and readiness to care for younger children are to ask them “What are some of your best memories about working with kids?”

It is important that when interviewing candidates remember not all nannies or caretakers have experienced working with young children. So if you have candidates that are close to what you are looking for remember some things;

• Make sure the nanny is able to work well with people including children and adults of different ages.

• Make sure they have a good sense of humor because sometimes dealing with children can be a lot like dealing with babies. And babies and children don’t always understand what is going on or why something is happening, so you want someone who can be patient enough to sit down and discuss it with them.

• And remember that the person you hire will be spending a lot of time with your children, so it is important that they are trustworthy and stable.

What Qualities Make A Good Nanny? – Conclusion

To conclude, making a list of questions to ask when interviewing nanny candidates is a great way to ensure you get the care you need. Hiring a good nanny is crucial and can make your life as a parent that much easier. Take your time and consider everything!