A Shy Fox: January 2015

I have been a nanny for over 10 years, so I think I have some great advice for new mom's or any mom's who are curious what it is like to stand in the nanny's shoes.

First, let me just start out by saying, anyone who tells you that getting a nanny means you are giving up is off of their rocker. Yes, I know Grandma and your Mom both had 5 kids and did it all on their own BLAH BLAH BLAH...it is 2015, where woman actually have careers and FREEDOM OF SPEECH...we live in a different world, this isn't the 50's anymore, asking for help makes you a BETTER parent...not a worse one.

Ok, after you decide it is time for some help where should you start to look? I highly, highly recommend Care.com. It is a website where, you as the parent, can browse sitter's profiles in your area or even write an ad for the position you are hoping to fill so nannies can contact you! (when writing your own ad be sure to be very specific as to what your are hoping to find) Check it out if you haven't, it is a great outlet for not only nannying but pet sitting and many more things too!

Once you have found a couple of candidates you like, whether that be you scrolling through and messaging them or they respond to your ad, you can now begin the interview process. Being a nanny, I know how scary it is to go interview in general, but there is just something a little bit more uneasy about walking into someone else's home. Try meeting at a Starbucks or more public place for the first meeting. Do not bring your children, this is a big one...upon the first meeting you as the parent really want to get to know the potential nanny and you wont want to have to deal with any distractions. Plus, another reason why I say to leave the kids at home is because your children are going to be so bored of going on all of these interviews and their actions may cause some potential nannies to pull away. Wait until you have two potential keepers and then have them meet the children and go from there!

As far as what to ask on the first interview; every family's needs are different, make it clear what type of person you are looking for and frame questions to see if their answers are the right for your needs! For example, if your son/daughter has an allergy to nuts you may ask, "Do you have experience working with children with allergies?" and go from there. Or maybe you want a nanny to encourage your child to read more, even though your child hates to read. You may ask, " How would you handle a situation where a child is being uncooperative and you are trying to make them focus on a task?" MAKE SURE TO NOT GIVE AWAY TOO MUCH ABOUT YOUR FAMILY BEFORE THE FIRST INTERVIEW....people are always going to say whatever it takes to get hired. Like in the examples used above, if in the interview instead of asking, " Do you have experience working with children with allergies?" You say, "My daughter has allergies, do you know how to deal with that?" can help the interviewee know what kind of answer you are hoping to hear. Do not encourage the answer in the question!!

After you have made your final selection amongst your applicants, pick your top two and schedule working interviews (paid, of course) with each one. This is a way to throw both applicants into your world and see if it will be a good fit! Make sure you step back and let the potential nannies show you what they do best. I know it is hard to walk away from you little prince/princess but even hiding behind a corner can give you a different perspective. Once you have made the decision as to which applicant you are ready to hire, do not throw away the runner up's information, they may be a good back up sitter one day! (you may want to propose that to your runner up, as an on call nanny or date night sitter..trust me you can never have too much back up!)

A couple of last things I would like to touch on:

Payment; every county, town, city, state has a different price they will pay for child care. I encourage you to pay your nanny what they deserve, I cannot tell you how many times people want to pay me too little when I am CPR certified, I have a background check, plus MANY years of experience and references to back it up. I am telling you as a nanny who works hard and loves my job, anyone selling themselves short either doesn't have the experience or is hiding something else. My Momma always taught me, "You get what you pay for," and if your children's lives aren't something you are willing to spend more on but you are holding that Michael Kors purse close...you may want to re-evaluate your life.

Hovering; if you have made the decision to hire a nanny, why are you still playing with the kids? There is nothing more annoying then when a parent cannot let the nanny take over and do the job they were hired to do. Once the trust is established, please just try and pull yourself away from your children, and there is no harm in getting a nanny cam to ease your mind.

Please comment with any other questions/comments/etc!

THANKS FOR READING!

XOXOOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

A Shy Fox

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Time to Call the Nanny!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Happy New Year

2015 Resolutions:

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