Do You Need a Live-In Nanny?

Do you really need a babysitter? Or is it really a nanny or a chef or a maid that you need in your home. If you need everything done at once, including the gardening, maybe it is a live-in couple that you need in your home.

The bottom line is that babysitters on not paid a lot of money and are expected to look after your kids and nothing else. Don't expect him or her to cook, clean or educate your kid. That is not in the job description.

However these chores can be in the job description of a nanny, especially a live-in nanny or a domestic live-in couple. Indeed many professional nannies are well versed in child psychological, child behavior and also many are full blown teachers with the ability to home school your child should you think that is necessary. Many nannies also know a lot about nutrition these days and are expert cooks.

Most people figure out that they need a nanny or that they should be for jobs for a couple when they realize that their job or career is going to require travel. In this case the live in couple or nanny can fill in as a substitute parent or parents until the real parents return. Sometimes you want to take your kids on the road in which case a nanny can be a very valuable asset.

If you are bad sticking to a routine with your children then you might really benefit from having a nanny. Most nannies are excellent at organizing your home and helping you stick to a schedule. If this is something you have never been able to get together than a nanny might be the best thing that ever happened to you in your entire life!

However not all nannies are super organized. Like all of us many of them have different personal strengths and weaknesses. The nanny that is less organized might be better emotionally or creatively with children for instance.

Don't think that you have to be rich or famous to deserve a nanny. Those days are over. Nowadays people from all walks of life are banding up with other couples to take care of kids or advertising for live in couple jobs to cut costs and share responsibilities.

Nowadays too, hiring a nanny to educate your kid can actually be cheaper than enrolling your child in a school or some kind of daycare. That is why so many people are opting for it. Furthermore it means that your children will be in a cleaner more comfortable environment and less liable to be exposed to viruses and germs.

The downside of having a nanny is that your kid may not be socialized with other children at an early age. Sometimes daycare and the public school system is an important part of having your children get along with others.

How to Check A Babysitter’s References

It's all too sad but true but some parent's do not check out a babysitter's references because they consider it time consuming or simply because they are not sure what to ask. This is not a good idea because you do not want a stranger looking after your child – God knows who this person is and what was in their past.

Of course it is important to look at a potential references record because that is the only way you can find out information about your babysitter's competence.

Generally it is recommended that you get a minimum of three references (unless your babysitter is quite young and you are aware that you are part of the learning curve!)

Below is the minimum amount of information that you need to get from the babysitter.

Name of Parents _______________________

Name(s)/Age(s) of Child/Children _______________________

Dates Worked _______________________

Phone number/email address _______________________

Here are the questions that you should ask each reference.
How long have you known this babysitter?
Does this babysitter currently taking care of your child?
How long did the babysitter care for your child/children?
How old were your children at the time?
How many hours did the babysitter work? If regular, what was the schedule?
Why did babysitting arrangement end?
Did the babysitting experience with this person hold any disappointments for you?
What would you say is this babysitter's greatest strength?
Was the babysitter good at interacting with your children?
Did the babysitter participate in activities with your children.
How did the babysitter discipline your children?
Did the babysitter return calls promptly?
Was the babysitter on time for babysitting gigs?
Did the babysitter handle any emergencies for you and if so what happened?
How would you compare this babysitter to other babysitters you have hired?
If you needed a babysitter tomorrow would you hire this person again? If no, why not?
Not every single one of the suggested questions above may apply to your situation but the more thorough you are about asking questions of your babysitter's references the more you will know about his or her capabilities and the quicker you will be able to build up a trusting worker/employer relationship.

Many moms skip this step thinking they just have good intuition. However the trickiest people are the most charming. If your kids are important to you I highly advise you not to make the mistake of judging a book by its cover.