How To Screen & Hire Your Child's Nanny
or Caretaker or Babysitter Prevent
potential harm that can come to your
child from
hiring someone you
thought
you could trust!
When hiring
a potential
nanny, daycare, babysitter or caretakers for your precious children,
please keep the
following in mind:
You should have definite & clear
expectations
of your child's new caretaker.
Will
they be
a caretaker and housekeeper? What will the hours be? How many days of
the week? Vacation time? Pay?
Request
the
following identification
from an applicant:
Birth certificate
Social Security
card
Valid driver's license
Home phone and address
Proof of physical exam from the last
two
years
Work references and phone
numbers
for the
past three years
Character
references with addresses
and
phone numbers
CPR certificate
Record
and
confirm all contact information and references.
Confirm name and birth certificate
or
passport
Make copies of I.D.
Confirm home address (go there or
ask for
utility bill as proof of residence)
Confirm home number and/or cell
phone
number
Call all references
Visit home of references (to see if
they
really have kids)
Contact number for
next of kin
Do
a
criminal background check.
Check for aliases
Check for numerous
addresses over
short
period of time
Check for past
complaints and follow
up on
them
When
asking
a question, ask for
specific examples.
Ask
what makes her frustrated and
how she
handles it
Ask about her childhood
Ask about her child rearing
philosophy
Question all gaps in her
work history
Ask about her
experiences with their
previous families: What worked? What would she have changed?
Ask empathy-related questions: Why
does she
like working with children?
Why does she choose to be a nanny? Why does she want to work with your
family?
Ask about her experience in
emergency
situations and find out how she would respond in certain situations
Look
for red
flags during an interview that may indicate problems.
Applicant refuses to give home phone
number and doesn't have numbers for work references
Too many unexplainable gaps in work
history
Applicant refuses to give a
valid
license
or social security number
Applicant
refuses to sign a release
for a
criminal background check
Applicant
has a lot of short-term
jobs
Applicant doesn't interact very
well
with
your child or shows little interest in the child
Applicant has moved around often
Applicant requests a very low pay
and/or
is willing to take less pay than her previous position
Applicant has a number of traffic
tickets
and will need to drive for you
Applicant if overqualified for the
position
Be
wary of
over-qualified applicants.
They will say what you want to hear
in
interviews
They have excellent
résumés
that give the parents a false sense of experience
These applicants know how to
manipulate
personalities and skills tests
Their
references are often friends,
not
previous employers
Keep in mind: "a
stranger with a
résumé is still a stranger"
Some
additional tips for the
interview process:
The
applicant
must interact well with your
child and show an interest in him/her
The
hours,
days, and job description must
fit what the applicant is looking for
The
applicant
must have reliable
transportation to your home
The
applicant
must have reliable coverage
for her own children if she has any
If
you are a
stay-at-home mom, make sure
the person you are hiring
feels comfortable with that set-up. Or, if you are able to take breaks
from work, let her know that you'll be dropping in periodically and
that she's equally comfortable with that
You
should
really feel good about the
reasons the applicant wants to take care of children and specifically
your children
The
applicant
should be looking for a
long-term job opportunity
You
should
interview all applicants at
least twice with the second
interview taking place around 5 or 6 p.m, which is the dinner, bath and
all around cranky time for many babies
If
possible,
visit the applicant in her
home
The
nanny
should expect:
Two days off each
week, unless
otherwise
discussed and agreed to
On-time pay
and overtime
Holiday and vacation
pay (two weeks
per
year)
Respect from children and you
Clear communication from you
Support and understanding from you
Raises in pay and a stated timetable
for
them
Appreciation and bonuses when
necessary
(holidays)
Food for her meals
The attitude that you are a team and
in it
together for the healthy development of your children
There
is a way to monitor your caretaker without installing nanny cams.
Consider these tips to find out whether your child is protected or
neglected:
Count
how
many diapers there are and
how many bottles of formula there are before you leave and when you get
home.
Newborns should
be changed every
four to
six hours depending on how much they eat
Infants can go through about 12
diapers a
day
Check
the
baby naked.
Parents
often arrive home to find their kids already in pajamas. Then they
leave in the morning and let the nanny put the kids in daytime
clothing. So they never see their child undressed. Examine their bodies
for bruises, scratches, bites or other injuries.
Be
aware if
you child is unusually
clingy or has fear of caretakers.
Separation
anxiety occurs between 6 to 8 months of age and may last until 2 to 3
years of age. Signs of separation anxiety before 6 months may suggest a
problem. If it goes too far and goes too long and it's just not within
their range of personality, that is a red flag.
Trust
your
instincts.
A
"mother's instinct" is even better than a camera. Keep in mind, it may
always be hard to turn your children over to someone, but you should
trust your instincts if you have suspicions.
Allow
a
trial period where one parent
is there with the nanny.
People
will take a car for a test drive before they buy it, but they don't
always think to take a potential nanny for a test drive.
Consider
these warning signs that your nanny may be mistreating or neglecting
your child:
Explanations of injuries are
inconsistent with the baby's age and abilities.
For
example, if your baby is not a crawler, he shouldn't be bumping into
things. Ask yourself, "Could my baby possibly be doing this?" Listen
carefully for the explanation that is given.
Your child is more clingy than
normal and shows prolonged fear of caretakers.
Again,
there can be separation anxiety. But when if it goes too far and goes
too long and it's just not within their range of personality, that is a
red flag.
Nanny
over-exaggerates the extent
of their daily activities.
Does
every day sound like an exciting field trip? Sure, some days may
include a trip to the park, going for walks, watching developmental
videos, etc., but question whether it realistically occurs every day.
Nanny avoids eye contact and
answers questions that are not asked. You really have to see
if they're talking too much, if they're telling you things that you
don't need to know.
Nanny leaves as soon as you arrive
home. The nanny should want to tell you about things your
child did that day.
Is
the nanny late a lot?
Being
late doesn't necessarily mean she's neglecting your child, but a
nonchalant attitude about when she arrives could carry over into the
way she treats your child.
When your child is sick on
weekends, does the nanny call to see how your child is doing?
She should care about your child
whether she's working or not. Does the nanny feel like part of the
family?
Recent and
unexplained behavioral
changes in your child.
Insufficient amount of diapers or
formula being used.
You may come home to a child who's
dry, but has your child been changed as many times as needed throughout
the day? |
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