If you have a nanny...

I have a few questions.

- Did you run a background check if she's a friend of someone you know?

- Do you have the nanny sign a contract? And how informal/formal is it?

- How did you perform the background check?

- Do you have any advice for a mom using a nanny for the first time?

TIA!

Re: If you have a nanny...

We ran a background check on ours, but we didn't know her. We found her on sittercity and used them for the background check.

No contract.

My advice is to figure out what is important to you and lay it all out in advance. Some things to consider:

-what paid time off will she get (if any)?
-if she calls in sick, does she still get paid?
-what overtime pay she expects?
-what housework do you expect her to do?
-are her hours flexible (if you are running late one day for example)?

Good luck and FM me if you have any questions.

Re: If you have a nanny...

We were going to run a background check, but ended up not doing it after speaking to all 6 previous families and feeling ok.

We do have a contract that lays out specifics, including holidays, vacation days, termination on either end, etc.

Lmk if you have any other questions.

If you have a nanny...

We got a referral from a close friend (their cousin) -- so we did not do a background check. After looking into daycares and speaking with other options she just felt like the right fit for us, and it has worked out perfectly.
We spoke at length about many of the things above including holidays, vaca, etc and then i put it in writing to her. It is not a signed contract. She has been a blessing to us!!!

Re: If you have a nanny...

OUr nanny we found through Care.com - so they had done checks but in the end it turns out she was a friend of my husbands years ago

No signed contract - we just discussed vacation and holidays

My advice treat her with lots of respect and think about how you would like to be treated. She is taking care of the most important person in your life.

Outline your expectations you have of her - duties; request she keep a daily journal, etc

OUr nanny has been with us 5.5 years now and is such a great help to our family.

Good Luck

Re: If you have a nanny...

No official background check. She was referred by a neighbor, and I spoke to a few referrals and felt at ease. I did check some online databases though!

No contract per se, but we have unwritten understandings about time off and pay etc. Looking back, I wish we did have a contract, so I do suggest that. She's great and we are very happy with her, but I think having guidelines written down is a good idea.

Be upfront and honest about all of your expectations; but also be flexible. They may have a different way of doing things that works well too.

Trust your gut. When interviewing for a nanny I noticed small things like if they asked if they should remove their shoes; wash their hands before handling the baby; did they talk to me only or engage with the baby while we talked; eye contact; appearance etc.

Treat them like an employee, but also a part of the family. It's hard to find that balance, but also very important.

We've had our nanny for 3.5 years. There will always be things you don't like, but overrall we're very happy and the girls adore her.

Good luck!

Message edited 6/4/2014 12:47:28 PM.

Re: If you have a nanny...

NO background check. We got her through care.com which does one and I called three of her references. which were all glowing and completely accurate.
No contract but we agreed upon the terms prior to her starting work.
My biggest advice is go with your gut. I didnt go with my gut for my first nanny because I was in a time crunch and I wasnt totally happy with her. We enede up moving on and finding our second. I knew she was right for our familiy the minute she walked through the door.

Re: If you have a nanny...

Yes, we definitely ran a background check. We found her on Care.com and I spoke to her references, but that's never enough. You never know who she could have to give as a "reference." Background check was non-negotiable.

No contract.

We paid for the background check through Care.com.

The only advice I have is make sure you're comfortable with her and don't be afraid to tell her what you want/expect. I had a 1 week training period where she came over a few hours to watch how I handled things with DS (he was a baby). Then I let her watch him while I was home, but not around. Then I ran errands while she was alone with DS. All this was really so I felt comfortable with the situation. She would've been fine right away.