How to Know if Your Nanny is Doing a Good Job?

August 25, 2016

Outside of your family, your nanny may have a more significant impact on your children’s development than anyone else. Therefore, it’s vital to make sure that you’ve hired an excellent caregiver. But how do you evaluate a nanny’s performance? What are the hallmarks of an outstanding nanny?

In this article, CanadianNanny.ca founder and child care expert, Martha Scully will go through questions you should ask and behaviours you can observe to help you determine whether or not you have found the best possible nanny.

The Fundamentals

First of all, there are the basics of the job to consider.

Caring

Does the nanny care about your children? This is the most important factor and will ultimately determine how the nanny does everything else. We offer suggestion below on ways you can determine this.

Reliable

Is she is reliable in terms of showing up for work on time and following your instructions? If she can’t make it in, does she should give you notice as far in advance as possible?

Safety

Are the children are safe and injury-free? Is her attention to preventing possible accidents is thorough and ongoing. Accidents happen but they should be infrequent.

Relationship with the Children

Do your nanny and your kids enjoy a healthy relationship? Does the nanny takes an active interest in your child’s development and comes up with new  ideas for drawing out your child’s unique gifts and abilities?

Observe your children. How do they interact and talk about the nanny?

Are they happy to see her?
Do they talk to her in a comfortable, natural manner?
Do they talk non-stop about the nanny? (in a positive manner)
Do they show off projects, new games or songs they worked on with the nanny?
Do the children appear well cared for?
Are they clean and well fed?

Relationship with You

You should always feel as though the lines of communication between you and your nanny are open.

Is she co-operative in terms of staying connected with you?
Is she willing to sit down with you now and then to give you updates and answer your questions?
Does she keep you up to date with notes or log book?
Is she open in terms of sharing key events of the day including any problems big or small as they arise?
Is she honest, does she admit to mistakes and asks questions when not sure of something?

Style of Discipline

How does the nanny manage disciplinary issues?

Is she calm and consistent without ever  resorting to physical punishment?
Do the children clearly understand the rules?

Discuss the Nanny with your Children

On a regular basis, talk to your children about the nanny by asking them:

Do you like the nanny?  
What do you like best about the nanny?  
What don’t you like about the nanny?  
How does the nanny talk to you?  
Does the nanny tell you not to tell us things? i.e. visitors, watching TV shows, eating  snack food etc  
What does the nanny play with you?

Children may not know how to express themselves clearly but they do know how they feel. If the child is unhappy with the nanny because she is following through with your wishes, take the time to back the nanny up and explain the situation to the children.  If you are concerned about stories the children have told you about the nanny, discuss the issue with the nanny immediately.

Other Ways to Evaluate Your Nanny

Playdates

Schedule playdates with friends who also have kids. What do your friends think how the nanny interacts with your kids?

Unexpected Drop-ins

There’s nothing wrong with an unexpected visit to observe for yourself what typical day with the nanny looks like.

Opinions of Friends, Relatives, and Neighbours

You can ask a friend or a relative to observe your nanny and your kids on an outing. Have neighbours keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Should You Use a Nanny Cam?

We understand the desire of using a nanny cam however we feel that the other suggestions we’ve made can achieve the same adjectives. If you really feel must go this route check the laws in your province and we strongly recommend that you be upfront about it with the nanny and let them know about the cams.

Conclusion

Over time as you listen and observe you will develop a feeling about your nanny. It’s crucial that you pay attention to that feeling. If from everything you hear and see, you conclude that your nanny is patient, reliable, caring, and has q positive relationship with your kids be sure to let her know that you appreciate her.

More Frequently Asked Questions About Nannies

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