A nanny can become your indispensable assistant and a great friend for your child, the main thing is to choose the right one. Our tips will help you not to make a mistake.
Why does your family need a nanny?
A qualified nanny will help your child socialize, and give the child the skills necessary for development, for example, teach him to read or work out fine motor skills with him. And it will free up hours for you to work, study and just take care of yourself.
Do not listen to anyone who will condemn you for using such services: this does not make you a bad parent.
You do not give your child the full care of a nanny. She will only help to follow him, educate and entertain while you are busy with other important things. Remember, a nanny will never replace a child with love, warmth, and attention, which can only be obtained in a family.
Things to keep in mind when hiring a nanny
Here are some important aspects to consider when hiring a live-in nanny:
1. Schedule setting
The most important aspect when hiring a nanny is to set a clear schedule for the convenience of each family member.
The schedule may include determining the nanny’s working hours, working days, weekends, overtime, travel with the family, and employment requirements for the entire period (a year or several months).
Decide on the terms of the vacation in advance so that the nanny can plan her vacation.
2. Description of duties
You must clearly articulate the requirements for the nanny as to what you want her to do and spell it all out in the contract.
For example, take the child to the creche, prepare breakfast for him, put him to bed at 20:00, keep the children’s room clean, etc. However, do not forget that you are hiring a nanny, not a maid.
3. Setting rules and boundaries
This is your home, which means that the rules you set must be respected. Be sure to discuss and specify in the contract what you will not tolerate in your home.
In addition, your child must understand that the nanny will work according to her working hours and will not always be available, which means that the nanny’s personal time and space should not be violated during non-working hours.
What kind of work does a nanny do?
A nanny is a qualified professional who performs all duties related to childcare and can also help with household chores. Here are some of the duties that a nanny can perform:
Full child care (feeding, bathing, walking, changing clothes, if necessary, etc.).
- Accompanying the child to school or creche.
- Children’s room cleaning.
- Change of children’s bed linen.
- Providing emotional support to the child.
- Help prepare meals and put the baby to bed.
- Accompanying the child to clubs, sports sections, and children’s events.
- Helping to organize fun and appropriate learning for the child.
- Provide night care and supervision if parents work late or night shifts.
- Buying essentials for the child.
How to choose the perfect assistant
Make a list of requirements indicate in it the qualities and skills that are important to you in a nanny, as well as her duties in your home.
A nanny can be:
- Play partner: comes for a couple of hours to entertain the child
- Caregiver: sits with the child all day to play, teach and develop
- Au pair: looks after the child, prepares meals, and performs various household chores
A nanny can teach a child not only basic but also additional skills in which she herself is well versed, for example, English.
Finding a nanny who meets all of these characteristics—especially if there are a lot of them, may not be easy.
Therefore, it is better to rank the requirements in the list according to their importance: it will be possible to refuse not very important qualities or skills at the selection stage.
You can look for a nanny in professional agencies, on the recommendations of friends, or on services with ads.
It’s really possible to quickly find a nanny that suits your requirements at Smart Helper Center, more than 10,000 candidates are looking for work on the service in South Africa.
