Tips for Ensuring a Nanny is Properly Taking Care of the Kids

There will be times where we aren’t always at home to take care of the kids because we are busy at work or we go to a lot of business meetings in other cities or countries. During these situations, we would often ask our closest relatives or family members to keep watch for our kids. However, there are also instances where our relatives are not available, so the best way to get our children proper care is to hire a nanny, also called a babysitter.

The primary responsibility of the nanny is to ensure that the kids of those that hire them would eat, sleep, bathe, and go to school properly without any hiccups along the way. However, their responsibilities are also extended to making sure that the house is still clean and tidy while the parents are away. However, there are some good nannies and not-so-good ones, so it is always important to know which person to hire as a babysitter for your children. To help you in picking and monitoring nannies, here are tips for ensuring a nanny is properly taking care of the kids.

What to Look for in a Nanny

Good nannies would have similar qualities that can immediately be seen or noticed after a few days of babysitting. Before you leave for a long business trip, you can already hire a nanny for three to five days while you are still able to go home every night. Through this so-called “trial period,” you will be able to monitor how the nanny is doing when it really comes to taking care of the kids and your home. Here are some signs that will tell you if the nanny is for keeps.

Has Good Communication Skills

A good nanny is someone who will communicate well with the parents and the children. With good communication skills, a great nanny will be able to properly take care of a child by knowing what to say once the child gets aggressive or unruly.

Honest 

Honesty is rare, as it is much easier to lie and just hide several things that can be detrimental in one’s career or life. However, a good nanny is always honest and would tell everything that happened in the house every day. If your kid bumps his or her head on a wall, the nanny will immediately tell you about it without hesitation. No matter how great a nanny is, there will still be situations that she cannot control since “kids will be kids.”

Cleanly

One of the greatest qualities that a nanny should have is being cleanly, as she will be mindful of the cleanliness or tidiness of the house every day. A nanny that is cleanly will make sure that your home will remain clean and tidy even if you are not around. Having a clean home can also be safer for children, as they won’t step or slip on anything that may cause accidents or injuries.

Always Prepared

A good nanny is a nanny that is always prepared for whatever happens every day. If the food stock in the pantry is depleted, a nanny should be prepared to buy groceries for the house. In addition, if a child gets a wound, the nanny should have a first aid kit to give immediate care for the kid. In whatever situation, a great nanny will have solutions to most problems.

Responsible

The most important trait that a nanny should have is being responsible, which means that she knows what she must do to give the best service to the family that hired her. A good nanny won’t forget specific tasks and will always try to do them on time. Furthermore, the nanny is also responsible when it comes to making sure that the grades of your children in school are consistent by helping them with their homework or teaching them about subjects or topics that they are struggling with.

How to Make Sure You Hired the Right Nanny

babysitter taking care of kids

Choosing a nanny to hire can be challenging, as babysitters would have different personalities and attitudes that may not be compatible with your family. But, once you finally find a suitable nanny, you would still need to make sure that they are really taking care of the kids. Here are some tips to know if the nanny is doing her responsibilities properly.

Do a “Trial Period”

As we have mentioned earlier, it is sometimes essential for you to do a “trial period” for the nanny by hiring her just a few days before you go on a business trip or an event where you can’t come home for a while. In this trial period, you will see how the nanny performs her different duties, particularly in taking care of the kids. This period is a great gauge to see if the nanny is truly a professional in her job.

Install a “Nanny Cam”

To make sure that you will still see your children even if you are away, you can install a “nanny cam” in their bedroom, which would let you monitor what is happening to your kids while they are playing, studying, or sleeping in the room. If there are unfortunate incidents with the nanny, you will immediately know and will be given a chance to call someone who can check on your child. Besides a nanny cam, installing several CCTV cameras in different parts of your home can widen your view of the house.

Talk to Your Kids

Another great way to know if the nanny is responsible or good at her job is if your children love her. If there are instances where a nanny hurts them, you should always talk to them even if you are far away so that you will know about those particular instances. But, if the children love their nanny, this means that the nanny communicates well with them and doesn’t hurt them. The love that a child can give to their nanny is quite rare, so if ever your kids adore their nanny, then you found the perfect nanny for your family.

Choosing and hiring the best and most suitable nanny is crucial in making sure that the children are well taken care of when you are away from them. You should remember that the nanny serves as a second parent and potential role model for our kids, so picking a responsible and kind-hearted nanny is essential.