The nannies who take care of a baby can be of various categories, – full time-stay in nanny, part-time nannies working for a few days of a week, or day nannies working for 10-11 hours every day. Whichever category the child care provider may belong to, the challenge lies in choosing the perfect nanny with whom your baby feels secure and also falls fit to the qualities you are looking for.

To know whether to hire a nanny or not, read – Nanny – To Hire or not to Hire

However, in many unfortunate cases, the mothers don’t find a reliable nanny and thus don’t feel safe to leave her kid with that person.

So, how to go about choosing ‘The Perfect Nanny’? She won’t come down magically like Mary Poppins when desired by the kids in the story. We need to look for and that is really a task. Here, I am sharing a few tips to keep in mind while searching a nanny. These tips worked for me while I was looking for ‘the perfect one’.

• Call the hiring agency and specify the qualities of the nanny you are looking for – should have clean habits, should be able to handle baby-related chores alongside taking a close watch on the whereabouts of the baby.
• Always prefer a middle-aged nanny – in her mid-30s or early 40s. They tend to be more efficient and responsible (tried and tested personally).
• The nanny should know how to read and write (basics would do). Ideally, if the nanny is literate, you can ask them to recite a few rhymes, show pictures or read stories to your baby and thus a gradual introduction of your baby with the books would happen smoothly.
• While hiring, please check how your kid is behaving around the lady whom you are hiring as a nanny. If he or she looks happy and secure, hire her, for, kids can sense danger earlier than us, elders. I would like to share my personal experience here, – I had hired a nanny after my baby’s first nanny left due to her illness. So, when I introduced her to my then 6 month old baby, she started crying instantly. She stopped momentarily when consoled by me only to start crying again when the lady took her in her lap. I kept a close watch and then discovered that the lady’s manners are shady and secretive apart from being unclean. As I sent her away, my baby returned to her cheerful self.
• Don’t allow the nanny to decide anything related to the baby alone. Allow her to participate while you are deciding, but you should be the final decision taker as at the end of the day, you are the mother.
• Hiring a nanny doesn’t mean she has to handle everything related to the baby. Co-operate when needed. Step in as and when your baby wants you near him or her. Peaceful co-existence goes a long way when you are hiring a nanny for a long term, say till the kid is two years old.

P.S: We don’t mean to unacknowledge the labour of the mothers who have chosen to do all the baby duties single-handed. Our salute to them. This article is for the mothers who undergo a tough time as well as depression of going under the burden of raising a kid alone. Let us not be judgemental. Let us be empathetic, instead. Happy parenthood!!

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