The ideal nanny for a baby: basic requirements, rules for choosing and responsibilities of a home teacher

What is she - a nanny for a baby? This question is asked to themselves and to other mothers who maintain a high pace of life. Many modern women strive to combine raising a child with a career, but in such a situation, one cannot do without an assistant.

Before looking for service personnel, you need to think about what qualities a nanny should have. Usually, applicants are considered with their children or women who have experience caring for newborn babies.

The ideal "Mary Poppins" must have an idea of the developmental features of babies, the mode of falling asleep and wakefulness, and feeding. A big plus is knowledge of the basics of caring for such young children. In general, there are many requirements for a specialist.

But, even knowing these basic requirements, every mother still asks numerous questions: how to choose a nanny for an infant? What should you pay attention to? Where to look for a governess and how to build a relationship with her? See below for answers.

Babysitter for an infant: the main types of assistants

Of course, each professional has his or her own working style and teaching skills. However, the experts on working with home staff were able to combine all applicants for vacancies for nannies into several types:

Medical nanny

Profile medical specialization is a huge plus for domestic staff. Medical or nursing skills are especially useful for caring for a newborn child, since it is during this age period that sterility, first aid skills, etc.

The advantages of such candidates:

high accuracy;
discipline (you can not be afraid of missing drugs);
the possibility of providing additional services (massage, injection procedures);
most medical nannies don't mind night shifts.

Minuses:

provide only care, not upbringing (however, this drawback is controversial, since there will be enough care in the first half of the year);
as soon as the child gets used to it, you will have to look for a new home teacher.

In infancy, it is the emphasis on physical health and care rather than adherence to educational methods that plays a critical role. Therefore, a nanny for a newborn with a medical education will come in handy here.

Nanny-grandmother

Another option is retired women, and not necessarily working as doctors or educators. The main thing is that they have the desire and ability to mess with children.

The main advantage is great life experience, raising your own children and grandchildren. In addition, many nannies-grandmothers approach caring for someone else's baby with all their hearts, and do not perceive such work solely as earnings.

Pros:

great life experience;
patience;
love for children;
usually reasonable cost of services.

Minuses:

old methods of upbringing (however, in the first year of life, this shortcoming is irrelevant);
age-related slowness and sluggishness;
there are frequent remarks towards parents.

An elderly nanny is a tribute to traditions, because from time immemorial it was precisely such “Arina Rodionovna” who followed the kids. In addition, many older nannies have free time, so they can sit with the baby all day and even linger if necessary.

Student nanny

Such a governess is still more suitable for older children, but if there are no other options, then a girl who is a student of a psychological, pedagogical or medical university can also sit with an infant.

Pros:

availability of services;
nanny activity;
nannies are full of enthusiasm and creative ideas that will help her to interest and captivate the child.

Minuses:

lack of experience in caring for a newborn baby;
the difficulty of combining work and study schedules;
not too serious about work.

First of all, it should be understood that such candidates, with rare exceptions, are not very responsible for part-time jobs. Also, due to inexperience, caring for an infant will be imperfect (except for girls from families with younger brothers and sisters).

Perhaps this is the least preferred option among all possible. However, when the child grows up, the student nanny will become a good tutor or accompanying person for visiting museums, exhibitions and other cultural institutions.

Professional nanny

Such specialists are precisely the professionals in the field of child care and development. Most often these are women from 40 years old with a pedagogical or medical education, who have extensive experience working with infants.

Pros:

professionalism;
reliability;
the ability to swaddle, feed the baby;
knowledge of techniques for the development of babies;
the ability to build relationships with employers.

Disadvantages:

rather high cost of services.

In general, for children under one year old, a middle-aged nanny with a medical education and experience in working with young children is most suitable. Ideally, she should listen to the wishes of the parents, and not be guided by her own ideas about caring for the child.

Where to look for a nanny?

It is not so easy to select domestic staff, because you want to find the perfect employee, especially if we are talking about a very small child. To find the best candidate, experts recommend using several sources:

Recommendations of friends. One of the best options for finding a baby sitter. It involves contacting friends who have already had experience using the services of a professional nanny. If her friends recommend her as a valuable collaborator, you can arrange for an interview.
Agency services. This method is considered one of the most reliable, since candidates usually have medical records, recommendations from past jobs. Also, agency employees will screen out unsuitable nannies in advance. Naturally, you will have to pay for the services of the exchange.
Announcement in the newspaper. A very simple and fairly inexpensive method of finding home staff. However, at present, few people use it, since print media have lost their former popularity. In addition, the option is unreliable in terms of the selection of a responsible employee.
The Internet. An increasingly popular method of finding a nanny for an infant. In the worldwide network there are many special sites specializing in the selection of governesses. There you can find detailed application forms, read reviews from past employers.

The question of where to choose a nanny for a baby is really important. The most optimal options are an agency and word of mouth. It is also worth taking note of Internet portals. And yet it should be remembered that this is just the first step in finding a nanny. A personal meeting is much more important.

How to choose a nanny for a baby?

When planning to hire a nanny for a child, it is necessary to collect the maximum amount of information about her, since there are no trifles in such a question. For example, a governess addicted to cigarettes and alcohol will not automatically be suitable for looking after a child of any age.

To prevent possible negative situations, you should use several rules that will allow you to choose the most suitable candidate:

Be sure to ask the candidate for a passport. If she does not have official documents, such a woman cannot be trusted under any circumstances.
Demand and recommendations from previous jobs. It is not always possible to verify the veracity of the reviews, so in this case, the agency representatives have advantages.
It is imperative to make sure in the presence of a medical book and the relevance of all examinations and vaccinations. If you are in doubt, you can suggest additional tests. However, in this case, such study will take place at your expense.
Make sure that the nanny has a medical or pedagogical education (what is important in your case). It will be a big plus if the nurse knows how to massage or give injections. Possession of developmental methods in this age period is not so important.
Babysitter for a baby must be able to properly change diapers, swaddle, bathe and know how to feed children of this age. This can and should be verified in practice.
It is also important to take into account the peculiarities of the governess's behavior. She should be cultured, calm, reserved and polite. Rudeness, lack of education, incorrect pronunciation of words is unacceptable. This behavior can affect the development of the child.
Neat appearance - one more prerequisite. However, you should also pay attention to the fact that the nanny does not use cosmetics (due to fear of allergies), does not wear bracelets, rings (they can scratch the child).

Such advice will help you to find a really experienced nanny who will not only follow the baby, but also be able to prevent the occurrence of unforeseen situations.

How to conduct an interview?

Direct conversation with applicants is the most important stage in the selection of a nanny for a child. First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the documents, if possible, call previous employers, and you also need to get answers to a large number of necessary questions.

They should be drawn up in advance, with special emphasis on the most significant nuances. It is better to write down the questions on a piece of paper so as not to miss something important. An indicative list of key points is provided below.

Work experience

Experience in caring for infants is very important when hiring a nanny. It is necessary to ask about this first of all, because explanations like “I raised two of my children, so I am convinced that I can handle it” will not work.

The applicant can be asked the following questions:

How experienced are you with communicating and caring for infants?
Why are you working as a nanny?
What is your past experience as a nurse?
What did you do in your previous job?
Why did you leave your previous employer?
How did you and your child get used to each other?
What is the most difficult thing for you personally in caring for a child?
What do you want to know about my baby?
Do you have references from previous employers?

Personal information

Questions about your personal life also need to be asked. Naturally, it is not worth delving too deeply into the intimate sphere, but a general idea of a person should be formed.

The most common personal questions are:

How old are you?
Are you married?
Where did you study?
Do you have children? How old are they?
What is their place of work (if they are already adults)?
Who will look after your children while you are working (if the children are still young)?
What do you like to do?
How religious are you? Do you visit the temple?
How do you spend your weekend?

Health of the candidate

A nanny for an infant is the third most important person, of course, after mom and dad. Therefore, the problem of the health of candidates is extremely important, since babies are extremely susceptible to various bacterial and viral infections.

Mom should definitely ask the following:

Do you have a medical record?
How long have you visited the fluorography office?
Do you have chronic illnesses? What kind?
Can you walk outside with your child long enough in winter?
Can you take your baby in your arms?
Do you smoke? Alcohol abuse?
Will you do additional tests at my request?

Possible difficulties

Unfortunately, some difficulties in the process of caring for a child cannot be avoided. That is why it is important to check with the candidates for the position in advance to what extent they are ready for non-standard situations.

Be sure to check with the applicants for the following:

Can you sometimes delay by prior arrangement?
Are you ready to work Saturday and Sunday?
Can you come with us to the dacha?
What will you do if I stay longer than the agreed time?
Wouldn't it embarrass you if I work at home, not far from the child?

Emergency situations

No family can do without force majeure when raising a baby of infancy. They can also arise while the child is with a babysitter, which is why it is imperative to ask how ready she is for unforeseen situations.

You can ask the woman what her actions will be if the child:

choke;
falls off the chair;
will lose consciousness;
will lie with an elevated temperature;
hit by the head;
crying all the time;
stopped breathing;
got a burn;
swallowed a foreign object.

Tricky questions

In addition, the mother can ask some controversial questions that will help to understand how the applicant for the position is ready for force majeure or just understands the issues of caring for the baby.

For example, you might ask your nanny the following:

For what reason can a baby cry? An experienced nanny will name at least 4-6 probable reasons: a tummy ache, wants to eat or drink, he is hot or cold, uncomfortable, bored, his diaper is wet, etc.;
Do you agree to install a video camera? Usually, if a woman has nothing to hide, she agrees to video surveillance. However, it is important to understand that it is imperative to warn the applicant about these plans;
If the weather is bad outside, will you go for a walk, as we agreed, or make an independent decision? It is important to understand how a woman is capable of independent actions. Blind adherence to prescriptions is not always good;
What do you think is the ideal child? A question like this will help you understand how the nanny deals with unexpected situations. It is good if a woman dreams of seeing her baby healthy, active and curious. But if the applicant wants to see the baby obedient and calm, you should be on your guard.

During the interview, it is imperative to touch upon the issue of payment. It is necessary to clarify what the nanny estimates the hour of her work. It's also worth learning how to better pay for your work: daily, weekly, or monthly.

All these important points must be recorded in the job description and contract. The last document is important because it insures all participants in the process against disputable situations. By the way, the main duties of the nanny should be included in the contract.

The responsibilities of a nanny

Once a nanny for an infant has been selected, she needs to be familiarized with the range of duties and functions performed. They follow from a certain work schedule: full day, 5 - 6 hours a day, 2 - 3 days a week.

It is also necessary to clarify whether the nanny will perform other activities besides direct childcare. For example, a nurse can additionally clean the nursery, wash baby clothes, prepare food for the baby.

The most approximate list of duties of a nanny for caring for a newborn child may look like this:

feeding the baby (it can be subject to a strict schedule or take place on demand);
cooking or reheating ready-made food;
walks in the yard (in a nearby park) for a total duration of at least 2 - 4 hours a day;
regular diaper change;
washing the baby, using baby powders and ointments;
washing and sterilizing bottles;
swaddling a baby;
dressing the baby in accordance with the temperature conditions of the room;
play activities in accordance with age;
medical care, which may include massage treatments, gymnastic exercises, medication, clinic visits;
listening to music;
cleaning the children's room;
keeping a diary.

In addition to the above list of responsibilities, some parents can add to the functions of a nanny to teach swimming, the development of a child according to a special method. Naturally, all this must be discussed in advance and included in the employment contract.

Through the mouth of a baby

Recruiting specialists recommend, first of all, to invite the candidates home and observe how she communicates with a potential pupil.

If the nanny first goes to the bathroom to wash her hands, and only then comes to the newborn, this is very good. Otherwise, you shouldn't even introduce her to a baby.

The next moment - it is necessary to see how the nanny interacts with the baby: did she manage to establish contact with the baby, does she confidently hold him, rock him, give him a smile, does she kiss him, etc.

An experienced nanny understands without prompting that even a newborn needs to be communicated. If the applicant thinks that conversations with such a small child are unnecessary, then her interaction will be mechanical, and this can harm the baby.

The final decision should be made after the nanny is alone with the child. At first, a quarter of an hour will be enough, during which mom will be in the next room.

If at this moment the child cries when he sees a stranger, do not rush to calm him down - on the contrary, observe the woman's behavior. If she calls you for help, we can conclude that she will not cope with the baby without your presence.

As a conclusion

There are many rules for choosing a nanny for an infant. There is one more important condition - whether you feel trust in this nanny. Such a subjective feeling sometimes arises at the first glance at a person.

However, this does not mean that you do not need to look through recommendations, study information about education, work experience. Consider the following points:

work experience of the applicant - it is very important for a woman to work with newborn children before, since the methods of raising babies and preschoolers differ significantly;
age - a subjective parameter, since some young girls sometimes behave more thoughtfully than older women. Experts consider the optimal age to be between 35 and 50 years;
education - the ideal applicant is the woman who has a medical diploma or pedagogical education with completed courses in first aid for children;
recommendation - feedback from previous employers will help to understand how a woman is coping with her duties;
restraint and accuracy - these are not all the personal qualities that a nanny should have for an infant, it is important to decide what is most important for you;
stress resistance - it is important to understand how a woman is able to adequately respond to unexpected situations and possible difficulties;
duties - the list of functions should be discussed in great detail. Payment will depend on this, among other things.

Thus, the selection of a nanny for a newborn child must be approached very carefully and responsibly. It is important that not only you, but also the ward himself like it.

Of course, not a single nanny, even the most experienced one, is capable of replacing a baby's mother, but a properly selected professional can make the process of raising a baby convenient and safe, which, in fact, is what the parents want.