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Is it time to hire a nanny?

BY JENNIFER COHEN | McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS • Published February 26, 2009

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SuperNanny seems to be too busy to take your calls, and you need in-home child care. Where to start?

Several experts in the field offer advice for finding a modern-day Mary Poppins or a suitable alternative. Their tips also can apply to your search for the occasional baby sitter. The experts suggest breaking down the process into three areas:

Finding candidates for the job

Interviewing and screening

Sealing the deal

First, a job description

Figure out what your needs are: Live in or live out? How many days/hours a week? Will the nanny be expected to drive your kids to and from school and after-school activities? What about housekeeping?

Define the characteristics — personality, education and experience — you want. Consider issues such as would you hire a smoker or someone of a different religion? And decide how much you can offer to pay.

Wendy Sachs, co-president of the International Nanny Association, said the pay should reflect the nanny’s background and experience as well as the workload.

Where to look

Start with word of mouth. Chat with other moms about their caregivers and whether they might be free on the days you need help. Check with friends whose kids are starting school; they might be freeing up a great nanny.

Sometimes nannies know other nannies who are looking for work.

You also can post your job description on a local moms’ forum, to seek recommendations from other moms.

(Warning: Don’t jeopardize friendships by becoming a nanny poacher — that is, luring her away from another family by making a better offer.)

You also can try a professional nanny placement agency. Most work with experienced child care providers, do thorough background checks and can usually find someone quickly. But they aren’t cheap: Fees can run into the thousands.

Then, there’s the Internet.

Besides classified ads on newspaper Web sites and Craigslist, there also are Web sites that allow you to post nanny or baby-sitting jobs and search a database of child-care givers looking for work.