A few weeks back I posted about my family’s search for a new after-school nanny. When our former nanny “A” took the gig last winter, she told us she could only commit to us thru the end of June. The Hubs & I were clearly in denial about it. We had hoped that we could convince her to stay on, but to no avail. Before we knew it, it was late May and we needed to find a new nanny pronto!
We had found “A” through our kidlets’ nursery/pre-school so she came to us already vetted by the school as required by our state’s childcare laws. We saw first-hand the great rapport she had with our kidlets in the classroom, so it was a no-brainer in hiring her.
When we put the word out with friends and family about our new nanny search it didn’t yield any promising leads. I was starting to get seriously stressed out about the whole situation. Where would we find someone with those same qualifications?
After talking to some of my work mom colleagues, we wound up joining one of those online sites that help you find experienced babysitters and nannies in your local area. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do and the quality of childcare providers we met through the process.
In our ad, we were able to get quite specific about our needs and level of experience we required. We also only opted to consider people who had detailed profiles and volunteered background/criminal checks, was CPR certified and multiple references. Within 24 hours of posting our nanny position, I had 10 submissions.
After weeding the list down through a round of phone interviews, we met with two candidates in person. “S” was a recent college graduate who wanted to take some time before entering the classroom to teach full-time. “K” was an older married SAHM of a teenage girl who loved to be around little children. Both lived within five minutes of our home and had glowing references from former families they worked for.
It was a tough decision, but the Hubs & I both agreed on “K.” From the moment she entered our home we felt at ease with her, like a family relative. Our daughter took to her right away, coloring a picture for her while the adults chatted. The biggest test though was our son. He tore himself away from watching a “Godzilla” movie not once, but twice to check her out. As soon as she was out the door the Hubs asked if it was too soon to call her on her cell and tell her she got the job!
We were able to have a week of “A” and “K” transition before “K” took the kidlets on all on her own. While it was sad to see “A” go – “K” has been nothing less than a NJ version of Mary Poppins!
She’s baked cookies and muffins for the kids, made a new game out chores around the house and come up with fun rainy-day games such as indoor bowling (using our old seltzer bottles and a rolled up sock, genius!). This week she’s taking them to the firehouse where her husband is a volunteer fireman and show them around and even let them sit in a firetruck! She’s a total rockstar to the kidlets. They listen to her and they already love her!
We’re also lucky that “K” is a great communicator. She’s a mom herself and knows about the need of knowing your child is okay and being well-taken care of. She calls me on the phone to discuss the kidlets routine and texts me updates on what she’s doing with them.
The Hubs and I say on a daily basis how lucky we are to have found “K” – it’s one less thing in life to be stressed about. Our kids are happy, healthy and well taken care of when we’re not able to be there with them. What else can a parent ask for?
Now it’s your turn to share. What’s your favorite thing about your babysitter or nanny?
The I Found Mary Poppins, Living in NJ! by The Harried Mom, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.