Live-Out Nannies

What is a Live-Out Nanny?

A live-out nanny is a person who specializes in providing childcare for your family. Rather than living in your home as live-in nannies do, a live-out nanny comes to care for your child, mostly at your home, during set hours during the week. A live-out nanny provides emotional, social and intellectual support to your children. Her role includes all the aspects of caring for a child including play, companionship, activities, meals and clothing needs. Often, the household responsibilities of a live-out nanny are related to the care of children, but they can include the upkeep of a home in some instances. A live-out nanny should be at least 18 years of age and can have the relationship of an employee, member of the family or a good friend.

Four Reasons a Live-Out Nanny is an Ideal Childcare Provider

A live-out nanny isn’t the solution for every single family situation, but for many families, the live-out nanny is ideal. Here are four reasons why a live-out nanny is an ideal childcare provider.

1. A live-out nanny can be the ideal solution for allowing your child to maintain her routine in your home rather than going to day care.
2. A live-out nanny can be a good alternative to having a live-in nanny. You still have the flexibility of childcare that meets your hourly needs, but the freedom of not having a childcare provider in your home when you’re not at work.
3. A live-out nanny provides a consistent source of one-on-one childcare for your child.
4. A live-out nanny provides care for your child that can keep her from the germs and illnesses that frequent daycare situations.

Four Things You Should Get Out of the Nanny Interview

A nanny interview is prime time to garner as much information as you can about a nanny’s experience. The nanny interview is also a time you can get to know the candidate better. When you’re conducting the interview, keep focused on learning several key points. Here’s what you should keep in mind.

1. When conducting the nanny interview, remember you're gauging not whether this person is an excellent nanny, but whether she would fit in well in your household.
2. When asking questions about her experience, think about whether her experience is what you’re looking for and whether she seems knowledgeable about children in the age range of your own child.
3. Assess how reliable you think the nanny will be, how well you think she’ll interact with your child and whether you feel you trust her with your child’s care.
4. Gauge what the nanny’s interest in her career is and whether her future goals coincide with your needs.

Three Qualities Your Live-Out Nanny Should Exhibit

When you’re hiring a live-out nanny, one all-important part of the interview process is watching how she interacts with your child. Ideally, your live-out nanny should exhibit three qualities during the interview process.

1. Your live-out nanny should show a level of warmth. When she interacts with your child, she should show a genuine interest in your child.
2. Your live-out nanny should behave professionally. This means she should respect your role as the parent as well as engage with your child in an appropriate manner.
3. Your live-out nanny should be knowledgeable about the stage of your child. This means she should understand the needs and issues concerned with your two-year-old child versus your 6-month-old child.

Three Types of Experience Levels of Live-Out Nannies

Live-out nannies vary widely in the amount of experience and background they have. You can generally classify live-out nannies into three main categories:

• Nannies with babysitting experience: Nannies with babysitting experience tend to be younger nannies who have a few years of babysitting experience under their belts. These live-out nannies also include those childcare providers with daycare experience.
• Nannies with families: Nannies with families fall into the category of more mature, older nannies who often gained experience in childcare through raising their own children.
• Childcare professionals: The third category of live-out nannies includes those who are childcare professionals or specialists. These live-out nannies tend to have degrees in early childhood education or specialized nanny training.

Why Honesty is the Best Policy When Hiring Your Nanny

This is a simple notion, but one that some parents miss. When hiring your nanny, be honest. It's incredibly important to be forthcoming when describing the role of the nanny position, the duty requirements, the hours and living arrangements. This will be a way to ensure you hire the right nanny.

It’s not that parents intentionally distort the truth about the job requirements, but sometimes parents do end up painting a rosier picture of the nanny position in order to make it more attractive to a potential hire. When you’re hiring your nanny, be honest and you won’t have the problem of nannies who end up leaving the job because the person you’ve hired isn’t a good fit.