August 6, 2010, Newsletter Issue #229: Hiring A Nanny - The Right Way

Tip of the Week

If you’re thinking about hiring a nanny for the first time, give some thought to the strengths you’re looking for. Do you need someone creative and funny to entertain the kids, someone strict and no-nonsense, or a nanny with a personality that falls within these two spectrums? Don’t rush into hiring a nanny. Take your time to find a good fit for your family’s needs. Unless you already have someone in mind, maybe on a reference from a good friend, your first point of contact is going to be through an ad or an online profile. In fact, online sites like nannies4hire have a great reputation and offer you the chance to narrow down your choices based on whether you want to hire a nanny full-time, part-time, live-in, live-out, etc.

Another great thing about sites like this is that it’s free to look. Consider it a lot like window shopping. You can scan a limited number of profiles to get a sense of who you might want to contact. To get contact information on any of the nannies, you then have to subscribe as a member. The level of services you get depends on whether you choose a premier, platinum, or gold subscription. What’s the difference? Basically, the more you spend, the more you get. For $299 you get 99 days of service including comprehensive background checks. By the way…background checks are a good idea and if you’ve never done them before, it might be worth it to you to have the pros handle the details.

Finding the perfect nanny is like finding a hidden treasure, just make sure you’re hunting for quality, not fool’s gold.

About LifeTips

Now one of the top on-line publishers in the world, LifeTips offers tips to millions of monthly visitors. Our mission mission is to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Expert writers earn dough for what they know. And exclusive sponsors in each niche topic help us make-it-all happen.