Find a nanny: tips to find the right nanny for your family

What is a nanny?

A nanny is a professional carer who looks after children in the children’s own home.

Many parents like the idea of their child being cared for in their own home. You might also find that using a nanny:

is more flexible than other types of child care
reduces family stress when you’re leaving for work because your child is staying at home
saves money if you have more than one child
suits your hours of work better than other types of child care
is a good fit for children who have additional needs or do best with one-on-one care
works well in rural or remote areas, where other types of child care might not be available.

The right nanny for your family will:

be available when you need care
have child care experience, qualifications and references
be trustworthy and reliable
get along well with your child
get along well with you and fit in with your family.

Our article on employing a nanny covers how to write a job description, draw up an employment contract, and work out pay, insurance and superannuation.

How to find a nanny

You could start by asking other parents, your child’s educators or teachers, friends, family or neighbours whether they know someone suitable.

Nannies often advertise on noticeboards at child care centres, local schools, community centres, universities, libraries or local shops. You could also try looking in your local newspaper, on news websites or on online employment boards.

You could also use a formal employment agency to find a nanny. Agencies conduct police checks and do reference checks to make sure the people on their books are of good character.

It’s best to avoid using social media to look for a nanny because this can have safety risks.

The nanny’s availability and other practical issues

When you’re looking for a nanny, it’s important to be clear about what you need and want.

Here are things to consider:

Will you need a nanny during the working week, on weekends, in the evenings and/or on public holidays?
How stable are your hours? For example, do you work variable hours? How much notice can you give a nanny about changes to your hours?
Who might the hours suit? For example, will your hours suit a university student, or are they more suitable for someone with a part-time job who wants extra work?
What will the nanny’s duties be? For example, do you expect the nanny to focus on caring for your child or also to do other tasks like driving your child to activities, cooking, and cleaning for your family?
Where will the nanny live? For example, will the nanny live in your house? Will they live elsewhere but stay when you need overnight care?
Do you want a nanny who can work with your family long-term?

The nanny’s experience

To find a nanny who’s the right fit for your family, you could ask about experience. For example:

How long has the nanny worked in child care?
What kinds of situations and environments has the nanny worked in?
Has the nanny worked with other children the same age as your child?
How many children has the nanny worked with at the one time?
Does the nanny have experience working with children with similar needs to your child?

The nanny’s qualifications and references

All nannies should have a valid first aid certificate and working with children check. You might also want a nanny with qualifications in early childhood education and care.

You need to be able to trust your nanny. Ensure that your nanny supplies references from previous employers. Make sure you check them thoroughly.

Carefully checking a nanny’s experience, references and working with children check is part of protecting your child from emotional, physical and sexual abuse. It’s also a good idea to learn about signs of grooming.

The nanny’s rapport with your child and you

Warm and reliable relationships with trusted adults are important for your child’s development, so the right nanny for your family will be someone who gets along well with your child.

You can get a sense of whether a nanny will get along with your child by asking about how the nanny:

builds positive relationships with children
encourages learning and development through play and other activities.

The right nanny will also be someone who gets along well with you. They should:

communicate well with you and take on your feedback
respect your family’s cultural and social traditions
follow your family rules, routines and approach to guiding your child’s behaviour.

One way to get a sense of this is by sharing information about your child and family with the nanny and listening to how they respond. For example, you could let the nanny know who’s in your family, their role and what they should be called. Or you could talk about the cultural days and events that are important to you. The nanny should be keen to understand your family and adjust the way they do things to suit.

Speaking to the nanny’s previous employers will also help you assess these things.

Trial sessions with the nanny

Trial sessions can help you see whether you and your child will get on with the nanny. And trial sessions can help the nanny decide whether your situation will suit them.

Many agencies provide a nanny on a trial basis first. If you’re employing a nanny privately, you can set up a couple of trial sessions yourself. Remember to offer a payment for these trial sessions.

If you have a trial session, make time afterwards to talk with the nanny about the session. It’s good to discuss:

what went well
what would need to change for the situation to work
what information or resources you and the nanny need to make a final decision.

It’s also good to ask your child how they felt about the nanny. Or you could try saying something like, ‘The nanny is coming again tomorrow. How do you feel about that?’ Your child should feel safe with the people who are caring for them.

Sharing a nanny

Nanny-sharing is when families with similar needs share the one nanny. The nanny might care for all children at the same time, or split their time between the families.

You might already know a family interested in sharing with you from your workplace, neighbourhood or social circles. Otherwise, some agencies will help families connect. You could also search for nanny-sharing organisations online.

If you’re thinking about nanny-sharing, you might want to consider:

how many children in total you want a nanny to care for
how many children one nanny can take in a car, if this is relevant
how many children one nanny can safely take on outings like trips to the park
whether you prefer the other children to be around the same age as your child
where the care would take place – at your house, the other family’s house or a combination of both
how far you’re willing to travel if some of or all the care will be at the other family’s house.

Once you’ve found another family to share a nanny with, it’s a good idea to talk about your approaches to routines, rules, food, nutrition and so on. If you and the other family have any differences, it’s best to sort them out early. This can avoid stress for everyone.

You might be able to use the Australian Government’s In Home Care program to help with the cost of home-based child care by an educator who meets minimum qualification requirements. To be eligible for this program, you must be working non-standard or variable hours, be geographically isolated or have complex or challenging family needs.