Interviewing a Maternity Nurse or Night Nanny

Have a list of questions ready. Tell her if you have any worries or concerns to see whether her opinions match with yours.Anastasia Baker

Once you have made the decision to hire a Maternity Nurse/ Night Nanny then it is important that you choose the right person for your family. The safest and best way to do this is to use a reputable agency.

The agency will have already carried out an initial interview, asking many in depth childcare questions, and they will have followed up lots of references. However, you should always follow up some references yourself since mothers are more likely to tell you things they are not prepared to write in a reference or even disclose to an agency. Qualifications will have been checked too, including an Enhanced CRB Disclosure and First Aid Certificate. They will also be able to advise you on employing a Maternity Nurse whose particular skills and personality will suit your family, making the whole process much smoother and avoiding you interviewing people who just don’t suit your needs.

A good Maternity Nurse/ Night Nanny may have a childcare qualification and will definitely have lots of experience working with babies. Naturally you would also expect the Maternity Nurse/ Night Nanny to have a genuine interest in children and their development. Qualifications and experience are very important, but it is also paramount that you go with your gut instinct, if something isn’t quite right then most likely the relationship wont work, so keep on looking until you find the perfect Maternity Nurse/ Night Nanny for you, as they will be with you at a very special and emotional time of your life.  To see some of our nannies click here

Have a list of questions ready. Ask about her views on routines, her breast/ bottle-feeding experience and about previous jobs. Tell her if you have any worries or concerns to see whether her opinions match with yours. If you are getting along well then talk about how you see her fitting in with your family, about food that she likes/ dislikes and how rest periods will work. You should also decide on a day off that suits you both. Make sure you give her time to ask any questions that she may have too. Feel free to write down notes as you talk to her, especially if you are interviewing a couple of ladies.

If you have other children and they are home then introduce them, although she will not be caring for them she will be interacting with them whilst in your home, and you will get a feel of how she is with children!

Remember again when making your decision to go with your instinct and the person that you clicked with!

About the Author

Anastasia Baker

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Anastasia Baker is the Founder and Director of the Night Nannies organisation. She runs the Central London Office. She is the mother of two children – Amelia and Alexander. She worked at the BBC for eight years as a television presenter on BBC News 24 and a reporter on the current affairs programme “Here and Now”. Anastasia carried on working at the BBC when her daughter was born but found she struggled to hold down a demanding job with motherhood. It was the birth of her son, that gave her the idea of setting up Night Nannies.

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