The right maternity nanny will be a Godsend, as they will eliminate your sleepless nights, provide a plethora of experience, and help you introduce the baby to a routine. Maternity nannies are very sought after so it’s good to start your search early and make sure you find a good fit.
What are maternity nannies and why are interview questions important?
Maternity nannies are either qualified and/or very experienced nannies with babies from newborn. They help you/ support you with the baby once he/she is born.
Maternity nannies come to your house and spend the first weeks or months of the baby’s life with you and the baby, teaching/ guiding/ directing you with the baby’s care and troubleshooting any problems that may arise. They normally work either 12h or 24h, either 5 or 6 days per week. They will only look after the baby so do make sure they are not a nanny for the other children, a chef, a housekeeper or a chauffeur, unless otherwise agreed by both parties from the beginning.
Maternity nannies get booked up in advance so if you want to get a great maternity nanny who ticks all your boxes, you have to start your search as early as possible during your pregnancy (advisable at least 3-6 months in advance).
Once you have decided on a few maternity nannies to interview, make sure you ask the right questions! These will help narrow down your selection and find the perfect maternity nanny.
The 10 Most Important Interview Questions to Ask a Maternity Nanny
- How much experience do you have with newborn babies/ premature babies/ babies with reflux/ babies with other conditions? First things first. You want to check this from the start to make sure the maternity nurse that you hire has plenty of experience with babies like yours and you don’t hire a complete novice.
- Will you be happy to take directions from me if my ideas will be different from yours from time to time? Again, a very important question, because some maternity nurses are stuck in their ways, so unless you want one who takes complete charge and you are happy with that, you need to make sure she is flexible and she will listen to the way you want things to be done etc.
- How much time would you need to have free every day and when would you like to take this? Make sure you discuss from the beginning start time, finishing time and breaks so there is no room for misunderstandings later on.
- Are you able to extend your booking if needed? Discuss this, in case you will want her to stay longer and find out from the beginning if she can. Otherwise you might want to consider someone else or just prepare yourself that the maternity nanny needs to finish on the date agreed.
- Do you require a deposit to confirm the booking and can you provide a contract that we can both read, agree to and sign? You have to be extremely careful about the terms and conditions that each maternity nurse has and make sure you are happy with everything before you sign.
- If I decide to breastfeed/ bottle feed, are you happy to help me and support me with the decision? You need to make sure that the maternity nanny is happy with either way you choose to feed your baby.
- What kind of routine do you believe in and how soon after the birth do you think we can start implementing this including the baby sleeping through the night? Double check if you and the maternity nurse are on the same page when it comes to routines/ sleep training etc.
- Are you happy to share a room with the baby? Make sure the maternity nurse is ok to share the room with the baby if you do not have a spare room.
- Are you happy to give the family some ‘alone time with the baby’/ ‘family time’? If this is what you and your family wants, make sure this is discussed from the beginning as otherwise it can be a bit awkward to have the maternity nanny around every time you want some alone time with your little bundle of joy.
- Discuss logistics such as providing her meals or maternity nurse cooks for herself, when she can have her day off etc. All these little details are important and if you discuss them from the beginning, you will make sure that both parties will be happy and be able to concentrate on the little one.
If you have more questions to add to this list or would like any clarification, feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to us. Best of luck with your maternity nanny search!
At Polo and Tweed, we understand how important it is to find the right maternity nanny for you, the baby, and the whole family. If you are looking for an amazing one, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will do all the work for you, letting you enjoy the last weeks of your pregnancy, and afterwards, the family life with a new baby.