Does Everything About Nanny Check Out?

When Laura first hired a nanny to care for her toddler and infant, she was pressed for time. The woman she hired was a referral from her previous nanny. Because she was in a hurry and thought it was a temporary situation, she rushed into it. Yet the longer that Laura and her nanny, Angie, worked together, the more Laura began to feel unsure about her. It was nothing she could put her finger on, but it drove her to start asking questions.

Recognizing that it might be challenging to get two children up the hallway stair to her apartment at the same time, Laura asked how Angie managed to do it. Angie innocently told her that she took the toddler up to the top of the stair, left her there unattended or restrained in any way, then went back down to fetch the other child.

Laura and her husband were shocked. How could someone who seemed so nice and experienced have such a lapse in judgment? Suddenly Laura realized that, in her haste, she hadn't asked for or checked references. Luckily for this family, no one was hurt. But it points to one of the most important things to consider in hiring a nanny: checking & verifying references.

After running a traditional nanny agency for more than 10 years, we have discovered that checking references is the single most important thing you can do — even more so than running a nanny background check. Here are some things to consider:

• Look for things that don't match up.
  Have the nanny fill out the application from your Nanny Success Kit(included with Gold and Platinum memberships) so you can gather basic information about her work experience, then compare that information to what you hear from her references. Ask both the nanny and her previous employers why she left her last job.

• Be a skeptic!
  Embrace your judgmental side, especially if something feels even slightly wrong.

• Use your head, not your heart.
  If you have a spouse or partner, one of you should do the initial phone interview and the other should check the references. That way, when reference-checking you won't be hampered by emotions.

• Get them talking.
  Instead of asking a previous employer a yes/no question ("Is she concerned with safety?"), phrase it so that you can get as much information as possible ("How was she with safety issues?").

• Do a nanny background check.
  Finally, to really put your mind at ease, do a criminal background check on nannies that you are seriously considering. The background check is included in Platinum memberships, and can be purchased for $49 by those with Gold and Free memberships.