Questions to ask a nanny: the 20 that actually matter

Start date and hours (ask these first)

A wonderful nanny who cannot start until December is of no use to you in November. Sort the logistics out before you spend an hour on anything else.

1. 1. When could you start, and what does your notice look like if you are working now?

   Listen for: A concrete date. Vague answers like “sometime next month” are how a start date slips twice.

2. 2. Which days and hours can you commit to each week?

   Listen for: Whether their availability covers your full day, including the 15 minutes before and after. Someone who says “until about 5” when you need 6 is telling you about week one.

3. 3. Are you looking for full-time or is this a fill-in while something else comes along?

   Listen for: Some candidates want exactly the hours you have; others are covering a gap. Both can work — you just want to know which one you are hiring.

4. 4. What is your commute like to our area?

   Listen for: Long commutes are the most common reason a good nanny leaves within two months. Ask it now, not then.

Infant experience

Caring for a baby is a different job from minding a school-age child. These questions separate the two.

1. 5. How old were the children in your last position, and what did a typical day look like?

   Listen for: Details. Someone who really did baby days can walk you through naps, feeds and the 4pm slump without pausing.

2. 6. Have you cared for a baby this young before?

   Listen for: If your baby is 3 months old, a candidate whose experience starts at age 2 is not disqualified — but you want them to say what they would need to learn.

3. 7. How do you get a baby down for a nap when they fight it?

   Listen for: Their actual routine. You are listening for patience and a method, not for agreement with yours.

4. 8. What would you do if the baby cries and nothing seems to help?

   Listen for: A good answer mentions checking the basics, staying calm, and calling you rather than getting frustrated. This one question does a lot of work.

How they work with a family

The nanny-parent relationship runs on communication. These questions surface how they actually operate.

1. 9. How do you like to communicate with the parents during the day?

   Listen for: Photos, a quick text at nap time, an update at pickup. You are matching styles, not looking for one right answer.

2. 10. Tell me about a disagreement with a past family. What happened?

   Listen for: Whether they can describe a real conflict without either blaming everything on the family or claiming it never happened.

3. 11. How would you handle it if you noticed the baby reaching a milestone during the day?

   Listen for: Small, but it opens the “your house, your rules, my job to support them” conversation early.

4. 12. What kinds of family situations would make you hand in your notice?

   Listen for: Their boundaries, stated plainly. It is fair to hear them before you hire.

Safety and the practical bits

These are not trick questions. You are confirming the basics that references will later confirm too.

1. 13. Are you CPR and first-aid certified for infants?

   Listen for: A yes with a date, or a willingness to get certified in the first month. Follow up on paper later — an interview answer is not a certificate.

2. 14. Do you drive, and would you be comfortable with school runs or errands?

   Listen for: Only matters if your role needs it. If yes, ask about their licence and record at the reference stage.

3. 15. Do you cook simple meals for children?

   Listen for: Again, match to your brief. A no is fine; a vague yes is the thing to probe.

4. 16. What are your salary expectations, and how did you arrive at that number?

   Listen for: Their reasoning tells you more than the figure. Nannies who know local rates and explain their experience are easier to negotiate with.

Trial and close

The last questions set up the paid trial day, which tells you more than any interview.

1. 17. Would you be open to a paid trial day before we commit?

   Listen for: Enthusiasm. A candidate who bristles at a paid trial is telling you something too.

2. 18. Can I call your two most recent employers?

   Listen for: A yes without hesitation is the answer you want. A “they are hard to reach” on every reference is a pattern.

3. 19. How do you feel about the housework that comes with a baby — bottles, the baby’s laundry, tidying the rooms you use?

   Listen for: Clarity about what “baby’s things only” means to each of you. Unclear expectations here cause more silent resentment than salary ever does.

4. 20. Is there anything you want to ask us?

   Listen for: Not a test — but the questions they ask (about your baby, your routine, your discipline views) show what they think matters.

The question the interview cannot answer

Interviews catch people having a good day. The paid trial day and the reference calls catch the ordinary Tuesday. Do both, and treat this list as the floor of your preparation, not the ceiling.

When replies start piling up from listing sites and parent groups, the harder problem is not the interview — it is deciding which twenty messages deserve one. That is the part Nannou takes over: paste each applicant's message and it scores the fit against your family's hours, start date and must-haves, then hands you the call order with questions like the ones above to ask each one.