Finding a Nanny or Daycare, Questions to Ask When Searching for Childcare

By Christie Collbran | September 14, 2020
Finding-a-nanny-or-daycare

Finding a nanny, daycare, or other childcare for your newborn baby can be a daunting task for parents looking to return to work.

Sometimes it is difficult to know just whom you can trust with your newest little addition. The key to finding quality childcare is asking the right questions and following up. Ensuring quality care definitely takes time but planning ahead can streamline your process.

When searching for a Nanny, Daycare or babysitter, there are definite qualifications one should be looking for. We recommend basing your search on what you’d look for in a Postpartum Doula. This should include:

  • CPR/AED certification
  • Newborn-specific training and experience
  • Clean background check
  • References
  • Any other special qualifications needed (i.e. if baby is medically fragile, someone who understands how to work with them)

We’re proud to say that all Buddha Belly Postpartum Doulas meet these requirements but we also believe this should be the bare minimum requirements of anyone who works with your family.

Daycare professionals should also meet these requirements and provide explanations of how they operate and keep the children in their care safe. We highly recommend touring the facility and asking lots of questions. Daycare providers are a bit different than nannies because they have more children to care for. Therefore, making sure they have appropriate safety measures in place is important.

Remember that because we are so plugged into the community, you can ask your Postpartum Doula or the owners of Buddha Belly for recommendations as well.

It’s important to make sure that your baby is in the safest environment with the safest caregivers. When searching for a daycare, a few questions you may want to ask are:

  • Do you know the AAP safe sleep guidelines? How do you ensure you’re following them?
  • What types of activities would my child be engaging in?
  • How often do you change diapers?
  • Are you comfortable with a formula fed/breastfed baby? What does preparing their bottles look like?

Nannies come with their own set of questions you may want to ask since the role of a nanny is a bit different than the role of a daycare. Before beginning your nanny search you may want to consider your expectations: do you expect the nanny to do light housework? How will you communicate with the nanny? Will they expect paid time off or sick leave? Because there are more factors to consider when finding and hiring a nanny, more questions need to be answered.

Remember that hiring a nanny means hiring a household employee and you’ll need to account for that in your taxes and record keeping.

We hope this gives you a few ideas to get you started finding a nanny or daycare that you love!

Posted in Family Life, Newborn Care, Parenting, Your Growing Baby

About Christie Collbran

Christie believes in helping women recognize their own inner wisdom, strength and power. Having served as President of the Tampa Bay Birth Network for six years and with ten years serving families as a birth doula, she has a reputation for leadership, dedication and compassion. A childbirth educator, certified lactation counselor as well as a certified doula, she makes a point of ensuring mothers and their partners understand all their birthing options and what to expect on their journey.> keep reading