It is also important to communicate with your nanny on a regular basis about her working environment. If there are problems both you and your nanny need to feel comfortable about discussing these concerns and working together to come up with workable solutions

My children are older now and when we had a nanny, surveillance cams where not popular.  To be honest, I would never have considered using one anyway. I have to admit that I have always had an office in my home so my level of confidence was obviously different from a parent who had to leave their children alone in their home with their nanny. I will also admit that I used to run around the park near our home in mid day to observe my nanny with my children (notice how I didn’t say spy)

Over the years as an agent my advice to employers (regarding this issue) has always been the same. “If you think you need a nanny cam to observe your nanny’s behavior than obviously trust is an issue and you shouldn’t employ that particular nanny”.

Are nanny cams just part of society’s transition to the ever dreaded big brother syndrome or are they a legitimate tool we can use to protect our children?

Instead of nanny cams I have suggested other ways to monitor your children’s safety when they are being cared for by your nanny

Surprise visits.
Obviously you don’t want to make a habit of this but if you are really concerned about your children drop by in the middle of the day and see how thing are going
Nanny overlap
Have your old nanny spend time with your new one. Obviously this will not be an entirely objective observation but your old caregiver may notice odd or disturbing behavior.
Talk to your children
If your children are old enough ask them about their day and how they feel about their nanny. Obviously if they don’t like her on a certain day because they have been justifiably disciplined you have to take their opinion in perspective.
Neighborhood watch
If you have neighbors who are at home during the day let them know if you have a new nanny and ask them to discreetly keep an eye out for unacceptable behavior in the back yard, or at the local park etc.

It is also a good idea to spend time with your nanny during the transition phase of her employment. As a parent, you may be able to pick up signs of disturbing behavior and it is a good idea to go with your instincts. As always, it is crucial to properly screen your nanny and check references thoroughly .Our agency also does criminal records checks and asks for a drivers abstract. Keep in mind that, although your nanny will be working without direct supervision, she is an employee with feelings and pride. Spying on her and scrutinizing her in a way that indicates you don’t trust her can erode the employment relationship. If you don’t trust your nanny for any reason and you cannot resolve the issue by discussing it, it may be time to look for a replacement

The successful candidate should have formal childcare training and/or many years of experience (several of which should be with multiples) They should also be very patient flexible, organized and have excellent communication skills.
Written and oral communication skills and organizational ability are some of the most important skills to access when screening a nanny to care for infant twins or triplets. One of the challenges when caring for multiples is developing and following an efficient routine. It is also important to maintain an inventory of supplies in various locations throughout the house. The caregiver must be very organized and capable of keeping a journal.
Triplets are usually born premature and may have some health issues. They may spend some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after birth. Because of this, it is often necessary to hire someone with a nursing background or extensive first aid training
As the children get older and more independent the job becomes a little easier. They play together and entertain themselves. Because they do everything at the same time and are at the same developmental stage it is easy for caregiver to plan activities throughout the day. Caring for twins or triplets is a lot of work no doubt about it, but it is also a lot fun!

If your nanny lacks certain skills that are teachable there is a possibility that, with an effort on their part and patience from your end, these problems may be dealt with. For example if your nanny is not a good cook and cooking is an important part of the job you may want to send her to cooking class. If, however, the problems stem from her personality or life style (as with non teachable issues) then it is less likely that you will have success.
Some issues like reliability, if address immediately, can improve with effort from the caregiver and good communication skills from the employer. But a nanny’s energy level and outlook on life is certainly more difficult to address as these are life style and personal issues that are often hard to change and may involve too much time and effort on behalf of the employer. After all your priority is to employ a nanny who is suitable for your family and can provide safe and engaging play for your children.
Common sense dictates that these issues should be addressed during the interview and screening stage of your nanny search but sometimes people can present very well in an interview yet their job performance is not in keeping with this original assessment. There are two ways to avoid this type of problem. The first is to be very diligent and thorough when checking references. Ask the previous employer specific questions with regard to areas that are very important to you. Ask about personality and how the nanny bonded with the children. Secondly, it is always wise to have the short listed candidate come back after the initial interview to spend time with the children. This will give you an opportunity to see them interact with your children in your home and view their response to her.
Unfortunately even with diligence and thoroughness there are often times when you realize the nanny you have hired is not right for your family. Though this may be a very stressful experience for both your family and your nanny it can also be a learning experience which will provide you with additional tools to recruit and screen applicants in the future.

These changes will also protect live in caregivers from exploitation by prohibiting employers from using employment agencies that charge caregivers fees for their services.

Families and Nannies do have other alternatives. There are websites that do provide the same service as most of these agencies. These sites charge less than $100. Canada Immigration does a thorough interview of each applicant so it is not necessary to pay an agency an exorbitant fee for this service.

The are also some challenges when employing a live in nanny that should be addressed.
1.Most live in nannies are on the “live in Caregiver program” which means you must apply to Service Canada so that the offer of employment can be assessed. This can be a time consuming and confusing process which involves approval from three government agencies. For more information regarding this process please go to

http://www.opti-mum.com/overseas-paperwork-processing.html

2.Although it is nice for your nanny to become a member of your family there are sometimes problematic issues with regard to privacy for both your family and your nanny. If you do not have private self-contained accommodation your nanny will be living in your home using your kitchen and coming and going on her time off. If is important to set some clear guidelines with regard to her having friends and family over to visit or stay in your home.

3.If your live in nanny is from another country she may get lonely and rack up an extensive phone bill. She may also lack a social life and may need assistance and guidance with regard to networking in the community to make contacts. It is a good ideas to hire someone who already has an established social life and/or supportive family near by and will not rely on you to solely provide this for her.
In both live in and live out arrangements the most important issue is two way communication before and during your nanny’s employment with your family. Clearly explain your family life style and house rules when you are making the employment offer. This will decrease the likelihood of misunderstanding and miscommunication and will ultimately lead to a more successful employment arrangement

Being underpaid.: This is one of the main reasons a nanny will start to look for employment elsewhere. Unfortunately they are often not confident enough to bring up their concerns regarding this matter. It is important to pay your nanny based on the market rate, their experience and education and the job description. If this does not happen she may feel under valued from the start and may be influenced by peer and family to look for other employment. It is also important to give your nanny pay raises, pay appropriately for over time and give bonuses to let them know you appreciate a job well done. •

Too Much Housework Sometimes employers will ask their nanny to do a great deal of housework. First off, it is important to remember that a nanny is not a housekeeper. She will engage in light housekeeping duties –like general tidy up, laundry, sweeping and simple meal prep. If you want to hire someone to do your housekeeping and take care of your children you can hire a nanny housekeeper. It is important to remember that even a nanny housekeeper cannot and should not be expected to do heavy housework if she has young children to care for and there is no time to do the housekeeping safely. If your children are older and in school, or if you have one child who sleeps a lot, there is time for housework. If you are a mom or dad at home and you will be taking care of the children for scheduled periods then housekeeping expectations are acceptable. In the nanny interview make sure the applicant has an opportunity to discuss what they are willing and not willing to do when it comes to homework. Tell her what your expectation are and when you would like this work to be done. Once your nanny or nanny housekeeper has started, make sure you have a clear job description and stick to it. We often receive complaints from nannies who say they are asked to do more and more housekeeping tasks that where not originally agreed upon.

No free time or privacy: When you have a live-in nanny, she will be living in your home but she will need her own time and privacy. It is important that you do not assume she is available to work beyond her work hours with little or no notice and without additional pay. Make sure you tell your children that your nanny’s living area is her private space and they should not be entering it unless they are invited. Your nanny needs her time off to rest and relax so she can come to work feeling refreshed and enthusiastic.

Communication Breakdown: It is extremely important to have open and honest two way communication with your nanny. If this does not occur small issues can become problematic very quickly. Make sure you are very clear with your nanny about what you expect with regard to this issue. Encourage them to come to you if they have a problem or concern. It is a good idea to keep a nanny journal. This allows both you and your nanny to communicate clearly and avoid sticky notes and forgotten verbal instruction. It is also important to have regular follow-up meetings with your nanny (when the children are not around.) These should happen daily and /or weekly in the first three months of employment. At the three month point it is a good idea to do a formal review. You can download a performance evaluation from our website. The evaluation focuses on areas the nanny is excelling and areas where some improvement is required. Keep the tone of this review positive and allow your nanny ample opportunity to give feedback and discuss their concerns.