Are you thinking of hiring a nanny or child career for your family, but you’re not sure what type of services they can provide? Hiring nannies are a very common prospect in Australia, for any type of family for an array of needs. Continue reading for some clarification on professional nanny services and what they can provide for you and your family.

Nannies Melbourne is created by Early Childcare Educators who believe that quality in home Nanny services is advantageous to children, as opposed to a one size fits all approach offered in early childcare centres. Our aim is to create a community of caregivers and families all seeking to have their lives enhanced.

What is a nanny and what do they do?

A nanny is hired by a family to help with childcare and supervising the children when parents are away from the home. They are a professional carer who help to look after your children, while also providing fun and educational activities that contribute to your child’s early learning and development.

There are different types of schedules that nannies can be hired for, this includes hiring a part-time nanny, a full-time nanny, or a live-in nanny or au pair. It’s important for both parties to respect the type of schedule the family and the nanny want and need to adhere to, and have an open dialogue about what needs and services can be fulfilled / provided.

What’s the difference between a nanny and a babysitter?

A nanny differs slightly from a babysitter in regards to their schedule and level of responsibility. The key difference between a babysitter and a nanny is that a babysitter provides short-term childcare on an ad-hoc basis, while a nanny has a more long-term and frequent schedule.

Babysitters will be there to supervise a child when their parents are away, but it’s usually for a short period of time, for example, if a parent has a social engagement to attend for a few hours, or they need a someone to pick up and supervise the children between the end of school and when the parents arrive home from work.

What are the duties and responsibilities of nannies?

Nannies can take on a range of responsibilities depending what you need from them; their care hours can vary as well. Some of these responsibilities include:

A Professional Nannies Services to provide professional care for children, anything outside of this, such as running errands or doing housework, needs to be discussed and negotiated and will need to be considered in the pay rate for a nanny.

A nanny usually works conventional hours, during the day throughout the week and on weekends. If you need to be away from your children overnight because you work shift work or have other commitments, then you will need to negotiate a schedule and proper pay for your nanny.

As long as you’re clear about your expectations and needs with your nanny when you first hire them, then you should not run into any trouble. Remember that a respectful relationship between you and your nanny is a mutual one.

Overall, a good nanny is reliable, trustworthy and great with children. They should be able to be in charge and supervise children when their parents are not around, this can include some light discipline and being able to implement tasks and activities to and for the children. They are a long-term hire for and will usually become an integral part of the family unit.