Nanny Interview Questions the Club Actually Asks

The best nanny interview questions ask for real examples, not opinions. “Tell me about a time a baby wouldn’t nap” beats “Are you patient?”, because anyone can say yes to the second. The club’s list below is grouped into six areas: experience, a typical day, safety and emergencies, discipline and screens, communication, and the terms of the job. Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order, take notes, and compare them that evening while it’s fresh. Pick around fifteen that matter most to your family; a full list is too long for a single interview.

The same approach made our daycare tour questions useful: a fixed list asked the same way is what makes candidates comparable.

Experience

1. How long have you worked with children, and with babies this age in particular?
2. Tell me about your last nanny job. How old were the children, and what did a day look like?
3. Why did that job end?
4. What’s the youngest baby you’ve cared for on your own, all day?
5. Have you cared for more than one child at a time? How did you manage two different schedules?
6. Do you have infant CPR and first-aid training? When was it last renewed?
7. What do you enjoy most about this age, and what do you find hardest?

Listen for: specific children, specific ages and a clear reason the last job ended (the children started school, or the family moved). Vague answers on question 3 deserve a follow-up.

A typical day

8. Walk me through how you’d spend a full day with a baby this age, from arrival to handover.
9. How do you get a baby down for a nap? What do you do if they won’t settle?
10. How do you handle a baby who wants to be held all day?
11. How do you feel about following a feeding and nap schedule that we set, even if you’d do it differently?
12. What would you do on a rainy day when you can’t go out?
13. What activities do you like to do with babies? With toddlers?

Listen for: a willingness to follow your routine. A good nanny will have views; the question is whether they’ll tell you, or quietly do it their own way.

Safety and emergencies

14. How do you put a baby down to sleep? Where, in what position, and what goes in the crib?
15. What would you do if the baby had a high temperature and you couldn’t reach us?
16. Tell me about an emergency or injury you’ve handled. What happened, and what did you do?
17. How do you keep a crawling baby safe in a home that isn’t fully baby-proofed?
18. Are you comfortable giving medicine only with our written instructions?
19. If you drive, how do you check a car seat is fitted correctly?

Listen for: on question 14, an answer that matches the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep guide. That means the baby on their back “for all naps & at night”, on a firm, flat surface, with soft objects and loose bedding kept out of the sleep area. Anyone who mentions blankets, pillows or bumpers in the crib needs a clear conversation before you go further. On question 15, you want a plan: call 911 in an emergency, otherwise call the pediatrician’s number you left, and keep trying you. “Wait and see” is the wrong answer. Whoever you hire, leave an emergency info sheet where they can find it.

Discipline, screens and the rules

20. How do you handle a toddler having a tantrum?
21. What would you do if a child hit another child?
22. What’s your view on screen time for babies and toddlers?
23. If we asked you to handle something differently from how you usually do, how would you want us to tell you?
24. Is there anything you wouldn’t be willing to do as part of the job?

Listen for: calm, specific strategies, and no physical punishment of any kind. That is a dealbreaker answer, not a difference of style.

Communication

25. How do you like to update parents during the day: messages, photos, a written log?
26. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a parent you worked for. How did you handle it?
27. How would you tell us something we might not want to hear, such as a concern about the baby’s development?
28. How much notice do you give if you’re sick or running late?

Listen for: an example on question 26 where they raised the issue directly and stayed professional.

The job itself

29. Can you work these exact days and hours, starting on this date?
30. How flexible are you if we’re occasionally late?
31. What hourly rate are you looking for, gross?
32. Are you comfortable being paid through payroll, with taxes withheld?
33. Do you have a valid driver’s license, and are you comfortable driving the children?
34. Do you have any vacations already planned this year?
35. How long are you hoping to stay in this job?

These questions also make the conversation about a nanny contract much easier later, because nothing in it will come as a surprise.

Three “what would you do” scenarios

Ask a few hypotheticals near the end. They show how a candidate thinks under pressure:

• “The baby has been crying for an hour and nothing is working. What do you do?”
• “You’re at the park and the baby’s diaper bag has been left at home. What now?”
• “A neighbor drops by and asks to come in to see the baby. What do you say?”

There’s no single right answer. You’re listening for calm, common sense and a habit of checking in with you.

Questions the club skips

Out of courtesy, the club doesn’t ask candidates about their plans to have children, their relationship status, their religion or their age. None of it tells you whether someone is a good nanny, and it can make a good candidate uncomfortable. Ask about the job instead: availability, experience and how they work.

After the interview

Shortlist two or three candidates, then move on to a paid trial day and reference calls. The full sequence is in the club’s guide to how to find a nanny. An interview tells you what someone says they’ll do. The trial day shows you what they actually do.

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FAQ: nanny interview questions

How many questions should I ask in a nanny interview?

Around fifteen to twenty, chosen from the list for what matters most to your family. That fits in about an hour and leaves time for the candidate’s own questions.

Should my baby be at the nanny interview?

For part of it, yes. How a candidate greets, holds and talks to your baby tells you a lot. Keep the paperwork questions for when the baby is asleep or with your partner.

What are red flags in a nanny interview?

Vague answers about past jobs, unsafe sleep practices, any mention of physical punishment, reluctance to follow your routine, and resistance to being paid through payroll or to giving references.

What questions will a nanny ask me?

Expect questions about the hours, pay, duties, paid time off, whether you’ll use cameras, and how you handle discipline. A candidate who asks good questions is usually a good sign.

Should I interview more than one nanny?

Yes. Even if the first candidate seems perfect, a second and third interview give you something to compare against.