Things to look out for when interviewing your confinement nanny

What to look out for when choosing a confinement nanny, other than her experience, knowledge and technical skills? Click on our gallery to find out what are some important considerations.

1. Genuine love for babies

Your confinement nanny must genuinely love babies. Not just the cute ones with dimples -- all babies. The colicky ones who never stop screaming, the ones who will pee on their clothes while bathing them, the ones who only wake up at the godforsaken hours of 3am.

Because, let's face it, you never know how difficult or easy your baby is going to be, and even the easiest of infants, can be stressful, and have their horror-inducing episodes. Your confinement nanny should love babies enough to do whatever needs to be done despite the various challenges, with a kind smile and a gentle touch.

So if your girlfriend has had a difficult baby but sings praises about her confinement nanny, you know you have struck gold.

2. Light sleeper

The primary reason most mums get a confinement nanny is so someone is on hand to take over the night feeds or tend to their needs at night. This gives the mother much-needed rest after the birth.

Of course, the confinement nanny needs to sleep too, but when the baby cries or expresses discomfort, it is important that she is able to detect these sounds and be ready to soothe them over.

Being a heavy sleeper is usually not a deal breaker in most job descriptions, but for this one, it sure is!

3. Communicates well

This is an important point if your confinement nanny is not a native Singaporean. Many confinement nannies get "imported" over from Malaysia, and while they are equally competent, the language barrier can be a real problem.

Some families are not able to speak Mandarin, but that is all the nanny can speak! Even if you and your nanny share the same language, sometimes the accent could be too heavy for easy comprehension.

This is an especially pertinent point if you get a nanny through an agent and have never actually spoken to her before, so do ensure you get at least a phone conversation with her beforehand.

4. Aligned core beliefs

While the confinement nanny is the 'expert' in caring for your newborn, you might have some pretty strong opinions about how certain things should be done as well. Don't be afraid to speak out -- this is your baby and if something makes you uncomfortable, make it known.

It is important to make preferences you feel strongly about made known to your nanny before you take her on. This is so she is agreeable and your preferences do not clash with her own set of beliefs and methodology.

5. Chemistry

This one is really quite iffy and intangible, but an important ingredient nevertheless. I have seen one girlfriend introduce her confinement nanny to another girlfriend, singing her praises to the heavens, but yet she can do nothing right when the other girlfriend takes over the employment. Chemistry is important in any relationship, and I think even more so for something as personal and emotionally-fraught as this job can be. It's the lubricant that helps in soothing over any tensions and heads off potential conflicts before they happen. When choosing a confinement nanny, go with your gut and choose one that you feel comfortable with. Have more than one conversation and interview, if possible.

A confinement nanny is truly a godsend, but choosing badly can add unnecessary tension, so do your homework and make sure you take these factors into consideration before you settle on one too.

What other considerations are important to you when choosing a good nanny? Share with us in the comments below.

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