10 Interview Questions to Ask a Nanny Candidate
The best nanny interview questions ask for specific examples and reveal how a candidate thinks about safety, child development, communication, boundaries, and professional responsibility. Ask every serious candidate the same core questions so you can compare answers fairly, then verify training, references, and employment history separately.
A polished personality is not enough. You are trying to understand how this person will make decisions when you are not in the room.
1. Tell me about a difficult childcare situation you handled. What did you do?
This question tests judgment and self-awareness.
Listen for a specific situation, what the nanny noticed, what they did, how they kept the child safe, and how they communicated with the parents.
Be cautious when every story makes the candidate the hero and everyone else the problem.
2. How do you respond when a child has the same difficult behavior repeatedly?
This tests whether the candidate looks for patterns rather than only reacting in the moment.
A thoughtful answer may mention age, transitions, hunger, fatigue, sensory needs, communication, expectations, consistency, and what happens before and after the behavior.
You are not looking for one “correct” discipline method. You are looking for a reasoned, developmentally appropriate process that can align with your family’s approach.
3. What would you do if you disagreed with our approach to discipline or routines?
Professional nannies need both judgment and boundaries.
A strong answer usually includes following the family’s agreed approach when it is safe and appropriate, asking questions, and raising concerns privately rather than undermining parents in front of the child.
If the nanny believes a request is unsafe, they should be able to say so clearly.
4. If you care for an infant, what safe-sleep practices do you follow?
For an infant position, this is a basic safety question.
Current American Academy of Pediatrics guidance includes placing babies on their backs for sleep and using a firm, flat sleep surface intended for infant sleep, without loose bedding or soft objects in the sleep space.
A candidate should be willing to follow current safe-sleep guidance and the family’s pediatric instructions rather than relying on outdated habits.
Families can review the AAP’s safe-sleep guidance.
5. What experience and training do you have with children this age?
Ask for both experience and education.
Someone can have many years of childcare experience without having worked extensively with your child’s age group. Another candidate may have strong age-specific training but less paid experience.
Listen for specific knowledge of routines, development, activities, supervision, and common challenges at the age you are hiring for.
The Institute’s nanny training programs are organized progressively and include age-specific education beginning at the Intermediate level.
6. How do you communicate with parents during and after the day?
Professional communication should be predictable.
Ask what the nanny would report immediately, what can wait until the daily handoff, and how they prefer to document meals, sleep, medication, accidents, activities, or notable behavior when relevant.
The best system is the one both sides agree to use consistently.
7. What current certifications, training, or professional credentials do you hold?
Ask the candidate to name the organization that issued each qualification and what it covered.
Current CPR and First Aid are important safety qualifications. A US Nanny Institute certification documents completed childcare education and comes with an official transcript. A professional-association credential may verify additional requirements such as experience and background screening.
Do not treat any single credential as proof of overall suitability. Verify the document and evaluate it alongside experience and references.
Learn more about accredited nanny training.
8. How would you follow our child’s allergy or emergency action plan?
This question is safer and more useful than asking a candidate to improvise medical treatment.
A strong answer should center on following the child’s written plan, recognizing the signs the family has discussed, using prescribed emergency medication only as instructed and trained, contacting emergency services when the plan requires it, and notifying the parents promptly.
If your child has a medical condition, provide condition-specific training and written instructions before the nanny works independently.
9. What does a good working relationship with a family look like to you?
This is a compatibility question.
Listen for communication, mutual respect, clear responsibilities, professional boundaries, feedback, reliability, and a shared focus on the children.
Then compare the answer with what your household actually expects. A good nanny can still be a poor fit for a particular family if expectations are incompatible.
10. What would your previous employers say are your strengths and areas for growth?
This invites a more useful answer than “What are your weaknesses?”
Listen for self-awareness and specifics.
Then contact the references and ask similar questions. The purpose is not to catch the nanny in a mistake. It is to see whether the overall picture is consistent.
What should parents listen for in nanny interview answers?
Strong answers are usually specific, realistic, and easy to verify.
Look for:
- examples instead of slogans;
- age-appropriate expectations;
- safety awareness;
- willingness to communicate concerns;
- respect for family preferences and professional boundaries;
- clear limits on what the candidate does not know;
- consistency with the resume and references; and
- questions about your children and the job.
A candidate who says “I would need to check the written plan” can be demonstrating better judgment than someone who confidently guesses.
How do trained nanny candidates answer differently?
Training can give a candidate a framework and vocabulary for explaining why they make a particular childcare decision.
That may show up when they discuss development, safe sleep, positive guidance, communication, activities, nutrition, or emergencies.
Training does not make every graduate a good fit, and experience alone should not be dismissed. The most useful question is whether the candidate can connect knowledge with real situations.
The Institute’s Professional Childcare program includes child development, safety, communication, behavior, disability and inclusion, household management, and other topics relevant to professional nanny work.
What should happen after the nanny interview?
Do not make the interview carry the entire hiring decision.
A complete process should also include:
- verification of employment history;
- professional reference calls;
- verification of training and current CPR and First Aid;
- appropriate background screening;
- clarification of duties and schedule;
- a written work agreement; and
- a paid trial or transition period when appropriate.
The Institute’s Red Flags When Hiring a Nanny article can help you interpret information that does not line up.
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