How did you find your nanny?

[Krisrich]

I have been happy with DD1's daycare but now that I have two I am thinking more and more seriously about going the nanny route, at least for a while. I have been trying the "word of mouth" thing but haven't gotten any leads. Can anyone recommend any agencies or on-line sources? TIA!

[TwinFoxes]

I don't have a nanny, but I've been searching for an occasional babysitter, and have been pretty happy with care.com. It's $30 I believe. I placed an ad, and got some good applicants (and one flake!)

[viba424]

We used Cittercity.com and got easily 65 applicants in 3-4 days. I went ahead with the paid subscription. One tip, if you sign up for the 7 day free trial, they give you a 10% off a year subscription offer. Thats what we did.

[mariza]

We used sittercity.com, went through about 4 flakes before we got a great one, and she actually contacted me as opposed tot he initial girls I contacted. It's frustrating finding a good candidate!

[mikeys_mom]

We used an agency. It was well worth the fee for me because they weeded out the candidates and I did not have to spend tons of time interviewing people.

[gatorsmom]

I used a couple of local agencies. I was very specific about what I wanted the nanny to be like. Then they sent me a few resumes. I asked to see the background checks and also requested to get extra references that I could call myself. I wanted to speak to at least 2 famiiies they worked for previously. Even if you only ask the families one question- "would you hire this person again if you needed a nanny again?"- their answer to that question says so much.

I also asked to personally review the results of the background checks the agencies conducted.

[maydaymommy]

I don't have a nanny, but I've been searching for an occasional babysitter, and have been pretty happy with care.com. It's $30 I believe. I placed an ad, and got some good applicants (and one flake!)

I had never heard of care.com until last week when I got a "robo-call" asking for an interview regarding a reference for my old babysitter (whom I adore, found her through sittercity.com, still devastated she moved).

Anyway, it was a pretty thorough for a computerized reference check!

[Momof3Labs]

We found ours on craigslist.

[sste]

We have an area parents' board with a discussion section focused on childcare. I looked for posts there from parents who were actively trying to place their nanny with a good family b/c they were moving/kids in school now - - it says alot if someone is personally trying to get their nanny another job.

[goldenpig]

I found our nanny on Craigslist (she posted an ad). She's been with us for over two years now. I interviewed her and called several references. You can also do background checks through Trustline and have her submit her DMV record. I paid for her to do a CPR class. I also asked her to do TB & hepatitis testing and get vaccinated for hep A & B and flu. Which reminds me, I should have her do the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine as well.

I would have gone with a nanny agency if I hadn't found someone on Craigslist, but their fees are pretty steep (probably a few thousand, depending on the nanny's hours/salary). They do all the background checks though which is nice. I have gone through an agency to get last-minute temp nannies on a few occasions (like when nanny's on vacation, or DD's sick and the nanny wasn't available).

The local mother's group is often a good way to find nannies too. Ours has an online forum and people post when their nannies are looking for a new job.

ETA: You didn't say where you live, but I found this book helpful. It talks about a lot of the issues to consider when hiring a nanny and has sample contracts which I used to write one up when I first hired our nanny.
Finding a Nanny for Your Child in the San Francisco Bay Area: A Step-By-Step Workbook with Local Resources in the 8 Bay Area Counties by Alyce Desrosiers
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Nanny-Child-Francisco-Step/dp/193007400X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269489463&sr=8-1