How Does A Professional Nanny Differ From A Babysitter

There is a tendency among many to confuse the terms nanny and babysitter. It is best in everyone’s interest to know the differences between the two people who care for children in the absence of their parents.

Here are some of the differences between a professional nanny and a babysitter:

When they are employed:

A nanny is employed when the parents have demanding jobs are not able to devote to the day-to-day needs of their children. Employed to take care of children when the parents are unavailable, they may work during prescribed weekends or evenings, or every weekday. She is the exclusive caregiver when the parents are not available.

A babysitter is employed by parents whenever needed like a special planned outing for a few hours and not on a daily or indefinite basis. If one babysitter is not available a parent could easily contact another one to take care of the kids.

Schedule:  

A Professional nanny works full-time or part-time with only one family and the duties and hours are set and agreed upon in an employment.

Babysitters may work for multiple families and are employed as the need arises to help families with childcare during date-nights, weekends, or short periods of time while the parents run errands or attend to other commitments.

Experience: 

Most professional nannies have at least 5 years of childcare experience out of which at least 3 years or more are of full-time nanny experience.

Babysitter is an entry level job and in some cases, a professional nanny may have begun their work in the childcare field as a babysitter.

Education:

A professional nanny may hold a college degree in child development, early childhood education or another related field and would be certified in first aid and CPR. Some may have a teaching credential or a master’s degree in education, or an area of expertise such as human behavior or psychology. 

There is no set standard for level of education of a babysitter.

Disciplining:

Most nannies are given the permission by parents to discipline the children when they misbehave; they may also be responsible for planning activities on an ongoing basis.

A babysitter participates in activities only when they are with the children; parents are also stricter with a babysitter in terms of discipline, daily routine, and meal planning.

Job Duties:

 
Professional nannies are responsible for providing a safe, secure, engaging and nurturing environment for the children in their care. Their additional responsibilities may include organization of the children’s rooms, activities, transportation, meals, hygiene, crafts, educational exercises, transportation, meals, hygiene, scheduling, and travel. A professional nanny works cohesively with parents, teachers, doctors and specialists.

On the contrary a babysitter is also responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for children, with their responsibilities being limited to the time spent with the children in their care.

Long Term Career Goals: 

A professional nanny chooses it as a long term career; they are active members of the nanny community and may join professional associations or attend events and conferences to remain fresh in the field.

Childcare is not the ultimate career goal of babysitters and they indulge in babysitting mostly as a means to support themselves through school or while they actively pursue other areas of interest.

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