You like someone but aren’t quite sure whether to hire her? The ideal solution is to have her come back for a second interview (the first with parents only, the second with parents and children).
If you do call somebody back for a second interview, it makes sense to have her spend an hour or so with your child in a relatively unsupervised setting. You may wander in and out of the room and observe their interaction, or watch how they get along when they’re together in your neighborhood playground.

Asking the nanny to come back for a second interview may help assure you that you’re making the right decision, but it could well be seen by the childcare applicant as an imposition (it does cost her time and money). So if you do call someone back for a second or third interview, a good faith gesture on your part might be to reimburse her for her expenses and pay her for her time. The best policy is to pay an applicant the same hourly rate as she would get if she were working for you.

Don’t rush into a decision you’re not completely comfortable with. But remember, somebody who’s really good might be snapped up by someone else while you’re straddling the fence.
People who have previously hired in-home childcare workers often have a more specific job description in mind than those who are hiring for the first time. These experienced childcare employers may, therefore, be more decisive, finding it easier to interview and easier to make a decision than families hiring caregivers for the first time.

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