Your questions, answered

Maternity nurses are trained to look after newborn babies and work on a temporary basis whereas nannies tend to look after children aged from 3 months upwards. Maternity nurses provide 24-hour care and are therefore always live-in. Their bookings can vary from 6 weeks to 6 months and in some cases even longer. Maternity nurses are also self-employed unlike nannies who are employed by families.

Nannies work fewer hours than maternity nurses and their contracts are usually for a minimum of one year. They work between 10 to 12 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Nannies do not usually do night duties but they will babysit twice a week if necessary. They can work on a live-out (daily) as well as live-in basis.

Please note that we only recruit candidates with at least 5 years experience within private households.

A nanny is a childcare professional who specialises in looking after children in their own home. Professional nannies will create a safe, stimulating and happy environment for the children to grow up in. Most of our nannies will hold a British Diploma in childcare and will have at least 5 years experience as a nanny.

Nanny’s duties are limited to childcare duties only. This includes nursery duties, i.e. all aspects of childcare such as overseeing all daily activities, playgroups, organising playdates, supervising homework, preparing children’s meals, bathing, keeping children’s rooms tidy, children’s laundry and any other childcare duties there may be. The main focus is on nursery duties for the children as the nanny is not involved in any other household tasks.

When it comes to choosing the right nanny, there is no such thing as asking too many questions. It is vital that you feel it is the right ‘match’ with the nanny, and you give yourself time to find out as much about her as possible. From experience, we know that the feeling will be intuitive.

We’ve written a guide to interviewing candidates here.

A daily nanny (also referred to as a live-out nanny) is a nanny who has her own accommodation and comes to the family home on a daily basis. During the day she performs all of her childcare duties but goes back to her own accommodation in the evenings. Sometimes, she can be asked to babysit or travel with the family but this is not often the case.

A live-in nanny is provided with her own room and bathroom or separate nanny flat by the family. They can be asked to babysit and travel with the family.

Both live-in and live-out nannies have the same childcare duties. Duties include nursery duties, i.e. all aspects of childcare such as overseeing all daily activities, playgroups, organising play dates, supervising homework, preparing children’s meals, bathing, keeping children’s rooms tidy, children’s laundry and any other childcare duties there may be. In addition of this, the main focus may be on age-appropriate language teaching.

• NNEB qualification (National Nursery Examination Board)/CACHE Diploma in Childcare & Education

• BTEC Nursery Nursing Diploma

• NVQ (National Vocational Qualification)

• NAMCW Diploma (National Association of Maternal and Child Welfare)

• Qualification from three private colleges – Norland, Chiltern and Princess Christian College (all students sit the NNEB and NVQ Diploma)

It is also possible for nannies to hold qualifications in similar related fields such as teaching, paediatric nursing or child psychology.

• A personal interview is conducted by one of our consultants via FaceTime or Zoom.

• We check the identity of each candidate against their driving licence or passport.

• The reasons for any gaps in their employment history.

• We ask for the certificate of qualification.

• We require a valid DBS and their first aid certificate.

• We require at least two written references to confirm their competence and suitability.

All our maternity nurses are highly experienced and have extensive knowledge working with babies in the home setting.

The maternity nurse shall provide the mother with postnatal care, parenting advice, guidance and hands-on support. She will establish a routine to suit the baby and the parents.

The maternity nurse will be in charge of the baby’s development, taking the baby for walks and other activities agreed with the parents, keeping clothes, bedding and areas used for baby care tidy, keeping a daily diary of information on diet, sleep and any other important information (illness, etc.) and report to parents on a daily basis.

The maternity nurse will also support you if you are planning on breastfeeding your baby or if you are bottle feeding and will be able to offer advice and take on responsibility for sterilising and making up the bottles for feeds.

Typically, a maternity nurse is on call for 24 hours a day either 5 or 6 days per week and is entitled to at least 3-4 hours off during these 24 hours.

The maternity nurse’s main responsibility and priority is the baby and she is not responsible for siblings.

We’ve written more on different terms for maternity nurses, and what the subtle differences are, here.

A maternity nurse is there to help you with your baby once you have left the hospital. At Nannies Incorporated, we understand that you will be tired and despite having unconditional love for your baby, you may be unsure of how to handle the challenges of looking after a newborn.

The maternity nurse will be with you every step of the way to help and reassure you so that you can build your confidence in looking after your baby. She will help establish a routine that will suit the baby and the parent’s needs.

We’ve written more on this, here.

A maternity nurse is self-employed and works on a freelance basis. The salary of a maternity nurse can vary depending on her experience, whether she is looking after a single baby or twins and where the position is based. The following salaries are a guideline only for placements in the UK:

24-hour rate for a single baby: £250+ - £280+

24-hour rate for multiple births: £320 - £350

Nannies Incorporated will carefully select a maternity nurse to suit your needs. We will recommend you to invite her to your home for a personal interview, however, most of the time, the interview will be conducted via Zoom or FaceTime.

Please note, our maternity nurses get booked up in advance. We would encourage you to register your search as early as possible in your pregnancy. Clients tend to contact us 4-6 months prior to their due date. We do advise you make your decision as quickly as possible after the interview to avoid missing out on your chosen candidate.

In normal circumstances, the maternity nurse should arrive the day before you leave the hospital. She will organise the nursery, so everything is ready for the baby’s arrival at home.

Most of the time, the maternity nurse will show some flexibility around the start date.