A parent who works part- or full-time may hire a nanny to stop by regularly to take care of their children. A parent may hire a babysitter only sporadically or for only a brief shift every week.
The exact expectations for nannies and sitters depends on the needs of the parents, but generally, nannies carry a bit more responsibility than sitters.
Parents may hire local teenagers to watch their children for an evening, and while they may hire the same sitter multiple times (if they can), families usually only hire one nanny.
Many parents hire teens they know to babysit, but if you don’t know any potential sitters well, or if your regular trusted sitter isn’t available to babysit, getting a sitter may come with a bit more risk than a vetted nanny. Sitters may not keep as close an eye on a child as a nanny, who is expected to interact with the kids on a more in-depth level than a sitter.
Parents may struggle to find a sitter at the last second, but because nannies work scheduled shifts, they are always on-hand when they are expected to be.
Some nannies even live with the families they work for and are effectively part of the family. Instead of a salary, they may receive free lodging and a regular stipend. Live-in nannies are more commonly referred to as au pairs. [5] X Research source
While it’s not always possible to use the same sitter over again, parents can lessen the stress of instructing new sitters each time by writing out a childcare guide detailing the children’s diets, bedtimes, particular needs, etc.
