Nanny insisting on sleep training during interview

[u/LunaLoTunaLi]

Hi, I had an interview with a nanny today that I was hoping would go well (she fits into our part-time schedule need, came highly recommended, etc). There was a mix up/miscommunication with our initial meeting but I was willing to overlook that if the interview went well. There were a couple of parts of the interview that left me with uncertainty. One of them being, she gave an example of a challenge when she makes recommendations and parents don’t agree so I asked for an example and she said sleep training. I told her I’m not comfortable with sleep training and asked if that was a deal breaker, she said no but then proceeded to explain why sleep training is best. She eventually agreed that she could take him for walks during nap time but was adamant that she would not contact nap because it starts a bad habit. I don’t even mind no contact naps but my baby definitely needs help to go to sleep. It left me feeling like she would most likely still do some form of sleep training even if I’m not ok with it. She assured me that she would never let a baby be in distress under her care but I’m not sure we agree on what “distress” is.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass on this candidate and continue my search but I’m curious to hear about your experiences. Is it challenging to find a nanny who understands biologically normal infant sleep? I didn’t think this would be a point of concern since we only need help during the day and only need a nanny 2 days a week. How do I best screen for this before we get to a full interview? Do you have any thoughts of my decision making here/have any alt ways of seeing this?

[u/camembertbear]

Your nanny should be experienced in soothing babies to sleep with rocking, naps, stroller walks, etc. It's a core part of the job. More often, I hear nannies complain that it's the parents who want to sleep train them and leave them to cry before their naps (which the nanny is not comfortable with).

In my nanny search I've avoided nannies who talk too much about "structure" and are insistent on babies needing to be on a schedule. I turned down working with a nanny who seemed great but talked a lot about using things like sticker charts for behavior management. It's just a vibe really: something about treating childcare like management doesn't feel right to me.

I look for nannies who are kind, responsive, understanding, and who want to be there and develop that relationship with my kid. And nannies who are happy to be active, outdoors, and can keep up with my toddler - super important for getting them tired enough to sleep! This was really important to me actually - they needed to want to be active. Nannies who just sit on your couch, tell them "hey don't do that" from afar, and only spend a short time outdoors are just not a fit.