If only hiring a nanny were as easy as opening your door and having Super Nanny walk in and take charge. Of course, when it comes to Reality TV, the families are carefully chosen from among thousands of eager applicants. In the real world, however, you, the family, has to choose the nanny. Where to begin?

Nanny or Daycare?

Your first step would be deciding which option fits better for you and your family. Should you hire a nanny or send your children to daycare? One plus for daycare is the opportunity for your children to learn socialization. They may learn some social rules earlier, such as sharing. Another plus, which came out in a recent study by the National Institutes of Health, is that children in high-quality daycare before kindergarten had higher scores in vocabulary in the fifth grade.

The downside of daycare, which also came out in the same study, was the correlation between daycare and increased behavior problems later in school, although the report stated that both the increase in behavior problems and vocabulary was small.

For many people, there are other advantages to hiring a nanny over daycare:

• Health – infections in one child can be easily spread to the other children in daycare. At home with a nanny there is less exposure to other sick children.

• Personal Attention – children will receive more personal attention from a nanny than when in a daycare setting.

• Flexibility – hiring a nanny can be more suitable for parents who leave early or arrive home late and do not want their child to be shuffled from one caregiver to another. A nanny can also take care of a child who is ill whereas daycares often, for the health of other children, refuse care to children who are sick.

What to Look for in a Nanny

So you've made the decision that hiring a nanny is a better child-care solution for your child and family situation – now what? How do you go about finding a qualified nanny?

There are many places to look for a nanny, such as placing an ad in the classified section of the newspaper, referrals from friends, or an agency which specializes in nannies and other domestic workers. Going the agency route may be a bit more expensive, but agencies usually have a screening process in place and do their own background checks. If you choose to place an ad in the newspaper or use a referral from a friend, it's always wise to do your own background check.

Before interviewing prospective nannies, know exactly what type of services you are seeking. Do you want a live-in nanny, day-time nanny, full-time, part-time or on call? What is your budget? Will you want the nanny to clean the house, cook meals or transport your children to after-school activities or play dates? What other responsibilities are you looking for in a nanny? This can help when it comes time for the interview.

What Should You Ask?

When interviewing the prospective nanny do ask for the following:

1. References with contact numbers. In addition to personal references, ask for references from other families she's worked for.

2. Driver's license or other I.D. You want to know everything's current.

3. Any traffic tickets or accidents in her past? If driving your children to activities is important, you want to know her driving history. If she's using her own car you also want to know that it is in good working order.

4. Educational experience. Does she have any special training such as childhood education, cooking, etc.

5. Knowledge of first-aid. Many parents want a nanny who knows how to administer first aid such as CPR. You also want to know if the nanny knows how to tend to your children should they become sick.

6. What is her parenting style? What is her approach to behavior issues?

7. What type of activities will she engage the child in?

8. Ask about her least-pleasant experience as a nanny. If the situation sounds a lot like your family situation (perhaps the parents often worked late) then perhaps this isn't the nanny for you.

When you find someone you think has potential, do arrange a meeting between the prospective nanny and your children. Observe how they react to one another. Does the prospective nanny seem warm and natural to your children, or anxious and tense? Your observation is a great tool in selecting the right person to take care of your children.