A nanny for a baby should have her own hands-on experience with infants, know paediatric CPR and have shown a criminal records extract. Those are the three requirements. The rest is about meeting at home first, letting her see how you do feeding, sleep and comforting, and starting with short sessions while you stay close by.
It is ten o'clock on a Wednesday in a flat in Hammarby sjöstad. The baby is five months old, has just fallen asleep after the morning feed, and mum has a dentist appointment in forty minutes that she has already rebooked twice. That is a typical first session for a baby's nanny: short, in the daytime, with a parent back before the next feed. Here is how to choose the person who will take those sessions, and what she needs to know.
What a nanny for a baby needs
A teenager from next door can be perfect for a four-year-old. For a baby, that is not enough. This is what you should require, both from an agency and from someone you find yourself:
- Her own experience with infants. Not just with children in general. She should have fed, changed, carried and settled babies before, ideally over longer periods, not a single evening.
- Paediatric CPR with an infant section. The technique is different from CPR on older children: two fingers on the chest, less air in the breaths. Ask to see a certificate or ask a few check questions.
- A criminal records extract. The nanny orders it herself from Polisen (the Swedish police) and shows it to you. It is free and normally takes a couple of weeks.
- Knowledge of safe sleep. On the back, in their own cot or baby nest as BVC (the child health clinic every family is enrolled in) advises, no loose blankets or pillows, not too warm. She should be able to say this without you asking.
- Calm. A baby who screams for twenty minutes is hard going. The person needs to be able to stay in it without getting stressed or taking it personally.
- References from other families with a baby. Ring them. Ask how the nanny handled an evening when nothing worked.
From what age does it work?
There is no rule. Some parents have a nanny in the very first weeks so they can sleep for a few hours, and some wait until the child is one. What changes with age is not whether it works, but how you set it up.
| Age | What usually works | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 months | Short daytime sessions, ideally while a parent sleeps or gets things done at home | Feeds often, sleeps irregularly. The nanny needs infant experience and clear instructions |
| 3 to 6 months | Sessions of two to four hours between two feeds. A walk in the pram, settling in their own cot | Expressed milk or formula in a bottle needs to be established beforehand |
| 6 to 12 months | Half days and evening sessions. Food, playing on the floor, bedtime | Separation anxiety often starts around eight months. The same nanny every time makes a big difference |
| From 12 months | Full days, förskola (municipal preschool) pick-up, evenings | The child can start actively liking the nanny. Routines matter more than age |
Feeding: breastfeeding, expressed milk and formula
The most common obstacle to having a nanny for a baby is the feeding, not the nanny. If you are exclusively breastfeeding and the baby has never taken a bottle, try the bottle yourselves a week before the first session. Some babies take it straight away, others refuse for three days and then accept it from someone other than mum. That is not a failure, it is common. The alternative is to place the sessions between two feeds: if the baby feeds every three hours you have two and a half hours, which is enough for lunch out or a doctor's appointment.
If you use formula it is simpler. Write down the amount, how to prepare it and what temperature the baby likes. Show where the bottles are and how you clean them. A nanny with infant experience knows all this, but every family does things slightly differently, and she wants to do it your way.
Sleep and comfort: what the nanny needs to know
Write down how the baby usually falls asleep: on the back in their own cot, in the pram, with a dummy, with a particular song. Say what usually helps when it is not working: a baby carrier, a walk, a darker room, less stimulation. Say what does not help too, it saves the nanny twenty minutes of trying. The most important thing is that she puts the baby down on the back, without loose blankets and in a room that is not too warm, and that she checks on the baby regularly.
Be honest about what the baby is like. If there is a screaming phase between six and eight every evening, say so. The nanny will not be put off, she will be prepared. What actually unsettles a nanny is discovering an hour into the session that nothing works and not knowing whether that is normal.
How to do the first time
- Meet at home first. The nanny comes round for a while when you are there, holds the baby, changes a nappy, sees how you do things. With us a meeting like that is always included, free of charge, before you decide.
- Keep the first session short and in the daytime. One to two hours while you stay nearby. Go to the café round the corner, not to dinner on the other side of town.
- Leave a note. Last feed, last nappy, when the baby last slept, your phone number, the BVC number and 1177 (the national healthcare helpline). Put it on the kitchen table.
- Leave when you said you would. Hovering in the hall for ten minutes makes it harder for everyone, the baby included.
- Ask for a report. How did the feed go, did the baby sleep, how long did it take to settle. Next time will be better because she knows more.
And yes, it is hard to leave a baby the first time, even for two hours, even when you trust the person. It passes, usually by the second time.
What does a nanny for a baby cost?
With us a nanny for a baby costs the same as for older children: from 165 kr per hour after RUT (the Swedish tax deduction for household services, taken off the invoice directly), depending on how many hours a week you book. One-off sessions cost 199 kr per hour after RUT. The RUT deduction covers childcare in the home for children up to the age of twelve, and we take it off the invoice directly. If you want a nanny with particularly long infant experience or a specific language, we work that out at the first meeting. The full price list is on the prices page.
How it works with our families
Sanna has a family in Bromma with a baby who was four months old when she started. The first two sessions were an hour each, with mum at home in another room. The third time the parents went out for lunch. Now, eight months later, Sanna comes every Thursday at twelve, takes the baby in the pram to Judarskogen, gives lunch and puts the baby down for a nap. The note she leaves has three things on it: when the baby ate, how long the baby slept and whether anything was different. It is the same nanny every time, and that is why it works: the baby recognises her voice in the hall.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home, and we will work out a price for your hours.
Read more: The first time with a babysitter · Newborn · Paediatric CPR · Prices
Frequently asked questions
From what age can a baby have a nanny?
There is no lower limit. Many families start when the baby is three to four months old and breastfeeds or takes a bottle at reasonably fixed times. What matters is that the nanny has infant experience and that you start with short sessions while you are at home or close by.
Can the nanny look after a breastfed baby?
Yes, with expressed milk in a bottle or cup. Try the bottle yourselves a few days beforehand, so that it is not new on the same day the nanny is. If you are exclusively breastfeeding you can place the sessions between two feeds; two to three hours goes a long way.
What should a nanny for a baby know?
Paediatric CPR for infants, safe sleep on the back in their own cot, how to change, feed and comfort without getting stressed, and how to read a baby who is tired rather than hungry. She should also ask you, not guess, when she is unsure.
How much does a nanny for a baby cost?
The same as for older children: from 165 kr per hour after the RUT deduction, depending on how many hours a week you book. One and two children cost the same. If you want a nanny with particularly long infant experience, we work that out at the first meeting.