nanny 

A nanny is a person who takes care of other people’s children. It’s similar to the job of babysitter except that a nanny usually lives in the home of the children who are cared for.

• Mary works as a nanny.
• She has been working as a nanny for the last ten years.
• Would you like to get a job as a nanny?

It’s popular among some people in the United States to hire a nanny who comes from another country and speaks a language other than English. Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic are among some of the languages that parents want their young children to hear and learn from a nanny.

Nannies usually take care of children younger than five. Some are hired to take care of infants.

Another name for a nanny is an au pair. Most au pairs working in the United States are young women.

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This page was first published on July 25, 2012. It was updated on March 14, 2015.