A nanny is defined as "a child's nurse". The traditional nanny was a servant in a great household and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, although many families employ part-time babysitters, fulltime nannies in the classic sense can only be afforded by upper-middle to upper class families. A nanny may perform tasks such as:

• Providing childcare during the hours agreed upon with the employing family
• Supporting the physical, social, emotional, creative, and intellectual development of children
• Protecting children from harm and ensuring that they have a safe environment
• Preparing appetizing and nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks
• Maintaining good communication with the parents, informing them of each child's development and concerns
• Maintaining the cleanliness and neatness of the house as affected by the children

Typically women in the 20 to 30 age bracket take up employment as nannies. Nannies typically earn low salaries.

Famous fictional nannies include:

• Mary Poppins
• Fran Fine, played by Fran Drescher in The Nanny
• The BBC television drama series, Nanny, starred Wendy Craig in the title role, and ran from 1981 to 1983
• Phoebe Figalily in the US sitcom Nanny and the Professor which starred Juliet Mills and Richard Long.

The word "nanny" normally connotes a woman (originating from a pet name for a grandmother or for a female carer), but male nannies do exist, though they often use a different name (childminder for example) for the job.

A governess, in contrast to a nanny, concentrates on teaching and training children.

See also

• au pair
• nanny state
• Net Nanny
• nursemaid
• chaperon
• wetnurse