Do Caregivers That are Parents Make Better Nannies?

The Controversy: Who Makes a Better Nanny?

A parent contacted me this week asking for advice about making a hiring decision between two qualified nanny candidates. It's a controversial problem that has plagued some of my nanny friends in their attempts to find nanny jobs in the past. The parent looking to hire a nanny asked me if she should hire the nanny candidate that is a mother herself or the nanny who isn't a parent with children. Although it's unethical (probably illegal) to make a hiring decision based on the fact that a job candidate is a parent or not, it happens in the nanny industry all the time.

What do you think? Do nannies that are parents make better nannies than caregivers who don't have children? Are parents who have experience raising their own children better qualified nannies than caregivers who have no children of their own? Or is it too difficult for nannies that are also parents to follow instructions from employers that have different parenting styles? Do the needs of the nanny's own children supercede the needs of her charges?

Are nannies without their own kids better suited for the job because they are not so set in their ways? Do nannies without children have less preconceptions of child-rearing and more willing to follow their employer's child-rearing rules? Do nannies without kids have more energy than the nanny with her own children? Are nannies that aren't parents more flexible employees because they are able to work more hours than nannies that are parents?

Or, does any of this matter at all? What is your opinion?