A nanny is defined as "a child's nurse". The traditional nanny was a domestic worker in a large household and reported directly to the lady of the house. Nannies were always female and this remained the case through the 20th Century.

The nanny in a great house ran her own tiny domain, supported by at least one nursery maid. Because of their role in child care, they were somewhat more indulged than junior servants. Nannies may have remained in the employ of the same aristocratic family for years, looking after successive generations of children.

Today, although many families employ part-time babysitters, fulltime nannies in the classic sense can only be afforded by middle class 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 salary . Sometimes the employer require their nanny/nannies to wear a servant uniform/uniform, but nowadays many nannies can wear clothes that are comfortable for their work.

Famous fictional nannies include:

* Mary Poppins

* Fran Fine, played by Fran Drescher in The Nanny (television)

*The Omen's Mrs. Baylock

* The BC television drama series, Nanny, starred endy 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 (actor).

* Nanny on Muppet Babies

* Nanny in The Nanny Diaries.

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, or more recently manny) for the job.

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