Guest blogger Katie Rice Jones: Here's how to tell.

In this stressed world, filled with all kinds of crazies, you worked diligently to find your children their very own Mary Poppins. You do all the right things: you get referrals from friends and nanny services, you interview and you vet until finally you find her ... that perfect, reliable nanny who grows to love your small child and helps a tad around the house.

Life is beautiful until...she's poached. Poached by a neighborhood nanny vulture who is too lazy to do her own babysitter vetting but perceptive enough to notice the peaceful synergy your nanny brings to your home life. With the lure of a little more money and a little more paid time off, your trusted nanny is convinced to fly the coup.

Be smart! Don't let all your hard work go 'down-the-poop-chute'.

Five signs of nanny poaching:

1. Your nanny seems less interested in your child
2. Your nanny starts to make unreasonable demands
3. A neighborhood mother tells you she needs a 'new' nanny
4. A neighborhood mother wants to know 'all about' your great nanny
5. You catch a neighborhood mother and your nanny whispering in the park

Five ways to stop nanny poaching:

1. More money - Give her a small raise
2. More kindness - Remember her birthday
3. Special foods - Fill the fridge with the foods she likes
4. Vacation time - Offer her two weeks of paid vacation

Have you ever been nanny poached?