Most parents will experience a time when they have no choice but to leave their children with a babysitter. There are lots of reasons why parents choose to hire a babysitter including needing to go out to work or spending time alone as a couple. When it comes to choosing the right babysitter (who you’ll have to trust with your children and in your home), narrowing down candidates and choosing someone who fits your needs can be hard.
The first step to choosing a babysitter is to work out what you are looking for. Think about things such as qualifications, how you want your children to be disciplined, and what rules you want to be followed. Once you’ve done this and have interviewed the potential babysitters, you’ll be able to narrow down your favorites by using these simple tips:
Ask for References
Looking at a potential babysitter’s references is extremely important. Their references will give you an idea of the type of person they are and how good they are with children. Make sure that the references are relevant. Ideally, you want references from other parents or child care providers they have worked for.
When you start narrowing down your favorites, consider contacting the references they have given. You will be able to ask them specific questions. You could ask about the responsibilities and duties they had at their old job and find out if the children they looked after in the past are of similar age to yours. As with any job role, the applicant’s background is extremely important, so you need to choose a babysitter that has had experience and responsibilities similar to what they’ll have with your family.
Look at the Answers They Gave to Interview Questions
Read through the interview answers the babysitters gave and see which answers you liked the best. Think about your needs and wants whilst doing this.
Ask for a Trial Run
Before choosing the right babysitter, it’s a good idea to ask for a trial run. A good babysitter will not mind you asking them to complete a trial run. You could even consider installing a nanny cam so that you can keep an eye on how they interact with your children, as it’s legal in every state. Your children are the ones who will have to spend their time with the sitter, so it’s important that they like them and feel comfortable around them.
Trust Your Instincts
You might find that someone applies who has an incredible CV, gives you the perfect answers to all of your questions, and has amazing references, but something just doesn’t seem right. In this case, it’s a good idea to trust your instincts and choose someone who you feel more at ease with.
At the end of the day, it’s not a bad thing to have the telephone number of a few different babysitters who you can contact when needed. If you have more than one outstanding candidate, then why not ask the ones who didn’t get the job if they’d be interested in working for you every once in a while. There will be times when your go-to sitter isn’t available, so it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. Having a good relationship with other sitters that you know and like can mean a lot when you’re in a bind.