Whether you have work obligations or need a date night, there will come a time when you need a babysitter. If you don’t have family close or your family can’t fill your babysitting needs, you will have to start your search for a sitter, which can be overwhelming. How do you hire someone you can trust to look after your precious little ones?
Here are five tips to help guide you to the perfect babysitter for your family.
1. Treat Meeting Sitters Like a Job Interview
Just as reference-checking is an important part of any job process, you should act like any sitter you hire is your employee. A phone interview to screen their personality, age and experience caring for kids that are your children’s age is a good place to start. But don’t be afraid to ask about their credentials in things like choking, infant rescue and CPR. Being upfront about background checks to confirm any criminal history—and even scheduling a trial session with your kids—are two more ways to put your mind at ease.
2. Decide On a Fair Rate in Advance
Unlike a nanny—who often lives in your household, receives benefits and is considered a family member—sitters are paid out of pocket in cash. Sitter rates can vary due to location and experience. An online tool can help you calculate a fair wage for the type of sitter you need, whether their specialty is infant care, overnight assistance for date night, or after school pickup.
3. Consider Their Personality Type
Good babysitters should be reliable, warm and playful. You also want someone with flexibility. When choosing the right sitter, think of the ways you like to parent your children. Are you a helicopter mom, or do you have a more laid-back parenting style? Look for a sitter that matches your style of parenting.
4. Suggest a Babysitter’s Class
No one prepares you for parenthood, so it’s not always reasonable to expect your sitter to instinctively know how to handle your kids. Putting your mind at ease can be as easy as suggesting a skills class prior to their first day; the Red Cross offers an online program with a printed certificate. If you’re leaving your older kids in charge of their siblings, Safesitter offers online programs for grades 6-8, following choking prevention and CPR guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association. Both take about four hours to complete, and can provide a wealth of lifesaving and age-appropriate sitting skills.
5. Have the Sitter Meet Your Child
To avoid separation anxiety and to make sure your child is comfortable with the new sitter, invite them over before they start. Getting to know them while you are there can help build trust and avoid tantrums when you leave.
