Sittercity Guide

A babysitter is someone that you trust to you look after your child while you’re out, and it’s important that you know a lot more about the person that you choose to care for your child than simply his/her availability and pay rate requirements. In fact, below are five important tips to keep in mind when choosing a babysitter:

Check references. A reference is a testimony of someone’s ability or reliability, and is especially helpful when applying for a job. In many respects, babysitting is one of the most important jobs in existence because it entails caring for a child. Therefore, don’t be afraid to ask for and check out any references given by your potential babysitter.

Do a background check. A babysitter is an employee and, as such, you may wish to consider conducting a background check. It’s always a good idea to know who is working for you, but especially if that person is responsible for the health and well-being of your child.

Trust your instinct. When it comes to choosing someone to babysit your child, listen to your heart. If something doesn’t seem right or you have any reasonable hesitation, look for another babysitter. All parents have the jitters when first leaving their child in someone else’s care, but there’s a big difference in a typical case of nerves and a genuine cause for concern.

Choose someone that you feel comfortable with. Afterall, if you aren’t comfortable with the babysitter, how can you expect your child to be? Compatibility is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing someone to care for your child. You will want to look for someone who is caring, loves children and is responsible enough to understand the importance of the job.

Make sure that the babysitter you choose is mature enough to handle the responsibility of caring for another person. Things to consider would be the babysitter’s personality, how he/she interacts with your child and his/her reliability. When you hire someone to watch your child, you will not want to worry about the person you chose being too young or irresponsible.

Now that you know how to choose a babysitter, it’s time to begin interviewing potential candidates. As an employer, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your watch and make sure that your prospects arrive on time. Afterall, punctuality is a good quality for a babysitter to have.

When you leave your kids with a babysitter do you genuinely enjoy your time away?

Maybe I should rephrase that question. When was the last time you actually took some time for your partner and yourself by utilizing the services of a paid babysitter whom you trusted and the kids loved?

Or...are you simply scared to leave your kids with a sitter? (That's okay. It IS scary the first time.)

You already know that regular, quality time away from the responsibilities of parenting can help you be a better parent. But honestly, you'll need peace of mind about your children's care if you are going to truly refresh yourself while you're away.

This is simpler than you think. You can use readily available tools to accomplish this with ease. The first tool you'll want to take advantage of is a babysitter checklist.

A babysitter checklist can ensure peace of mind by helping you keep track of what's most important. For example...

-- Do you worry that your children won't be properly cared for while you're out for the evening? Then use your babysitter checklist to detail what activities, what foods and what schedule you want for your children during that time period. A bonus of this approach is that both babysitter and children will be kept busy while you're away.

-- Do you worry about safety issues while you're gone for a few hours? Put those important numbers such as fire, emergency help, and poison control directly on your babysitter checklist. Always leave a phone number where you can personally be reached. If you have specific safety routines in your home, detail all such information on your checklist and go over it with your babysitter before leaving for the evening.

-- Keep any requests on your checklist specific to avoid misinterpretation. Don't say that movies are okay for the kids to watch...write down exactly which movies are acceptable to you. The same goes for TV programs and music choices, too. (If you need a simple and no-cost babysitter checklist for your own use, please see the author's resource box at the end of this article.)

You will still need to find a babysitter you can trust. I have always found that a personal recommendation is best when it comes to finding a new sitter. Once you've located a new sitter, have a 'test sit' so everyone can get acquainted. You might want to consider hiring your new babysitter to care for your children while you are in another area of your home. Again, use your babysitter checklist to give as detailed instructions as you like, so that your new babysitter knows EXACTLY what is expected of him or her.

One more thing...pay your babysitter well. You are asking someone to care for your most precious treasures and, let's face it, quality costs. If money is an issue for you then be creative with your time away and reduce your costs on that end as opposed to trying to cut your babysitter's salary.

Coordinating and organizing your time away from your children can make such events very valuable for both you and your family. Take the time to find the right sitter and use a simple babysitter checklist to make everyone feel comfortable and secure.