Finding a good baby sitter for your family is a careful decision you have to make especially with the increase in child abuse and abduction in this day and age. In this post, I will share tips on finding the right baby sitter for your family.
A baby sitter, usually female, is a temporary form of childcare for when mum and dad need to go out on their own. A baby sitter’s main responsibilities are usually to play, feed and put your child to bed. Some help older children with homework as well.
A number of parents either ask friends or family members to help with baby-sitting (I do this sometimes) or already have a regular baby sitter that they trust.
Au pairs or live in nannies already employed with a family usually baby sit one or two nights when the parents need to go out.
However in a situation where you don’t have such luxury, here are a few steps to help you choose a good baby sitter especially if this is the first time using this form of childcare.
How to choose a good baby sitter
Referrals
Nothing beats word of mouth in most cases. Ask friends and family to refer a baby sitter they have used in the past or their current baby sitter’s friend. You are likely to get referred to a good baby sitter through this means.
Baby Sitter Share
If your neighbor or friend has a trusted and good baby sitter reach out to them and ask if they don’t mind sharing their baby sitter with them. This may be a toughie especially if the baby sitter is full time with them.
Alternatively you can join another family to find a baby sitter together and then “share” on alternate days. Try to reach an agreement based on what works best for both families. This method may turn out to be cheaper for you.
Check Local Community and Your Church
You can check your local newspaper for a local baby sitter.
Otherwise, if you live near a university or college you can post up a “baby sitter wanted” ad or ask around in your local church as young students are usually looking for part time job.
Ask the Right Interview Questions
When interviewing a potential baby sitter, ask scenario questions such as what they will do in an emergency. Assess if she can think fast on her feet. Find out her childcare experience, how she handles bad behavior, if she is first aid certified etc.
It is better to ask all your important questions up front than to assume the baby sitter is experienced and knows what you want.
Check References
Ask the sitter for references and follow it through. Don’t take her word for how great she is with children. Call up the other families she has worked with to confirm what she tells you.
Third Party Agencies
Use a good babysitter website or agent if you can afford it.If you live in the United States, the babysitter agency sittercity.com does all the work for you- background checks, parents’ reviews, pictures and references. Depending on how often you will need a babysitter you can choose a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription plan with them. Click on the banner for more info.You get to save time and energy you would have spent doing all the investigative work of finding a good babysitter.
Have a Trial day
Have a trial day where the potential baby sitter comes to your home and hangs out with your child for a few hours. Observe how they interact. I believe it is easy to tell when someone genuinely likes children.
Try not to stay in the same room so as not to make the sitter feel awkward and nervous. Just listen in from another room.
Communicate House Rules
Once you employ the services of a good baby sitter, ensure she knows the house rules. It may be a good idea to write and print out a copy of your house rules for her. Communicate the rules helps to set your expectation of the baby sitter.
This should include rules for the children- feed time, sleep time, tv time etc. Rules for the sitter- no friends over, no adult rated programme or loud music etc.
Also ensure she knows how you discipline your children so that there is consistency even when you are not there.
Abuse Awareness
Depending on how old your children are, make them aware of what physical and sexual abuse is. Tell them to inform you right away if the sitter touches them inappropriately or does anything to hurt them or make them feel uneasy in any way.
With younger kids, check their bodies for any sign of abuse or change in behaviour.
Drop in unannounced at home from time to time.
Hopefully it won’t come to any of that but better to be safe than sorry.
Does Age Matter?
Some parents ask if they should employ a teenage baby sitter or an adult.
I think finding a good baby sitter largely depends on the maturity of the baby sitter and how well she relates to children. As you have probably experienced in life, maturity isn’t usually linked to age.
Trust your guts
Above all, whichever way you go, pray about this and trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right it is probably not right. Don’t use a sitter you don’t feel comfortable with out of desperation. Your goal after all is to find a good baby sitter for your children
Share your experience
So what has been your experiences using a baby sitter? Good, bad or ugly? Do share in either of the comment boxes below.
