Leaving your young children in the hands of someone other than family can be more than a little unnerving, and being certain that you have a good babysitter is crucial. In this article, I’m going to cover some of what I consider to be the best babysitting tips for those who are looking not just to find a babysitter, but to find a great babysitter.
It’s always great if you can find a babysitter that you know personally. Neighbors, fellow church members, PTA parents, co-workers and others you may know from groups you belong to may be able to give you some excellent referrals.
Don’t feel shy to simply ask someone you feel is competent if they would like to baby-sit your child. A low-key approach could be to ask if they know anyone who enjoys babysitting. That way if they’re interested you’ve given them an opening to offer themselves for the job and if they’re not, they just may know someone who is great with children.
If possible, you should have the prospective babysitter watch your children for a few hours once or twice a week, then slowly work up to every day if you’ll be leaving them for overnight trips while you’re out of town. Leaving your children alone overnight with a babysitter they have never experienced is not a good idea for either the babysitter or your children. Giving both parties a chance to get to know each other and become comfortable will make for a much more positive long-term experience.
Depending on how old your child is, talk to them about what they thought of the babysitter. Find out what she did with the children to keep them entertained, if your child liked them, etc. Since your child will be spending a lot of time with them, it’s important that you find a babysitter that they enjoy.
Babysitting rates vary depending on the area where you live, how many children you have and any additional tasks you may be asking them to do. You can offer a price upfront when asking someone to baby-sit your kids or if you don’t feel that you know how much to ask, ask them how much they charge. Some people charge by the hour, by the day, or by the number of children, and may ask a little more to keep them overnight. Beware of rates that are incredibly low; unless you know the babysitter very well, it’s possible that’s she is desperate for a job or doesn’t have enough experience or confidence in her abilities to charge the standard rate.
I have always been a fan of having babysitters come to your home to watch your children rather than have children go to the babysitters home. In this way, you can better keep up with where they are and your children will be familiar with the area. Having babysitters come to your home is also a plus if you intend on setting up a camera system to watch how they treat the children. Note: make sure to inform the babysitter that you will be doing this before she accepts the job or you may be open to a lawsuit.
Always do a criminal background check on a babysitter before hiring her. Although this is impossible with teenagers, you can find out if prospective teenage babysitters have prior babysitting experience and check up on those references.
There are many things to consider when finding a babysitter; however, I hope that these babysitting tips will help you in your effort to find someone wonderful to care for your children.