What You Should Look For When Hiring a Babysitter

Sunday, March 23rd

What You Should Look for When Hiring a Babysitter

Finding a babysitter for your family can be a difficult process. With so many aspects to contemplate, such as your specific child's needs, many sitters to choose from, and different venues to find them; it can be natural for a parent to feel overwhelmed while searching for that elusive, perfect sitter. Of course, when trying to find the best babysitter to fit your needs there's a great deal consider. Will you have a certain age group in mind? Should your sitter be CPR certified? How available do you expect your caregiver to be? How educated? How experienced? And then there's the no small matter of trying to find a sitter reasonably priced, that can fit your budget. Yes, it is certainly a daunting ordeal. However, there are few things that, as a parent, might be worth paying special attention to when searching for your sitter. Looking for these qualities especially, can help narrow your search and ensure a win-win situation for both you and your caregiver at the end of the day.

The first area of qualifications you'll want to look for in a babysitter is how responsible they are. This seems rather obvious- undoubtedly you would want a babysitter who can first and foremost take care of your child and keep them safe while you are out. However, the word "responsible" can be very broad and vague; therefore, there are certain traits you will want to look for specifically that would lead you to truly believe that your potential babysitter, is indeed a responsible one. Elements like punctuality, patience, and authoritativeness all help indicate whether yours is a mature caregiver. Also, noticing that your babysitter is trustworthy and comes prepared for the job- both in attire, attitude, and certifications (i.e. Red Cross certified- if that is something you desire) are important qualities that should not be overlooked in your child's babysitter. The more your caregiver fits these characteristics, the happier and safer you'll feel when you step out of that home, and leave you child in their care.

The next set of features that you won't want to overlook is how fun your babysitter is! No one wants to leave their kid in the hands of a boring, uncreative, coach-potato. Clearly the level of activity and playfulness desired in your babysitter will vary depending on your family and the needs you have; but even still, it is important to find a caregiver who will interact with your child, form a relationship with them, incorporate creativity and imagination into their times together, and who will ultimately be sensitive to the temperament and needs of your child. Another good thing to pay attention to, are the reports of the babysitter given by your kid. You're the parent, so you can't base your babysitter's report card totally off their opinion, but it's important that your child feel a connection with the babysitter, and is happy and comfortable when left in the sitter's care.

Finally, there are some practical qualities and qualifications that you might find important for your babysitter to possess. Taking note of how much experience your caregiver has, the recommendations they come with, and how negotiable and tenacious they are with your family, are seemingly trivial but critical traits that will speak volumes to your babysitter's character. Look for a sitter that will meet your expectations in full. If you have certain expectations that your caregiver will do chores around the house, help with homework, have a car to drive errands, and cooking experience for meals, then make these expectations clear- you'll weed out those underqualified much quicker, and spare both parties' following headaches.

In the end, it will depend mostly on your family and the needs you all expect to be met. However, there are a few general guidelines to follow when undertaking the search for your caregiver. Responsibility, engagement, and practicality, are all broad but crucial elements to keep in mind. Know your family, know your expectations, and pretty soon, you'll know your babysitter.