There certainly will be times when a work or personal situation requires that you find someone to watch over your kids. If you do not have family or friends who are available, then what would you do? Who do you leave the child with? Who will care for them in the same manner you would? Finding the best babysitter for your needs is not as difficult as it seems, but it will take a little time.
Get the Input of Family and Friends
If you have a sibling, in-law, or friend with children, the best place to start is by asking who babysits for them. Word of mouth and personal referrals go a long way toward establishing trust and building rapport. Listen to what these people have to say, both good and bad, so you can decide for yourself if they are a good fit for your child. Another plus is that frequently sitters who come from personal referrals will give discounts. Also read: Sittercity coupon code offer instant discount
It is not always the greatest idea to use online sites that allow would-be sitters post their profiles and rates. Many times their information is inaccurate, and there are no guarantees that the person you find is who they represent themselves to be. It is much more effective to find a sitter in person.
Do an In-Home Interview
It is a forward-thinking parent who brings the potential babysitter to them. Putting them on your home turf on the first interview will tell you a great deal about that person’s attitude and demeanor. Notice things like their appearance and if they are acting nervous. If the candidate shows up disheveled, or if their eyes are darting around suspiciously, politely turn them down and get them out quickly. How they behave around an educated adult is nothing compared to how they will act around a child they see as naive.
Before you hire this person, it also helps to see how your child interacts with them. If your child is uncharacteristically shy or shows signs of being frightened, these are red flags. This is not the person you want watching over your child, so keep looking. Also read: Reviews of Sittercity offer insights on service
Listen to Your Heart
Call it what you will. It can be a sixth sense, a funny feeling, or just plain intuition, but if your gut is telling you that something is off with this person, then do not hire them. Trust your parental desire to protect your child, and you will never go wrong.
Perform a Check
In this day of the internet and readily available information, it would be a lapse in judgment to not check the references, employment history, and possible criminal background of any possible sitters. Do your due diligence and you will feel much better about your final decision.
Get Your Child’s Feedback
Children are incredibly candid. They will happily and innocently share how their evening went with you not home. If the sitter neglected to get them something to drink, change the baby’s diaper, or let out the dog, you will certainly hear about it. If they were handled in a rough manner or witnessed actions that are not like yours, you will quickly find out. If there is anything that leaves you feeling uncomfortable about leaving your child with that person, do not rehire them. Again, listen to your heart.
Do not rush into any decisions. Parents, you need to be prepared to do your homework before leaving your child with just any babysitter. Taking these few important steps will ensure both the safety of your child and your own peace of mind when you are away from home.
I have to back to work right away and that means leaving my one-month old baby alone with my mom. I’m pretty lucky to have my mom around but she requested that I hire someone from Sittercity to help her out. I thought that was a great idea so I did just that.
How can I get my baby’s feedback about the new sitter when she can hardly say a word? I’m just being sarcastic here because your last tip is to get the child’s feedback. 🙂 Kidding aside, the sitter I got had amazing reviews on Sittercity. I had her checked and I took a chance.
The thing I like about Sittercity is that everything is available on the profiles of the sitter. It’s all there, I can run a background check and contact the sitter right on her profile.
Yes, in terms of navigation, Sittercity tops it. It’s pretty straightforward. I’m not a techie so I really appreciate it.
I’m not too keen on asking a family member or a friend for references. For me, it’s better to leave them out. I’m the one looking for a babysitter, not them. Sittercity works for me because I can access the profiles of their babysitters. That really gives me a good head start in my search for a babysitter.
I agree that the internet can provide information about the sitter. However, it may not be that accurate. For me, it’s safer to run a background. That way, I can have have peace of mind that the information I have on hand is accurate and reliable.
It was actually a friend of mine that introduced me to Sittercity. Since signing up, I never had to ask friends or family for references. It’s enough that I have access to the profiles of the babysitters. From there I can easily start my search.
It’s funny. We’re all out to protect our kids and that’s why we go through all the trouble of finding the right babysitter. But we often forget to ask feedback from the most important people and that’s our kids. Thanks for pointing that out.
Based on my experience with Sittercity, the information I gather from the reviews are very reliable. But then, I don’t just take it from there. I also run a background check which really helps me verify some information. This way of hiring a babysitter is the safest way for us. Sittercity is really the only online site we trust.
Finding a sitter is never easy. I need to make sure I’m choosing someone well-qualified for the job. Hence, I rely a lot on the reviews on Sittercity. Feedback is very important to me.
I’m not too keen on word of mouth referrals these days. I’d rather rely on the reviews on Sittercity. I can just do it on my own online and don’t have to bother other people regarding sitters. It’s just so convenient.
My child is too little to give me feedback. I would have to rely on the background check of Sittercity. I’m glad they offer this kind of service.
It’s important we do a background check on the sitter. We can never really tell these days. We just have to be careful. It’s a good thing we can run a background check with Sittercity.
Thanks for the tips. It’s really important that we take some time to really get to know the babysitter. That’s the reason why I chose Sittercity. I can get all the information I need from their background check.