What to Look for in a Babysitter and Where to Find One

Hiring a babysitter can be a stressful undertaking. Let’s face it, usually this means hiring a complete stranger to come in to your home, stay there for several hours while you’re not there and be responsible for the lives of your children. This is scary stuff! You hope the sitter is trustworthy and she’s not neglecting your children or going through your private things. But how do you know?

The fact is that you don’t really know what the sitter or nanny is doing while you’re not there, unless you’re using a nanny cam. The best measure you can take is to screen your potential baby-sitter carefully.

The first place to look for a reliable babysitter is through referrals from family and/or friends. If you can’t get a referral, you could try checking places where sitters advertise their services, such as library bulletin boards, church bulletins, or even the newspaper classifieds. Another valuable resource for finding babysitters that is often overlooked is the internet. People advertise their services on the internet just the same as they advertise in the newspaper. Online agencies offer benefits that newspaper classifieds cannot match. For instance:

Online agencies usually provide photos of their sitters. While it is true “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” people do like to see a face when searching for a child care provider.
A short biography is usually posted that often gives you some background information and an idea of the babysitter’s age and experience level.
Many of the sitters advertising their services through internet agencies have paid for their own background checks to be done and have made them available for you to view online. Some even have reviews and/or comments posted from other parents that have used their babysitting services.
Wondering how much to pay your babysitter? One major online agency actually has a rate calculator that will give you the appropriate hourly wage for sitters in your area, based on the ages and number of children you have, and the sitter’s level of experience.

When you find a potential babysitter and are ready to interview her, consider your needs. Then jot down a list of questions. Obviously, you wouldn’t need to ask her if she has experience with infants if your children are over the age of two and you don’t plan on having any more. But, you should be sure she has had experience with kids in your children’s age group.

Think about the days and times you are most likely to need a sitter or nanny. Be sure your potential sitter will be available during those times. Even though a typical school day may end at about 2:00, many girls and young women are involved in sports or other extracurricular activities that tie up their afternoons and weekend mornings. Also, many teens and college students have part-time jobs that require them to work random schedules or a certain number of weekends per month. It won’t do you any good to find the perfect sitter only to find out later that she’s never available when you need her.

You should always ask for references and check them, even if you know the potential sitter’s family. In my free e-Book “Seven Things to Know before You Hire That Babysitter,” I explain how I found out the hard way… that just because you know a prospective sitter’s parents, doesn’t make her a good babysitter. Try to get at least 3 references, but also don’t assume she’s not a great sitter if she has only provided child care to one or two families.

When interviewing child care providers, think about the type of role model they will be. For instance, if you don’t smoke, you may not want to employ a sitter who smokes. Children are always watching and always learning. In addition to the negative impression smoking has on children, there is the danger of second hand smoke, and the sitter may leave the children alone in the house while she has a cigarette outside. Accidents can happen in a fraction of a second; a sitter should never leave a child unsupervised.

Once you have found the perfect sitter for your family, find another one as a back-up! It can take some time to find a great childcare provider, so you should have two or three that you can call in case one cancels at the last minute. When searching for a babysitter or nanny, keep your standards high – your children are worth it.

Sittercity Sitter Search

Enter your zipcode to find a babysitter in your area: