Dos and Don’ts of Hiring a Babysitter

While we love taking care of our children, we also need a break for ourselves. A day to run kid-free errands or a night off from picking up toys is a dream. However, that means hiring a babysitter, which can cause parents even more stress. From hiring a babysitter for your oldest to your youngest, it’s a hassle to find the perfect caregiver whom you can trust almost as much as you trust yourself. But you can streamline the process with our dos and don’ts of finding a babysitter.

We’ll break these dos and don’ts down into three categories: Hiring, First Trial, and Review.

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Hiring

You have the dream babysitter list written down, you’ve talked it over with the kids to get a sense of what they want, and now you’re searching for the sitter who will tick all of your boxes. But where do you begin? How do you vet them? How do you know they’re the right pick? Consider these tips:

Do: Hire a sitter from a reputable website or a friend/family recommendation.

Sometimes the best place to start is with your inner circle. Fellow parents can recommend their sitter to you, especially if their kids and yours are in a similar age bracket and/or have similar needs. You can also visit a hiring website to set parameters for distance, age, frequency, and other requirements, such as pet care or senior care. Whichever route you take, make sure there’s high trust so you can ease your worries.

Don’t: Hire a sitter without conducting a background check.

Regardless of how you find your sitter, it’s important to conduct a thorough background check for your child’s safety. At the base, check their criminal records, sex offender registry, identity verification, and driving records if you know you’ll want them to drive your children around. Afterwards, go through their references with previous families to gain insight into their reliability and trustworthiness. If they hold other certifications, such as CPR or First Aid, verify their validity to ensure they’re not expired.

Do: Conduct a detailed, in-person interview.

A 30-minute interview is ideal for you to go in-depth with your prospective babysitter. Be as detailed as possible as you go through all of your questions, requirements, and expectations. Ask them questions about their interests in babysitting, such as “Why did you become a babysitter?” and “What is your favorite memory about babysitting?” as you’ll likely get more personal answers that can give you a better idea of the kind of babysitter they’ll be for your child. Furthermore, ask them about their thought process when it comes to handling tantrums, medical situations like an asthma attack, and/or other emergencies, as you want someone apt enough to handle those events when you’re not around.

Don’t: Ignore negative behaviors during an interview.

While it’s normal to make mistakes during an interview, certain behaviors, such as arriving late without informing you, speaking negatively about past clients or children, being overly distracted, and providing vague answers, are signs to watch out for. You need to consider how this can impact their ability to care for your child. Will they be late for pick-up and not notify you? Will they be attentive enough around your child? Consider those questions and think about how their behaviors align with them. If you feel uneasy, it’s okay to say no to hiring them.

Trial Run

With your babysitter picked out, you’re ready to get things going. But before you leave your children and babysitter alone, have a trial run so you can be nearby, intervene if needed, and, more importantly, see how your kids interact with them and vice versa. A trial run is optional if you don’t have the means or time to have one before a real session, but it may calm your nerves if you’re able to see them in action and assess if they’re a right fit for you and your family. During a trial run, you should:

Do: Provide your babysitter with a list of all emergency contacts.

Just in case you have to step out during the trial run, your babysitter should have all emergency contacts if they can’t get in contact with you. These numbers can include other family members and friends, as well as other contacts, such as doctors or poison control centers. It’s never too early to be prepared, and depending on how they conduct themselves during said emergency, it can give you peace of mind that they are the right sitter for the job.

Don’t: Forget to review all necessary safety information.

In addition to the above, you should review allergies, first-aid supply locations, and emergency plans for exit strategies or procedures, especially if your children have medical conditions, such as instructions on how the sitter should use an emergency inhaler or EPI-Pen. Take time before the session starts to show designated rooms for these items and other safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers. If necessary, rearrange rooms to make items easily accessible and provide clear instructions.

Do: Be available, but don’t hover.

While it’s easy to want to check in every few minutes or so to see how your children and babysitter are doing, you have to make it a true trial run by not hovering. The purpose is to assess how well your babysitter asserts authority in your absence, how they handle diverse personalities and needs if you have more than one child, how they manage situations with limited screen time or children who don’t want to nap, and overall, how they make your children feel as they are bonding independently. A constant presence or stepping in too often does not allow the babysitter to do their job, and you may not get the results you’re looking for to have an accurate review.

Don’t: Assume they know what they are doing because you have to outline your expectations.

While you two may have reviewed expectations during the interview, it’s important to reiterate anything crucial to you and your children’s needs. Don’t hesitate to discuss household rules, allowed visitors, screen time, permitted activities, and established routines, such as naptime. These are more of non-negotiables here, so by having these outlined early, you can check later to see if they followed your instructions clearly and efficiently.

Review

You, your sitter, and children have made it through the first trial run. This is relieving, and now you have enough information to make a final decision about whether the sitter is the right fit. During the review, be sure to:

Do: Regroup with your sitter and children.

After the session, sit down with them and talk about their experiences. Take note of how they discuss the activities, such as how your child lights up when they bring up a moment between the sitter and them that made them feel comfortable, or how your sitter mentions how well your child behaved during their routines. This kind of ease and comfort they have around each other can give you insight into how well they’ve bonded.

Don’t: Forget to have separate conversations with them.

While the first conversation may be enough to convince you to hire the sitter, don’t neglect to talk to them privately. With your babysitter, discuss their experience, how they handled the routines, and address any questions they may have about the session. With your child, discuss how they felt about the sitter, as children may be more open during one-on-one time.

Do: Compare your expectations with the experience.

After the conversations, take a moment to reflect on how you feel about the sitter. Ask yourself, “Did they take my instructions seriously? How did they do with me stepping in and being absent? Do my kids feel comfortable enough around them to have fun and also respect their authority?” If you can answer these and other questions comfortably, you may have found the right babysitter.

Don’t: Be afraid to try a different trial run before committing.

In case you are still unsure, it’s okay to ask for another trial run. This could be with you, the sitter, and the children outside if they are not going to be in the house all the time. It can also be with a different parent at home to see how the sitter responds to them. However you decide, don’t rush a decision that still leaves you uneasy. Do what it takes to find the babysitter that keeps your mind at ease and your children happy.

Final Thoughts

Finding a sitter may seem impossible at first, but with time, patience, and realistic expectations, you can find a great one. Don’t rush the process, conduct a trial run if possible, and don’t ignore your gut feelings. Follow these dos and don’ts to find the right fit for your family!