Hiring a Babysitter
 (Frequently Asked Questions)

• What should I pay a babysitter?
• How do I find a sitter?
• What should I look for in a sitter?
• What training should my sitter have?
• How should I check the references of a sitter?
• What information should my babysitter know before I leave?
• What should I do to keep my children and the sitter safe while I'm gone?
• What can I do to ensure the babysitting job runs smoothly?
• How can I find out how things went?
• What should I do if I have to cancel a sitter?

• Be selective!  (Allow yourself adequate lead time to be selective when finding a sitter.  Start the search early enough to allow time for a personal interview.)
• Look for a babysitter within your circle of friends or community - an adult with whom you are connected in some manner, e.g. a co-worker, your pastor or rabbi, or a neighbor with young children.  (This can actually prove to be a problem if sitters are scarce and the neighbor sees you as potential competition.)
• As a last resort, look for someone who is already working with children.  Borrow a babysitter from a friend.
• Always screen possibilities by a phone interview and follow up on likely sitters by checking references.

• Your sitter must:

• Like children

• Be trustworthy

• Be able to keep themselves and your child safe

• Have the attention span to actively watch and entertain your child

• Have the patience to handle difficult behavior such as whining and crying

• Be able to stay calm in an emergency

• Be competent in rescue skills such as care of the choking child

• Know when to ask for help

• Be willing to accept responsibility for your child's life

• When interviewing a prospective sitter on the telephone, present the basic facts, such as number and ages of your children, your address, any special problems, transportation, pets, etc.

• Ask the sitter's age and babysitting experience with children the same age as your child..  We teach our students not to babysit for infants less than six months of age until they've had at least two years experience.

• Ask the sitter about training in rescue breathing and care of the choking infant and child.
• Go over your expectations stressing that your first priority is to keep your child safe and happily entertained.  Go over "pet peeves" or restrictions.
• Present a few "what if" scenarios to determine how the sitter would handle them.  For example, for a toddler, you might ask about handling a child who cries when parents leave, a child who refuses to go to bed, or a child with a nosebleed.
• Ask the sitter about his/her usual fee.  Negotiate a fair fee prior to the job.
• If possible, schedule a pre-job personal interview to check out your "gut response" to the sitter.  If you have any remaining doubts about the fit between your child/parenting preferences/household rules and the sitter, schedule a "practice run."  (A practice run is a short (1-2 hour) session in which you orient the sitter, model your parenting style, then delegate your child's care to the sitter while you run errands or do work in another area of the house.  This allows you to check in frequently.  Use any troubling situation you observe as a "teachable moment" by identifying the problem then suggesting an alternative approach or providing appropriate feedback to the sitter).

• Ask if the prospective sitter has taken a babysitting preparation course, such as Safe Sitter®.  Check to see that the sitter learned how to care for a choking infant or child, basic first aid, and how to call for help in an emergency.  It is as important to know rescue skills as it is to know how to care for a child.

• If your prospective sitter has not taken a babysitting preparation course, find out if a course is offered at your local hospital, YMCA, health department, nearby church, etc.  Offer to pay a portion of the class fee to encourage the sitter's attendance.

• If a course is not available in your area, you will need to spend time teaching the sitter how to care for your children (including behavior management), how to keep the sitter and your children safe in your home, your expectations for the sitter, how the sitter can contact you (and a nearby adult who will be available) while you are out, your house rules, etc.  You may want to suggest your sitter take a first aid course and a CPR course to learn what to do if your child chokes. (Ten Tips for Safe Babysitting)

• When you hire a babysitter, you are hiring a person you are willing to trust with the responsibility for your child's life.  Do not hire a sitter if you cannot check references!  (Do not hire a stranger, even if they took a babysitting preparation class.)

• Call the person who gave you the sitter's name and ask questions.  The young person may be a family friend or relative of the referring person or a parent who has actually used the sitter.

• Put the person at ease about your motives.  Ask for general information.  If the parent has actually used the sitter, ask for the ages of the children, the frequency of sitting, and the usual length of the job.

• Explain your situation, such as the ages of your children, frequency of sitting needed, and special considerations.

• Ask specific questions, such as

  • Do your children like the sitter?

  • Did the sitter follow the house rules?

  • Has there ever been an unpleasant incident?

  • Is there anything else you need to know?

• Pay attention to your instincts about trustworthiness and fit with your child/children.

• It takes time to orient a new babysitter to your home, children, and your children's routines.  Allow 30-45 minutes for orientation before you go out or at some convenient time prior to the babysitting job.

• Review how to care for your children, such as feeding, naptime, and bedtime routines (with times).

• Discuss how you want your baby picked up, held, fed, and diapered.

• Write out instructions for warming foods and bottles.

• Discuss your baby's pacifier, blanket, or comfort toy.

• Be clear about parenting policies:  Should sitter pick up baby anytime the baby cries?  What if baby won't fall asleep?  How to handle problem behavior for older children?

• Show the babysitter where you keep the diapers, clothing, bottles, formula, food, and snacks.

• Discuss any special conditions or medication that the sitter needs to know.  Be sure to write down instructions for medications - how much, how often, and how to give.  If the medication is pre-measured, make sure it is out of the reach of your children.

• Discuss the rules on the use of the telephone, television, computer, snacks, and visitors.

• Be clear that smoking or alcohol is never allowed.

• Leave list of emergency numbers next to your phone.  Include the telephone number for emergency services (fire, ambulance, police), a phone number for an immediately available adult, and the Poison Center (1-800-222-1222).  Include your home telephone number and address with clear directions on how to locate your house.

• Take the babysitter on a tour of your house to locate all entrances and exits, fire/burglar alarms, first aid supplies, fuse box, flashlights, and off-limits areas.

• Discuss what to do in case of fire - escape route, where to go call for help, and any escape routines you may have practiced with your children.

• Be sure your sitter knows what to do if there is an emergency.  Always have first aid supplies and a first aid chart available for easy reference.  (A first aid chart may be obtained from the American Academy of Pediatrics by calling 1-800-433-9016.)

• Be sure to tell your sitter where you can be reached and when you will return home.  If a pager is being used, leave instructions for how the pager works.

• Once you have oriented a new sitter, subsequent pre-departure briefings will take less time.  You should allow 15-20 minutes each visit.  Not only does that allow you to give last minute specific instructions, but it also gives your child a chance to adjust to your departure and warm up to the babysitter.

• Be sure you leave the telephone number of where you can be reached, and the emergency telephone numbers (fire, ambulance, and police).
• Identify a nearby, available neighbor or adult for the sitter to call if necessary.
• Keep a first aid chart on hand. 
• Lock all the doors and all the windows on the way out.
• Close your curtains and blinds.

• Do not make arrangements for deliveries while you are gone.

• Minimize unpleasant tasks - have your children fed and dressed in their pajamas.

• Eliminate any unsafe tasks - don't ask your sitter to cook a meal or give your child a bath.  We teach our students to not cook, give baths, or make popcorn while babysitting.

• Leave teenage food for the sitter - this keeps the sitter from going through the refrigerator and makes the sitter feel special.

• Provide a special treat or snack for your own children while you are away.

• Model good behavior - be home on time.  This shows respect for the sitter's time as well as preventing the sitter's parents from worrying about them.  Usually 15 minutes is an appropriate leeway.  Call your sitter if you are running more than 15 minutes late.

• Be sure to give clear instructions before you leave.  Allow time for preparation - do not run out the door.  This also allows time for your own children to settle down before you leave.

• At the end of the babysitting job, ask the sitter how things went, especially bedtime and any problem behavior.

• If any problems occurred, tactfully correct mistakes.  Be firm while reinforcing the rules and rationale for the rules.

• If you discover any unacceptable behavior in the sitter such as alcohol, friends visit, etc., call the parents of the sitter.  This helps the teen become more responsible and calls attention to their behavior.  (Don't just not hire the sitter again - help them to see it was unacceptable behavior.)

• To set a good example as an employer for an impressionable adolescent, try only to cancel if absolutely necessary.

• If you must cancel, cancel as early as possible to allow the teen to make other arrangements for that time period.

• Please give a minimum token of one hour's pay to show that you value the sitter's time.

 

Safe Sitter® is a nonprofit, 501 (c)(3) organization.  Copyright © 2008 by Safe Sitter, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
This page was last updated 01/10/08