Where Can We Get a Dependable Babysitter?
Looking for a dependable babysitter can be a very taxing job especially when you remember that the life of your kids will be in his/her hands when you are away. You have heard news of children mistreated by babysitters from time to time and in some cases, this mistreatment sometimes resulted to the death of a child.
For those who are in the search of a babysitter, do your homework very well. Start looking for a babysitter early to prevent last minute rush. Try to get as much information as possible from the potential babysitter like background information and the experience the candidate has in babysitting and don’t forget to look for the following qualities when interviewing; sense of responsibility, honesty, competence and positively minded person. Below are places to look for good babysitters.
You Can Get a Dependable Babysitter From The Following;
- Relatives and Family members – Ask your relatives and friends you trust who had babysitters in the past whether they know someone who can be a good babysitter for you. It’s more than likely that your family members & trustworthy friends won’t lie to you.
- Local Church – Keep an eye on the bulletin board of your local church for people seeking babysitting jobs. If there are none, Post yours ad (of course through church administration) on the board. When you get a response, don’t forget to ask the church minister or someone in the church that might know that person.
- Schools – this is another place where you can get recommendations from other parents who have had the babysitters.
- Agencies – This is the easiest way to get hold of a good local babysitter but the downside is that you have to pay membership fees to access their database of local sitters. Agency such as SitterCity has a data base of hundreds of background checked and experienced sitters. They will let you try their services free for 7 days . This types agencies can save you a lot of time and inconveniencies.
After I Get Hold of a Good Babysitter What Questions Should I ask?
Now that you have landed yourself a good babysitter as it was recommended by others, it is time for you to verify whether the person is what you really want. Listed below are a few questions that can help you during your interview
- Experience – Ask the person of prior jobs the person had as a babysitter and for how long. This can help you determine the character the candidate has or whether she/he is reliable. Also ask whether the person has any experience with a child in the same age group as yours.
- Certificates – CPR and First Aid knowledge should be considered a plus in the event your kids are in need of them so don’t hesitate to ask.
- Availability – Is the potential babysitter available the times you need him/her? Ask for the person’s schedule.
- Age – How old is your potential babysitter? Ideally good reliable sitters start at the age of 18 but we have exception starting as low as 14 and 15. Don’t fail to ask for age.
- Contacts – Ask for the persons contacts including emergency contacts
- Fees – Most people don’t know how much to pay their babysitters and I have prepared a page to check how much to pay your potential babysitter depending on your locality. Compare it with what the candidate is asking.
The above points are only a guide and you might have more so don’t hesitate to ask.
If you don’t have time to look for a babysitter let experts, SitterCity do it and you can try their services free for 7 days. Enter your zip code below for a background checked, experienced babysitter below.
