4 Things to Consider when Choosing a Babysitter
Leaving your baby at home with a stranger can’t be an easy task. In fact, being a parent means stressing out for every little thing that happens in your child’s life since they are born. So, being away from them while they are in the care of a stranger can be extremely challenging.
Finding and hiring the best babysitter isn’t only essential for your child’s safety and wellbeing. It is also vital for your own peace of mind. Here are the 4 things every parent should consider when choosing a babysitter:
1. Ask around for recommendations
The first step you must take into finding the best babysitter is to reach out to your community for recommendations. Whether you ask within your community at the local school, your neighborhood, or your workplace, discussing with other parents about this topic can help you find a reliable sitter a thousand times faster.
No parent would recommend a babysitter if they have not been pleased with the babysitter’s services or if they mistreated their child. So, you can rely on the recommendations of other moms when creating a list with potential candidates.
If the traditional way of finding a sitter for your child doesn’t seem to work, you can shift your focus to the Internet to find childcare. So, you have asked all your friends, colleagues, and neighbors about a reliable sitter but you still couldn’t find the right one. But have you considered checking for a review on iparentinglife? Online sitter services are not only a time-saving way to find the perfect caregiver but also offers you a huge pool of caregivers to choose from. By reading the ratings and reviews of the sitters from the other families, you can make a well-informed decision and choose the best caregiver for your child.
2. Keep your child’s and your needs in mind
There are a number of reasons why you may have decided to hire a babysitter. Maybe you are planning to get back to your career but can’t leave your baby alone. Maybe your child needs some help with their homework. Or maybe you are looking for someone with foreign language skills to help your child learn a different language.
No matter your reasons, before you get online to find potential candidates, you must have a good idea of what you are looking for in a babysitter. This will help you narrow your search and will help the babysitters know what you are looking for when applying to your job posting.
Considering your child’s needs should be your top priority. Does your child struggle with their English homework? Or maybe they are struggling to develop their social and communication skills. Why not find a sitter buddy who can help them overcome their challenges while also watching them while you are at work?
The perfect babysitter should also be suitable for your needs including how much time you need the sitter to care for your baby or whether or not you need some help with the housework. Once you understand both your child’s and your needs, you can establish some criteria for what you want to find in your child’s caregiver.
3. Prepare a few interview questions
Now that you have a good idea of what you are looking for in the perfect babysitter, it is time to organize an interviewing session with the potential candidates from your list.
It doesn’t matter that somebody recommended a caregiver as the best you can find. An interview is still essential to make sure that both you and your baby can relate easily with the sitter and that they have all the qualifications you are looking for.
However, in order to make sure that you hire the right person, you should be prepared to ask the right questions. Considering your child’s needs, draft a few questions that you should ask the caregiver. For example, if your child needs some help with their homework, make sure you ask the sitter if they have a particular passion for academics.
Next, you may want to discover a little bit about the previous childcare experience to evaluate how good they are with kids. Don’t forget to also ask the sitter about the kinds of activities and skills they can teach to your child while watching them.
Lastly, make sure you include a few questions related to your child’s safety and wellbeing. For example, you should ask the caregiver what kind of discipline techniques they use with the kids. You don’t want your child to be disobedient with the sitter. However, you also certainly don’t want them to be hurt by the sitter in any way as a discipline technique. So, you may want to find out how the caregiver manages disobedience in kids.
Also, another health-related question you should include is whether or not the sitter is certified in first aid or CPR. It is a scary thought that your child might get hurt when you are not around. But knowing that they are in the care of someone who can help them in case of such a scenario will offer you peace of mind.
4. Observe your baby’s interaction with the babysitter
This is the step when you should go with your instinct. The sitter may sound ideal and come with a dozen of great recommendations. However, if your child doesn’t seem to interact well with them, you may want to reconsider your choice.
Nobody else knows your child better than you do. So, if you feel like the sitter is unable to create a connection with your kid, you should better keep looking through your candidate list. However, don’t let yourself fooled by your child’s reluctance at the beginning. The babysitter is, after all, a stranger, so it is normal that it will take some time until your child will be willing to interact with him or her.
Finding someone to watch over your precious little one can be very challenging. Choosing the right sitter will mean you can be confident at all times that your child will be well-cared for when you are not around. So, use these 4 tips to hire a babysitter that you can completely trust with the wellbeing of your child.
