5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Babysitter for Your Kids

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While it might seem easy to just go online or look in the newspaper, choose a babysitter, call them, and hire them on the spot, it is recommended that parents and guardians do their due diligence first. Not everyone is who he or she says they are on the Internet, and their online reputation could be much different than what it is in person – they might not be entirely trustworthy or they might even have a criminal record. If you don’t want to put your children in danger while you sneak away for the night for a date with the hubby, it is important to do your research first; hiring a babysitter is a big deal. Here are 5 things to consider before hiring a babysitter for your kids.

1. If you have already done a few face-to-face interviews, it is recommended that you don’t hire them on the spot. You can always have them do a test run by babysitting your child while you are home. Hire them for a few hours during your busiest hours or while you are doing house work, but make sure to observe them to see how engaged they are with your child and how engaged your child is with them. This is a great way to know for certain if a babysitter is a good fit.
2. You also want to make sure you have a set number of guidelines that is required to work for you. Can they perform CPR or do they have certification? Do they have a car? Is there a certain age limit? You want to have this list ready or else you can find yourself buried in job interviews with possible candidates.
3. It is also to important to consider how much experience they have working with kids, especially very young children, like toddlers and infants. Do they have their own kids? Have they worked with kids before? Make sure to ask for at least 3 or 4 references and call them to find out the reason why they left or were fired. You want to make sure that all the references were positive before you hire a babysitter.
4. Parents also want to get an idea as to what their child will do with their new baby sitter. Will they go outside? Will they spend the whole day in front of the television? You want to find a babysitter that can not only take them outside for an allotted amount of time, but also know when it is time to bring them back home.
5. Lastly, it is always smart to do some kind of background check on a possible babysitter. These days, you can’t take everyone’s word for it that they are trustworthy and you can’t go with your first instincts. Even if it is a minor infraction, your children’s safety is of the utmost importance and you don’t want to risk anything. The right babysitter will have a clean criminal record and all the requirements you ask for.