My son is a year and a half now and we still don’t have a babysitter. We are lucky in that his grandparents are all nearby and have been eager and willing to sit for him. We, however, would like to find a trustworthy stranger, so to speak, to be available for us to call on when we want to go out. For whatever reason, it makes me feel guilty asking our parents to sit at our house while our son sleeps……or cries because he is tired and his mommy isn’t home to help him get back to sleep.
So the big question is:

How Do I Find A Babysitter?

I know the best way to find a good babysitter (or a good cleaning lady or a good contractor, for that matter) is through word of mouth. I know I’m supposed to speak to relatives and friends who have been through the process before and may have some valuable contacts. I’m supposed to speak to others at mother and toddler groups or maybe try approaching local day care centers, as often times the employees may welcome the extra income from babysitting. Has that happened yet? No. I have spoken to people, just apparently not enough and I haven’t been aggressive enough in my search.

I’m sure I am not the only one in this quandary, so I hope that the following information is helpful to others.

Qualities To Look For In A Babysitter:

• basic childcare skills: how to change a diaper, feed, play with and comfort a crying baby or an ill child, put an older child to bed.
• enough maturity and practicality to cope in the event of an emergency. (make sure to leave emergency contact numbers)
• previous experience. Particularly relevant is the age of the children looked after and the types of activities engaged in.
• consider obtaining references from other families that support the babysitter’s abilities
• discipline action the babysitter takes with children. How do you feel about this?
• note down their full name, telephone number, address and parents names where relevant.

What Do They Need To Know?

Ask your babysitter to arrive about 15 minutes before you need to leave. Before you go, take the babysitter on a quick tour of the house and show them where food and drinks can be found.

Leave the following information in case of emergency:

• your cell phone number
• the name and address and phone number of the people or place you are visiting and roughly what time you expect to arrive home.
• if you have tickets for a concert, play or show, write down the seat numbers so that you could be contacted more quickly in an emergency.
• contact details of a relative or close friend nearby who would be able to help out in an emergency.The telephone number of your doctor and local hospital.

Some Other Things To Consider:

• would you prefer the sitter to check on your child regularly once he is asleep or leave them unless they wake?
• watch your child carefully while they are awake and be conscientious about safety.
• lock the door once you have left.
• not invite visitors around
• not smoke or drink alcohol while you are out.
• keep phone conversations to a minimum
• stick to rules about watching TV, feeding your child and putting them to bed.
• provide refreshments for your babysitter.
• try to get home at the time you said you would. If you are held up call your babysitter and let them know.
• when you arrive home, check how it went, were there any problems or concerns.
• pay the agreed rate, without having to be asked. Generally, cash is preferable to a check
• talk to your child the following day to see how the evening went and identify any problems.