Choosing a babysitter for your child care needs is not easy! You want the person responsible for the child care while you are away to be a person of integrity, with a clear understanding of the needs your children have. How do you find a good babysitter and what can you do to keep one when you do?

Remember, having a good babysitter means you can enjoy your evening out, without having to worry about the child care, or lack thereof, going on at home. Start by finding a babysitter whom you trust. This is important, because children under the age of one are most likely to die from an accident. You need to be able to trust that your child care provider is not going to let this happen. Also, make sure they know what to do in the case of an emergency. Ask if they know whom to call if something happened.

So, where do you find a good sitter whom you can trust? Gone are the days of simply asking the neighboring girl down the street. In today’s society, you might not know her name! Start with the circles of people that you know. Perhaps someone at work has a teenage or college age daughter who would do a good job of babysitting. Or perhaps your church has some girls how are known for their baby sitting skills. Then, talk to these girls and find out if they have any references. Explain to them that you want to know a little about them and ask if you can talk to their teachers, their boss at work, or anyone else that can attest to their responsibility and character. Finally, if you are dealing with an experienced sitter, ask if you can talk to other families whom she has provided child care for.

If you like what you see so far, have the sitter over, before the time when you want to go out. Let her play with your kids and see how they respond to her. Do they interact well, or do your children seem afraid and stand offish. Remember, though, that young children are likely to be shy around a stranger, so give them time to warm up to this new person in your home. This accomplishes two things for you. It allows you to see if the sitter will be a good fit for your family and it gives the sitter and your children a chance to get acquainted.

This visit might be a good time to talk to the sitter about the rules of the household. With your children present, they will know that the sitter knows what’s what at your home. The sitter should know when bedtime is and how much TV is allowed.

When the big night arrives, have the child care provider arrive at your home early. You do not want to be rushed as you get ready to go and end up forgetting to tell her something important. Review the house rules and give your sitter a list of contacts. Make sure the poison control number is available, as well as the number where you or another close relative can be reached. Finally, give them the number of your child’s doctor in case nothing else works.

Remember to call your sitter at least once during the evening. This gives her the opportunity to tell you if something is going wrong, such as a kid refusing to eat supper. Give suggestions about the problem to your sitter.

If all goes well, you will have a new sitter for your family for a while! That is, of course, until she gets another job and wants to leave the child care world behind her!

By: Michael Russell

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