I don’t know about you, but finding a babysitter is a big task for me. I am very picky when it comes to who watches my children. Some people think that I might be a little over-protective of my children, but they are my life and it is my responsibility to keep them safe. I believe that in today’s society there is never any way of being overly cautious. Because of this, I keep my babysitter expectations pretty high.

For starters, I have three children at different age levels. I need to find a babysitter that can provide attention to all of them without getting overwhelmed. My six year old likes to draw and write stories, which takes a lot of patients in order to help her spell the different words. At the same time, my five year old is very inquisitive and likes to ask a lot of questions about how things work and why. Not everyone can handle question after question. Then you have my soon to be two year old, who likes to do everything that her older sisters are doing. But of course, she likes it done her own way. Finding inventive ways to keep her busy is almost a full time job in itself. Therefore, it is very important that our family has a very patient and understanding babysitter.

Then there is the topic of availability. My husband works very long hours and usually six days a week. Sometimes I need a babysitter for a couple of hours while other times I need them for longer periods of time. Every family is different in their individual schedule, so it is important to find someone who is willing to work with you. My job sometimes calls for me to be there without a twenty four hour notice. I know from experience that this can be a big inconvenience. Babysitters for us need to be understanding and willing to change to our schedule. This is very hard to come by, so keep this in mind while you are searching for your sitter.

With the hours that my family has, it is a high priority to have a babysitter that knows how to cook. With three young growing children, we all know how important it is for them to eat healthy. I’m not saying it has to be a fancy meal. Variety is good. Meat, potatoes, and a vegetable are important to us sometimes. Easy cooking is nice once in a while, but I don’t believe children should have Spaghettio’s and hot dogs every meal. If you can believe it, I once had a babysitter who fed herself lunch but forgot to feed the children. Obviously it has taken me a few tries to get the right babysitter for my girls.

A lot of people don’t think that a little bit of cleaning is important. Our family prefers it. My husband and I have such different work schedules that coming home to a very dirty house is not acceptable. Now I’m not talking about dusting, vacuuming, and moping. If they do activities together, I prefer that these items be put away. I only expect the dishes from a meal be done, leftovers put away, and the counter and stove be wiped off. I have had babysitters that don’t even take the plates off the table. Who wants to come home to that? Make sure you know exactly what you expect out of a babysitter, you never know what surprise you could get.

One other major point that a lot of families don’t think about, is the importance of routine. I like for my babysitters to stick with the schedule that I have for my children. If it is during the daytime, I like the girls to eat lunch around the same time everyday and have their scheduled naps. I don’t know about you, but I can always tell when they didn’t have their nap. The same goes for the evenings with dinner and bedtime. If your children are used to a routine, my advice is to make sure your babysitter understands it and follows it when you are away. It truly makes things easier for everyone.

I hope you take some of the information that I have provided you with and use them in search for the right babysitter for your family. As long as you stick to what you believe in, you will find a babysitter that will fit right into your family. This will make you and your children extremely happy.



By: Michelle Buee

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