If you’ve never dealt with a babysitter before, you may not know how exactly what to expect. If you’re new to parenting, you might feel you are grasping at straws when it comes to the whole babysitting experience. The truth is, it’s not a complicated business. Babysitting visits generally go smoothly, and all those scary rumors are usually one-in-a-million incidents. But just to ease your anxiety, here’s a brief guide.
-Expect not to find a babysitter instantly. If you already know beforehand when you are leaving your children alone in the house, start searching the moment you know. Expect to do a little work. Put up posters and flyers, hit local colleges, ask all your relatives and friends. You can also search for them in online agencies- which is usually the fastest, most reliable option.
-Expect to pay her around three to five dollars hourly. That is the usual rate for an American sitter. Also expect certain factors to affect her rate- such as her years of experience, training, or if you tell her to do special tasks.
-Don’t expect her to accomplish extraordinary results such as transforming your rowdy children into little angels overnight. This is not going to be the real-life version “The Sound of Music” or “Mary Poppins”. She should, however, be able to develop good rapport with your children. But if your children are extraordinarily difficult, you should understand if she has a bit of trouble doing so.
-Don’t expect her to care for a sick child or relative, or to take care of your pets. If you want her to perform any tasks outside the usual babysitting duties, agree with her beforehand.
-Expect her to stay in the house, not to leave it at any time, and to not invite any guests without your permission. Make this very clear to her, because it could put the safety of your children at risk.
-Expect her to give you a detailed account of the events of her visit, and her personal feelings about the experience. This is important in assessing whether she was an effective babysitter and whether you would like her to sit for you another time.
Once you have gone through a few babysitters, it will become easier for you to locate them and deal with the whole babysitting experience without much trouble.
By: Rashel Dan
About the Author:



