By Karen Morgan
Babysitting
Hiring a Babysitter
QUIZ: You and your spouse want to go to dinner and a movie. You should:
- a. Hire a babysitter;
- b. Throw candy on the floor and hope for the best;
- c. I have a spouse?
Many people who enjoyed my Date Night segment told me, “I would love to have a date night, but I have a hard time finding a babysitter. What should I do?” A wonderful babysitter who thinks highly of your children, who puts their needs ahead of his or her own, who is dependable and reliable is worth their weight in gold! Here’s how to begin…
Ask relatives and friends
Start with relatives that your kids know and like (hint: grandparents are usually free). If no relatives are available, start emailing and calling friends to see who they have used in the past. Make sure to keep a list of the names and numbers you receive. Even if a babysitter is not available now, you may want to call her again for a future night out.
Babysitting Co-op
A babysitting co-op is a group of parents who share babysitting responsibilities with one another. A list of members is provided to everyone in the co-op, and a parent needing a babysitter can call anyone on the list. One parent will sit for another for free, but in return, the parent receiving the services will have to sit from time to time. For each hour of baby-sitting provided, members earn an hour of free babysitting in return. A treasurer keeps track of hours used and earned. If you are looking for a way to save money or want a pool of reliable babysitters to call, a babysitting co-op may work for you.
Online services
There are many online services that offer babysitter profiles and allow you to search by area code or town to find a babysitter in your area. I logged onto gonannies.com, babysitters.com, babysitters4hire.com, sittercity.com, and care.com to test the services and was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly I found several people who appeared to be accomplished and reliable babysitters. However, you should always interview a perspective babysitter and check references before hiring…
Questions to ask during interview
For teenage babysitter…
Full name, age, address and phone number, and at least two references.
Other questions may include:
Do you have any younger brothers or sisters that you baby-sit for?
Have you had experience taking care of other children?
Have you completed any babysitter training, first aid, or CPR courses?
How do your parents feel about you babysitting?
What do you like best about babysitting and being with kids? What do you like least?
For adult babysitter…
Full name, age, address and phone number, and at least two references.
Previous names and addresses, date of birth, driver's license, social security number
Other questions may include…
Describe your babysitting and childcare experience.
What are the ages of children you have cared for?
Do you still baby-sit for any of your prior clients?
Do you have any children of your own? If so, how old are they?
Do you have any special training or certification?
Are you trained in first aid or infant/child CPR?
Now that you've found someone...
Consider a test-sit
A test-sit is when you have your potential babysitter come to your home and watch your children while you're still in the home. She should be completely responsible for the children while you do work somewhere else in the house. Don't hover over the kids while your potential babysitter is test-sitting! Let her do her job and you observe occasionally and subtly in the background. This is also a great way for your children to get to know their new sitter in a comfortable setting, especially if they're very young.
Rate of Pay
Another big questions I got after the date night segment was “How much do I pay a babysitter?” What is a fair rate of pay? Consider the following: What do other babysitters in the area charge? What did your babysitter make at her last job? Does the babysitter charge by the hour or the job? Does the babysitter charge the same for every family and every job? Keep in mind that the time to discuss the fee is when the babysitter accepts the sitting date. Also keep in mind that working time begins when the babysitter arrives and ends when you return home.
Before You Leave
Set boundaries with your babysitter and make sure the expectations are clear. If you have specific rules, spell them out (no cell phones, no texting, no internet, child-friendly TV, no friends over, etc.) Babysitting your children is a serious job and you should expect a serious attitude from your sitter. Always leave written contact and emergency information (see checklist below).
When You Get Home
Do listen to your kids and what they say about their babysitter. As an adult, you can filter out the irrelevant and the trivial. They will likely tell you anything your babysitter did that was different from what they are used to. The fact that she likes peanut butter on her ice cream and they've never seen that before is fine. The fact that she cussed at them or told them they couldn't come out of their rooms for the whole evening is not fine.
Babysitter Checklist
IMPORTANT NAMES AND NUMBERS:
Where you can be reached
Two nearby friends, relatives or neighbors
Fire department
Police department
Poison Control Center
Pediatrician
Hospital (Choose one that is close and offers good emergency care for kids.)
INSTRUCTIONS:
What your child is allowed to eat and drink
Bedtime (or nap time) and how to enforce it
Play activities your child enjoys
Activities not permitted while you're gone
How much television (and which programs) your child is allowed to watch
How you want behavior problems handled
How to use any baby equipment
Warning not to open door to strangers
Warning for sitter not to tell phone caller she is alone, just take a message
Rules for sitter on her use of phone, television, smoking and alcohol
What to do in case of fire or other emergency
Show all entrances and exits, fire and burglar alarms, first aid supplies, flashlights and fuse box.
Post your address and clear directions on how to locate your house (in case sitter needs to provide directions to emergency services).
EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONSENT FORM:
Without parental permission, doctors will only treat children in life-threatening situations. To make sure your child receives emergency medical treatment when he's under a sitter's care, prepare a consent form that includes:
Your child's name
Date of birth
Insurance carrier and policy number
Doctors' names and phone numbers
Important medical history, including allergies and chronic conditions
The following statement: "Any licensed physician, dentist or hospital may give necessary emergency medical service to my child (YOUR CHILD'S NAME) at the request of the person bearing this consent form
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