A babysitter or nanny is a professional caretaker who temporarily takes care of your child after a formal training. They have become a necessity for the working couples. But finding a good babysitter, who fulfils all your requirements, is very difficult. Most of the parents panic at the thought of employing a complete stranger. There are some common issues that every parent face usually while hiring a babysitter.
To make this task a little easier for you, here, we are listing 10 things you need to consider when hiring a babysitter.
Choosing the Right Babysitter
1. Contact a good babysitting agency with a strong reputation and finalize a candidate – Firstly, contact an agency with a good reputation. They will not only do the work of finding a good babysitter for you but also create a contract between you and the nanny and complete the legal paper works. Hiring a babysitter with the help of an agency is the safest option, until and unless you have a complete understanding of all the legal aspects.
2. Interview the candidate properly – Every family has a set of different and unique needs. Ask her various questions that relate to your family. Enquire about her previous works, why she left those and whether she has those qualities that you are looking for. Tell her about what type of parents you are, your parenting style and discipline that you have at your home. Ask her if she is willing to follow your lead. Ask whatever you want related to her babysitting style and what her requirements are.
3. Consider the candidate’s experience in babysitting – Experience is one of the most important factors that need to be considered while hiring a babysitter. Not every nanny can have decades of experience but it is important to know about their working history. A nanny should have at least a year of experience as a professional childcare provider. It is important to know beforehand that whether they have dealt with a situation of emergency and how they have responded to it.
4. Do your social and cultural values match? – You are letting someone take decisions for your child on your behalf. So, it is important to know whether you and your nanny share the same cultural and social values. You can tell them about yours, but it is definitely more helpful if both of you share the same set of values and beliefs.
5. Consider the candidate’s education – It is important for you to know about your babysitter’s educational qualifications. Though most of the agencies require only a high school degree; a college degree or an applicable professional certificate is a bonus. With a good education, she will be able to take better care of your child.
6. Check how your child and the candidate get along – After all, your child will be the one who is going to stay with the babysitter in your absence. So, it is your responsibility to check whether they are getting along well with each other or not. If your child does not like her or does not want to be with her, there is no use of hiring a nanny.
7. Trial day – If you are not taking the help of an agency, it will be great if you arrange a trial day for the babysitter, a day before she starts working for you, in order to check whether she fits in your family or not, fulfilling all your requirements.
8. Background check – If you are using an agency, they will do a background check for you but if you are not, it is recommended to do it on your own. Find out if the candidate’s work is legitimate and whether she is certified to take care of children or not.
9. Trust your instinct – Always trust your instincts. If you do not feel good about the candidate regardless of her qualifications, how good she appears on papers and what the agency and her formers employers say – do not hire the candidate. If she does not respond to your texts and calls, does not come on time, basically, is irregularly in communication, show her a red flag.
10. Get a backup plan – Many parents have reported that they have two or more babysitters in order to avoid last minute cancellations, sickness, and other conflicts. It is good to have a backup plan in case of last minute changes.
Hence, we have mentioned some points you need to consider when hiring a babysitter. Finding a reliable babysitter can be very strenuous but once you find a good one, your life will a lot simpler than before. If you are clear about your requirements and expectations, it would not be a tough task.