How to Choose a Good Babysitter

Full Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLALQuK1NDriHDJphx-1…
-
-
Watch more New Parents Survival Kit videos: howcast.com/videos/217199-How-to-Choose-a-Good-…

Holding out for a cross between Mary Poppins and Mrs. Doubtfire may be aiming too high, but you don’t have to settle for a surly teen either.

Step 1: Ask around
Ask around. The best way to find a great babysitter is to ask friends and relatives for recommendations.

Step 2: Use community resources
Consult your local library, hospital, Red Cross, or YMCA for names of certified babysitters who’ve graduated from their childcare classes. They’ll only recommend their best students and you’ll know the person is trained to handle emergencies.

Step 3: Conduct interviews
Ask the babysitter tough questions about her background and what she would do in tough, hypothetical situations—like if a fire started or if your child was choking.

Step 4: Check references
Ask for references and call them. Be suspicious of anyone who can’t provide any recent employers who can vouch for her.

Tip
Keep the contact info of all your top candidates, even if you don’t wind up choosing them. That way you’ll have a list of screened back-ups if your regular babysitter is unavailable.

Step 5: Let your kids be the judge
Make an excuse to leave the babysitters you are interviewing alone with your child for 20 minutes or so. When you re-enter the room, notice how your child is reacting to the potential sitter. Children are often more perceptive than adults.

Tip
Many emergency crews won’t treat a minor in a parent’s absence without a 'Consent to Treat' form. Get one from your local police or fire department, sign it, and let the babysitter know where it is.

Step 6: Come home early
The first time you use a new sitter, come home 30 minutes before you said you would. This will give you a true idea of how things are, rather than of what the babysitter wants you to see.

Did You Know?
Did you know? Ann M. Martin wrote 131 novels in the Baby-sitter's Club series.