Babysitter Wanted: How to Find One

You're thinking of putting up a babysitter wanted sign. You may think from then on that everything will move on smoothly. The truth is that looking for a sitter and hiring one can be stressful and time consuming. It is even more so if you do not know where to start. Here's what you should do when you need to hire a sitter.

Start the Search

The most logical first step is to actually start looking. There are a couple of sources that could offer you some good babysitter prospects. You could ask for a recommendation from your friends or neighbors. You could also contact newspaper ad posters or post an ad of your own.

An Agency - Another option would be to look for a babysitter in an agency or in a sitter service. These days, agencies and services are easier to access because of the internet. Some online services are now quite cheap and very efficient in providing you with good help.

Find Out How Much

Once you find some prospects, you have to find out how much they are worth. Determining a sitter's rate is not as easy as consulting the average rates in your area. The rate of your sitter would have to depend on the specific situation. You would, for example, definitely have to pay a high rate for sitters with a lot of experience. Higher rates can also be given to those who are expected to work late, watch over a lot of children and perform tasks other than child minding.

Research on Background

Your search doesn't end there. Your efforts don't end when you take down the babysitter wanted sign. As soon as you find a babysitter, you have to make sure that she is absolutely the right person for the job. You have to be extra sure because you are putting the lives and safety of your kids on her hands. It would therefore be best if you interviewed your sitter extensively first. Ask her for details of her experience and if she is used to handling kids with the same ages as yours. Dig into her references too.

Chat with Your Sitter

House and Sitting Rules - If your sitter checks out okay, then you have to discuss house and sitting rules. This is important because you want your sitter's rules to be consistent with yours. You would also want to make the experience of minding your kids as easy for your sitter as possible. The best way to do this is to give her in advance the set of house rules that you would want her to follow when minding your kids. This will give her clear guidelines to follow pertaining to bed time, meal time and dealing with bad behavior.

Find Out If Kids and Sitters Match

Find out if kids and sitter match. It would be a good idea to have a first session trial. Have your sitter mind your kids for a few hours. After the initial session, ask both your sitter and your kids how everything went. It would be best to speak to them separately so that both parties would be comfortable telling you honestly about the experience.