How to find a babysitter in India

Sometimes unavoidable circumstances may arise when you have to be away from your child either due to job or other personal reasons, or maybe you just want to take a break from routine. Whatever the reason maybe, during such times it becomes indispensable to find a good baby sitter for your child. Finding a perfect babysitter who would look after your child with care is a difficult job especially in India where the whole concept of babysitting is not as popular as it is in the West. Nevertheless the babysitting concept is gradually on the rise since in many cases both parents have to work.

1. You can ask your relatives or friends to refer a babysitter.

It would be better preferable if your relatives or friends who refer the babysitter, personally know the babysitter.

2. Try asking any of your relatives or friends to babysit your child.

It would be best to get someone experienced with taking care of children, preferably old people, like your mother, mother-in-law, aunts , etc.  It is also good enough to find out if any of your friends or relative's teens could babysit your child.

3. You can approach any institute that offers babysitting training and ask if any babysitter is available.

While hiring someone you are quiet unfamiliar with, be sure to talk to them and get to know them well. Do not forget to obtain few copies of your babysitter's id card or any other similar document, inquire into your babysitter's history to ensure that your child is in safe hands, get to know if the babysitter is physically and mentally healthy and learn if your babysitter likes to look after children or is just using it as a means to make money.

4. Inquire a local crèche or a day care center if they have nanny's or babysitters.

Babysitters from crèche will be well experienced in handling children, however make sure that the babysitter is reliable and is in good health. Call as frequently as possible to ensure your child's safety and if possible, you can make someone you know visit your child and check if your child is okay with the babysitter. According to an article in the website www.indiaparenting.com it is more advisable if you installed a CCTV camera so you can check on the babysitters behavior towards your child.

5. See if your maid can babysit your child.

It is advisable to hire your usual maid to babysit your child, because your maid would have been around the child many times and would be aware of your childs needs and temperaments. But make certain if your maid is reliable and if your child can be trusted with her.

6. You can also approach an online service provider or classifieds listing available babysitters in your locality.

However finding a babysitter online is as risky as how easy it seems to be. So if you're hiring a babysitter through any of the online babysitter networks make through investigation about the babysitter before hiring.

The pay for babysitter depends on various factors like number of hours, time of the day, location , etc. However roughly on a monthly basis a babysitter would cost you between 1000-5000 INR (21.12 - 126.70 USD).