Organize an interview

This will help you to get a better insight into what your future babysitter is like. Prepare some interview questions that are relevant to you, such as: What is their schedule like; Do they have another job besides babysitting; Is it possible to count on them even if you called on short notice; Do they know how to perform CPR; How do they handle emergency situations; etc.

Here’s what else is really important:

Age

This is only your decision and both younger and older babysitters have their advantages and disadvantages. Younger ones will be more available and livelier — they tend to have more energy and are good if you have children who tend to be active and need some extra care. But, on the other hand, many young babysitters are not mature enough and are not really prepared for dealing with kids. Teenagers and adolescents often do this for some extra cash, so their dedications might not be as grand as you may expect. Older people might lack the energy but they certainly know their way with kids, especially women, who already had their own children and some previous experience babysitting.

Budget

This might not be the most important thing when trying to find a babysitter, but it needs to be mentioned. If you have a rather limited budget, then you should really consider hiring someone younger who does babysitting only as a hobby or for some pocket money. Older babysitters usually do this as a full time job and this job presents the main source of income to them — so, their services will be much more expensive.

A kind of a trial

Once you think you've found the right one, you are still not done. This is when you should give them a week or two to see if they are the right choice for your children. Maybe the one you've selected is too cruel or too mild towards your children, which might intervene with your way of raising them.

Don’t forget to…

Tell them all they need to know about your children. You will need to inform them if your children have some health issues, show them where all the medicines are, make a tour through your home, write down all the children’s habits they should know about, such as what they like to eat, when they should take a nap or go to bed, etc.

This includes leaving your phone numbers and the address of your job or wherever you are while leaving your kids with a babysitter. Also, you can write down the address of the nearest hospital, their school, if they are big enough to go to school, and the addresses of all the locations needed. The more they know, the better.

How to find one?

You will have to gather as many contact as you can from your colleagues or neighbors. Finding a babysitter who lives near your home would be the best solution, but not all of you will be that lucky. So, in other words, you will really need to put some effort — don’t settle for the first option you have. You can also try one of those babysitter search companies that will facilitate your job or try to find something good on the internet. At first, it might seem as if none of them is good enough, but know that this is only in your mind and that you worry too much. Once you realize that avoiding this is just a waste of money and time, you will start to realize all the qualities your candidates have.

Of course that all of us would want to raise our children by ourselves, but unfortunately, this is sometimes impossible. Think through this decision and choose carefully, because your future babysitter will also be partially responsible for raising your children, so you better be making the right choice.