Advice for locating the Best Babysitter

Trustworthy, dependable and reliable babysitters are not easy to find. There are a few ways to find an appropriate sitter and depending on when the sitter is needed might dictate the finding method. Teens wanting to ear spending money are sometimes good candidates if they are mature, dependable and good with kids. The babysitting hours usually coincide with the teens availability, evenings, weekends and school vacations.


Checking around the neighborhood might find a babysitter or two. Ask other parents who they use for babysitting. Ask the parents if they mind you calling the babysitter to work. It may be possible for an acquaintance to have a teen available for babysitting duty. Knowing the family of the sitter brings some peace of mind to the parents hiring that sitter. Teens who tend to party it up might not be such a good candidate to babysit. There is always the possibility of finding the party is on upon arrival home.


If word of mouth does not bring in any babysitters, check with the local YMCA, Red Cross, the local high school and library. They typically have babysitting classes that teaches anyone who is interested, but especially teens how to babysit. The classes focus on playing games with the kids, how to handle an emergency, questions to ask about the kids under the babysitters charge and sometimes basic first aid and CPR. A babysitter who has taken such an instructional program will be a better choice of babysitter for the kids.


There are a number of babysitting web sites that allow sitters to list their advertisement for babysitting services. The advertisements usually have the background, experience and age of the sitter along with their availability. Parents can scan the advertisements usually by zip code and find local baby sitters. A sitter or known family in the neighborhood may also be listed. The web sites are typically family oriented sites that also has information about how to interview a sitter and how to handle a sitter that is perfect on paper and in an interview but is not that great in reality. They also contain babysitting tips and dos and do nots of babysitting.


Another option to finding a babysitter is a child care agency. They keep a listing of approved, screened and interviewed babysitters, and match potential clients with the babysitter. The sitters are required to complete some sort of training and work on a trial basis before being hired on a permanent basis. The sitters are usually all ages and are available long term, short term, weeks in advance, last minute and on a regular basis. Even though these sitters have been interviewed before being hired by the agency, it is also good idea for the parent to also interview the babysitter. If possible, have the children meet the sitter before being hired. It is important the babysitter be right for the kids and the family.
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