You’ve been given the number to a well-known sitter in your neighborhood. She’s agreed to meet you for coffee to discuss her potentially watching your children. She could be your sanity saver, your golden ticket to footloose and fancy-free date nights. She could be the one: your new babysitter! But first, you need to know what qualifying questions to ask to hire the perfect babysitter so you can enjoy your time off without worry.
Start With the Money Talk
I think it’s critical to get the compensation discussion out of the way first. It’s essential to establish if you and your potential perfect babysitter are on the same page and not to waste anyone’s valuable time. Have the talk first to quickly move on to deeper, more care-related questions. Examples of money questions you can ask include the following:
- How much do you charge per hour? Per child?
- Do you include light housekeeping in your rate? (Picking up after children’s snack, putting away toys, throwing their clothes/towels in the hamper post bath time, etc.)
Bring Up the Baby Talk
Next, let’s talk babies. Hiring the perfect babysitter means understanding that not everyone is comfortable working with newborns and infants, so be sure your caregiver candidate is up to the task. Examples of baby caregiving questions include:
- Are you comfortable mixing formula and preparing frozen breast milk for bottles?
- How do you feel about changing diapers?
- How do you handle it when the baby won’t stop crying?
- You feel yourself becoming frustrated with the baby; how do you cope?
- How do you feel about conducting our bedtime routine with the baby/toddler? (Bath, books, rocking to sleep, etc.)
Experience Level and References Are Big
I am undoubtedly more comfortable with hiring a perfect babysitter with some experience and multiple references I can contact if I feel the need. The following inquiries will help you establish that comfort level:
- Can you provide three references of families you’ve sat for or are currently sitting for?
- Are you currently working with any other families?
- What is your availability? Do you have commitments with other families on certain days?
- How long have you been babysitting?
- In the past, what were the ages of the children you sat for?
Find Out Their Ability To Manage Emergencies
Another huge factor in getting comfortable hiring the perfect babysitter is asking about their emergency preparedness. It’s always reassuring to know my kids will be cared for should something urgent occur while I am away.
- Do you have a cellphone available to you to make emergency calls?
- Are you trained in child CPR and infant CPR?
- Tell me about a time you handled an emergency. How do you feel prepared to react in an emergency while babysitting if you haven’t?
- Our house is on fire. What is your first move?
- Our child is choking. What do you do?
- Tell me a scenario in which you would need to call poison control.
Playtime Prep and Activities
When interviewing to hire your perfect babysitter, end on a positive and ask them about play! How they handle sibling rivalry, and what activities they enjoy with kids. These are all the essential things your littles want to know about their new babysitter.
- If a child breaks one of our rules, how do you respond?
- The siblings are arguing/hitting/fighting; how do you respond?
- Name your three favorite activities to do while babysitting to keep the kids busy/entertained/engaged.
