Introducing A Sitter to Your Kids

You can be pleased with your babysitter and your sitter can be pleased with you but things are not going to work out well unless your kids get along with the babysitter as well.

Whether you have hired a babysitter 'on the fly' or from an agency, you absolutely must spend some time introducing the children to their new friend. Introduce your pets to the babysitter as well. You can find the babysitter of your dreams but he or she is not going stay if feeling attacked or disliked by the kids and the dog.

It is also important that you do not blindside your kids by leaving them in the care of someone they have not been introduced to. Even if your kids are asleep when it is time for the babysitter to arrive you should take care to introduce him or her so they are not startled at the sight of a stranger in the house if they do wake up later.

It is also important to give the babysitter a tour of the house showing him or her any area that you consider to be off-limits to either the sitter or the children.

You should also show the babysitter where to find emergency telephone numbers, the numbers of friends and neighbors and the number where you can be contacted. Leave this information in a prominent place such as on the refrigerator door.

Also make sure that the babysitter is aware of any medical conditions or allergies or quirks of any kind that your child might have. For instance if a child walks in his or her sleep or has nightmares this is a condition that he or she should be informed of.

If you do not want your babysitter to entertain visitors while you are gone then make sure you make that clear.

The purpose of this introduction is to familiarize the kids with the sitter and in turn familiarize the sitter with the routines of your household including snacks, chores, bedtime, homework and other activity.

Make it clear what is allowed and what is not allowed and outline how you discipline children. This communicates to the children that the babysitter is not someone to be taken advantage of.

It is also a good idea to let both the babysitter and the kids know when you will be home and then keep your promise. This builds trust between everyone!

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How to Check A Babysitter’s References

It's all too sad but true but some parent's do not check out a babysitter's references because they consider it time consuming or simply because they are not sure what to ask. This is not a good idea because you do not want a stranger looking after your child – God knows who this person is and what was in their past.

Of course it is important to look at a potential references record because that is the only way you can find out information about your babysitter's competence.

Generally it is recommended that you get a minimum of three references (unless your babysitter is quite young and you are aware that you are part of the learning curve!)

Below is the minimum amount of information that you need to get from the babysitter.

Name of Parents _______________________

Name(s)/Age(s) of Child/Children _______________________

Dates Worked _______________________

Phone number/email address _______________________

Here are the questions that you should ask each reference.
How long have you known this babysitter?
Does this babysitter currently taking care of your child?
How long did the babysitter care for your child/children?
How old were your children at the time?
How many hours did the babysitter work? If regular, what was the schedule?
Why did babysitting arrangement end?
Did the babysitting experience with this person hold any disappointments for you?
What would you say is this babysitter's greatest strength?
Was the babysitter good at interacting with your children?
Did the babysitter participate in activities with your children.
How did the babysitter discipline your children?
Did the babysitter return calls promptly?
Was the babysitter on time for babysitting gigs?
Did the babysitter handle any emergencies for you and if so what happened?
How would you compare this babysitter to other babysitters you have hired?
If you needed a babysitter tomorrow would you hire this person again? If no, why not?
Not every single one of the suggested questions above may apply to your situation but the more thorough you are about asking questions of your babysitter's references the more you will know about his or her capabilities and the quicker you will be able to build up a trusting worker/employer relationship.

Many moms skip this step thinking they just have good intuition. However the trickiest people are the most charming. If your kids are important to you I highly advise you not to make the mistake of judging a book by its cover.

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