How to Interview a Potential Babysitter
In all likelihood, your new babysitter's going to spend her time on the job making snacks, playing games and making your kids laugh -- but you can't hire a sitter just because she's a hit with the little ones. Anyone you trust to care for your children must also be ready to deal with injuries, enforce unpopular house rules and keep her cool in an emergency. An interview is the best way to discover whether your would-be sitter is comfortable with all the duties she'll face.
Instructions
Schedule an interview during a time in which your child will be awake. Ask the sitter to come over to your home -- though you may also interview unknown candidates in a public place like a park if that's more comfortable. Explain that you'd like her to spend some time with your child, so she should plan to be with you for at least 30 minutes. Ask the prospective sitter to tell you about herself. She'll probably offer some details about her education, hometown and prior sitting experience; if she doesn't, ask follow-up questions, specifically about any child-related degrees she holds and her experience caring for children. Find out the ages of children she's cared for, how many kids she's cared for at once and how long she's worked for previous families. Ask the sitter to tell you why she wants the job. Pay attention to what she says about children; the right candidate will express a genuine love of kids rather than just offering reasons like "I need the money." Talk about her experience dealing with emergencies. Ask whether she's certified in CPR and first-aid, and whether she's ever dealt with a crisis while caring for children and how she responded. You may pose hypothetical questions, like "What would you do if my toddler starting choking?" to get a sense of her safety knowledge. Ask her to explain how she handles discipline, and listen closely to her answer before telling her how you expect her to discipline your own children. Verify that she's comfortable following your discipline policies. Discuss logistics if you sense that you might like to hire her. Ask her how many hours per week she's available, whether she can babysit nights, weekends and around holidays, and whether she's looking for a short-term arrangement or whether she'll be around for the long haul. Explain the type of arrangement you're seeking, and explain your expectations to any sitters who provide acceptable answers to your previous questions. For instance, say "I'm looking for someone whose primary job will be caring for the kids -- but when they're asleep, I'd like my sitter to clean up their toys and wash their dinner dishes. How does that sound?" Bring your child into the room if you're at home, to meet any sitter you'd like to hire. Back out for a few minutes to let the child and sitter interact without you present, but stay close so you can hear and see what's happening. Look for the sitter to be engaged and comfortable with your child. Tell the sitter about your child's routines, suggests HealthyChildren.org. If you hire her, there might not be time before her first shift to go over every detail, so walk her around the house now and explain how routines like homework, bathtime, and bedtime usually go. Ask the sitter for references before she leaves, with at least one reference being someone who is familiar with her child-care experience. Tell her that you'll be in touch once you've contacted those references.
