Skip to Content

HOW TO CHOOSE A BABYSITTER FOR YOUR KIDS

How to choose a babysitter for your kids can seem like an overwhelming task.

It can be incredibly difficult to trust someone else to care for your children, and it can be even harder to find the right person to do it.

Finding a reliable babysitter for your kids isn’t impossible.  There are just a few things that you need to look for.

How to find a babysitter for your kids

HOW TO CHOOSE A BABYSITTER FOR YOUR KIDS

This page may contain affiliate links for your shopping convenience. The links help support the blog as we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, our readers.

WRITE A LIST

You may think that your needs are rather simple.

You want someone to watch your children and keep them safe. There is a lot more to it than that though.

It is a good idea to write out your needs so that you will be able to narrow down your choices later.

  • AVAILABILITYConsider how often you will need their babysitting services, and how many hours you will need them for. You should also be aware of what their schedule looks like in case you may need them on short notice.

  • DUTIESOutline things that you would expect your sitter to do. Things like driving, cooking, and homework are all tasks that your sitter may need to perform, so it’s a good idea to make sure they are able to do those things.

How to choose a babysitter

HOW DO I FIND A BABYSITTER IN MY AREA?

USE RELIABLE RESOURCES

When looking for the right babysitter for your children you will want to make sure that you are using the correct resources. The best way to find a quality sitter is by word of mouth.

Ask other parents if they know of anyone and make it known at your church group or school that you are looking.

If you don’t know anyone you can ask for referrals, you can use websites dedicated to finding a babysitter. Just make sure that you read the reviews well.

SCREEN CANDIDATES

  • INTERVIEWS — It is important to make sure that you conduct face to face interviews and ask as many questions as you can of candidates.

  • CALL REFERENCES — Make sure to check your candidate’s references thoroughly.

  • DO A TEST RUN — Doing a test run will allow you to see how well your sitter interacts with your kids before you commit to a long-term relationship.

How to choose the right babysitter

HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY A BABYSITTER?

When you are interviewing potential candidates, it might be uncomfortable to talk about wages, but it is an important conversation to have.  The cost of paying a babysitter will vary from city to city.

If you’re looking for a nanny or someone to be a long-term childcare provider for your children, check out these books:

Nannies, Au Pairs & Babysitters: How to find and keep the right in-home child care for your family

ABC Nanny Guide: How to find and keep your ideal caregiver

Finding a babysitter isn’t an exciting process but it doesn’t have to be an awful either. Just make sure that you write out what you expect, use reliable resources and screen your candidates thoroughly.

You can sign-up to get an email update each day. You can also connect with us on: