How to Find and Keep a Great Babysitter

Though not all families require full-time childcare, occasions will inevitably arise in which the services of a babysitter are required. There’s a reason why so many parents speak of their babysitters in reverent tones; they’re not easy to find, and can be even more challenging to keep. There seems to be a surfeit of full-time care options, but a trustworthy and competent babysitter who works on an on-call basis is often a rare gem, indeed. Still, finding a caregiver who is both capable and qualified doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking experience. With a few tips and a bit of advice, you’ll be on the road to finding, and keeping, the perfect sitter.

• Start Your Search Early – The best time to find a babysitter is well before you actually need one. The last thing you’ll want to do when you’re preparing for a big event or a night on the town is balance the responsibility of finding, interviewing and hiring a sitter at the last minute. You’ll have a wider pool to choose from when you offer ample notice, and plenty of time to comb through the candidates until you find the babysitter who’s most likely to be a good fit with your children.

• Ask Around – Because a great babysitter is such a precious resource, other parents may be hesitant to share information. Still, a referral from a trusted source is one of the best ways to locate prospective sitters. You’ll know a sitter recommended by a close friend has relevant experience, and won’t have to worry about leaving your children with a relative stranger. Start working your extended network to obtain recommendations, including your colleagues, neighbors and friends. Even acquaintances with older children may be a great resource, as their teenager could be perfectly suited to the job. Places of worship and community centers are also great places to advertise for a sitter, while trusted online resources can help you connect with professional childcare providers in your area.

• Have a Backup Plan – As with so many things in life, it’s always wise to have a backup plan when you’re hiring a babysitter. Popular sitters may be booked for weeks in advance, making it difficult to coordinate your schedule. Having the contact information for a few different sitters allows you to expand your reach when time is of the essence.

• Pay Fairly – You’ve found a sitter you trust, now it’s time to work on keeping them. It’s tempting to work for the best possible bargain, but this is one area where you may want to skip haggling altogether. A great babysitter can command at least the going rate in your area, perhaps even a bit more. If you’re not willing to pay what they’re accustomed to charging, you won’t be a high priority for future engagements.

• Be Respectful – The freedom of enjoying a child-free evening can quickly go to an overworked parent’s head, but that doesn’t mean you should be disrespectful of your sitter’s time. If you commit to being home by a certain hour, you should make every effort to arrive on time, or even early. This especially holds true if you’re working with a teenage babysitter, even on a weekend evening, as curfews and schoolwork will always take priority over a babysitting job. Parents who show up hours later than they promised often find themselves at the bottom of a great sitter’s priority list, right next to the parents who refuse to pay fairly.

• Have Realistic Expectations – When it comes to their children, even the most reasonable parents can become a bit nervous. While it’s perfectly natural to wish you could secure the attentions of a real-life Mary Poppins, it’s important to understand she doesn’t exist. Even the most qualified, highly competent babysitter may have a price you don’t quite agree with, a curfew which cuts your evening short or a waiting list around which you’ll have to schedule. Coming home to a messy house also isn’t fun, but you shouldn’t expect a sitter to clean up messes for which they are not responsible unless you’re willing to offer more money in exchange for expanded services. Expecting a babysitter to serve a nutritious, balanced meal is reasonable; expecting a gourmet feast is not. Understand what you’re looking for in a sitter and balance those expectations against what you know to be reasonable. Parents who persist in holding on to unrealistic expectations may find themselves struggling to find a sitter when they need one.