How to Change Babysitters

It can be difficult and scary in this day and age to find a person you feel comfortable leaving alone with your children. Once you find that trusted individual, the prospect of change (finding a new babysitter) can be even more intimidating. There are ways to help reduce the risk and stress of babysitter hunting. Communication and caution are at the core of any good babysitter search.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Talk to your kids. Communicate with your children about how they feel about their current sitter and how they feel about changing sitters. Doing so can give you insight into how much adjustment time they will need.

2. Contact a local babysitting association, if there is one. Babysitting agencies check references and are frequently notified if any parents have complaints about the sitters.

3. Clarify your prerequisites for a sitter. Whether you are working with an agency or directly with sitters, it's best to have a list of your needs outlined beforehand.

4. Take the time to really consider all the needs your family has, even things that you may do unconsciously or may seem obvious to you.

5. Ask a lot of questions in regards to the screening process the agency uses and the specific references of the sitters it recommends. Or, if you are seeking the babysitter without the help of an association, you may require them to provide you with a current background check and DMV report.

6. Interview the babysitters in a setting where you and the sitter can spend time with your children in the room.

7. Communicate clearly all the family information to the sitter, even if the agency told them about it first.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to check the references for the agency.
• Ask as many questions as you feel is necessary. A good agency will understand and be accustomed to parents needing to ask a wide variety of questions before proceeding.
• To get an idea of how a sitter will work with your kids, you can hire them to work for an hour while you are home as part of the interview process.

Who Can Help:

• Better than Botox®? Free Kit

Resources

• Find a sitter by your zip code at SitterCity.com.