How to Hire a Local Babysitter

With many parents back to work soon after giving birth, the need for quality childcare has increased enormously in recent years. For parents who value a one-on-one level of interaction with their children, hiring a local babysitter is the best option. While family daycare and center care are considerably less expensive childcare options, care providers are responsible for up to 50 children all at once and can't give your child the attention a private nanny can.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Find a local babysitter to hire by searching the Childcare Directory, part of the Child Care Parent Provider Information Network. The SitterCity website will also connect you with local babysitters in all areas of the U.S. (see Resources below).

2. Check bulletin boards at local coffee shops, churches and schools for flyers posted by available babysitters. Be sure to call any potential sitter at least several days ahead of the date you want him to come--even earlier if you'll be needing childcare on a popular holiday like Valentine's Day.

3. Ask your babysitter for references, especially if the babysitter hasn't been recommended to you by a friend. Call each reference and ask questions about the sitter's style and method of childcare.

4. Invite the babysitter over for a brief interview at your home (with your children present) if you have never met her before. The idea is not to grill her, but to see if you get a good vibe from her and if she interacts well with your kids.

5. Consider hiring an au pair. An au pair is a nanny from another country and can offer your children insights into foreign cultures and languages, exposure that is becoming increasingly important in today's global community. There are a few organizations that are licensed to match au pairs with parents based in the U.S. AuPairCare and Au Pair in America are two good options (see Resources below).

6. Make sure that the nanny has liability insurance. Ask her to provide written documentation that she is covered, and call the insurance provider to check that the coverage is in effect.

7. Make sure that the nanny has had some degree of first-aid training, including CPR at the very least. Knowledge of appropriate medical measures in an emergency can mean the difference between a happy and tragic outcome. Infants and children require different approaches than adults when it comes to medical care, so make sure that the nanny has had child-specific medical training.

8. If you want to exercise extra caution, conduct a background check on a nanny before you hire one. The International Nanny Association provides information on qualified background checking services online (see Resources below). Expect to pay between $20 and $100 for a background check, depending on the level of detail.

Tips & Warnings

• Many parents opt for a babysitting service that matches them up with a qualified nanny rather than hire a local babysitter out of the classifieds. This ensures that the nanny is pre-screened and has the professional experience to provide top-notch childcare. However, babysitter services are more expensive than hiring a nanny directly, and will typically charge an upfront fee.

Resources

• SitterCity for local babysitters
• International Nanny Association for info on background checks
• Child Care Directory for local sitters in urban areas
• AuPairCare to become a host family
• Au Pair in America for information and application

[sheila325]

on 7/2/2009 Thanks for sharing this article. To find free nanny jobs, you can also check out Nannytoyou.com for free online database of thousands of nanny jobs. Hope this one helps.

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