Choosing and Instructing a Babysitter

Entrusting someone to care for your kids can be difficult. Finding a qualified babysitter requires time and effort, but your reward is assurance that your child is in capable hands. Qualities to look for include maturity, friendliness, common sense, and a genuine fondness for children.

The recommendations of people you know and trust are your best bet for finding a reliable and capable babysitter. If you're new to the area and don't know how to go about finding a sitter, ask your neighbors or coworkers for recommendations, inquire at your place of worship, or ask your child's doctor or nurse practitioner for suggestions. If your child is already enrolled in a daycare or after-school care program, staff members who are already familiar with your child may be willing to either babysit or provide sitter recommendations.

Interviewing prospective sitters and checking their references will help you narrow down your sitter choices. Ask about a sitter's experience caring for children and whether he or she is certified in infant and child

Let your babysitter know your expectations before you leave your home. If you'd prefer that the sitter not leave the house with your child, make that clear. If the phone and visitors are off limits, discuss those restrictions.

Sitter Safety

Make sure the sitter knows the following safety rules:

• Don't give your child any medicine without your written instructions.
• Don't leave kids alone in the house or yard, even for a minute.
• Don't leave kids unattended near choking. Foods such as hot dogs or grapes should never be served whole and should be chopped into very small pieces (skin should also be removed from hot dogs).
• Don't let kids play with plastic bags, latex balloons, coins, or other small objects they could choke on.
• Don't let kids play near Susanne I. Kost, MD
  Date reviewed: November 2007