What to ask about a potential babysitter?

bigSmile

Mon, Jul 13 2015, 12:17 am

I am looking for a babysitter for my newborn daughter for when I will go back to work in a few weeks. What should I ask references about the babysitter?

Thank you!

Last edited by bigSmile on Mon, Jul 13 2015, 9:06 am; edited 1 time in total

AmericanIsraeli

Mon, Jul 13 2015, 4:07 am

Are you talking about a morning babysitter or teenager?
If it's for a playgroup then here are my tips.
you can ask alot of questions.
For example: how many kids does she take? How does she run her playgroup? does she have a routine / schedule? where do the babies sleep? how does she feed them? How much space do they have to roam around...
BUT I recommend that you go to her to sit there for like an hour and watch the way she interacts and handles the stress. and you'll have all your answers.
Good Luck!

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Jul 13 2015, 7:40 am

Is she on time/reliable?
When the baby gets a bit older- does she play with the babies?
Does she do non baby stuff (phone calls, etc) while the babies are awake?
There are some slight nuanced differences if this is a women who babysits a few babies in her own home or if she would come to you.

1091

Mon, Jul 13 2015, 11:01 am

To ask the babysitter or her references?

For the babysitter: I know this will sound strange but you may want to get a feel for her cultural background - why? because in some countries it is not unusual to leave sleeping babies alone in a house. I learned this the hard way and when I met with potential babysitters from the same country and asked about it - they said it's not so strange in that country.

For the references: try to get a feel for her reliability

sky

Mon, Jul 13 2015, 11:19 am

Ask for references and call them. Ask if you can stop in and see the babysitting group.

How many kids does she take? What is her maximum? What happens if a sibling is born to a child she is already babysitting - will she take that child as well?
What happens when one of her children are sick?
What is her rule for sick babies in general?
What happens if she has to take a day off (she is sick, child has a school play)?
What is her schedule - when does she take vacation?
Where do the babies sleep? How does she put them to sleep?
What toys does she have? How does she clean them? How does she interact with the babies? Does she require them to be on a schedule?
How\Were does she feed the babies - both bottles and for the future food?

ETA: oops sorry. these are questions for the babysitter.

For references:
Was your baby happy to go? How long was the adjustment?
Did she address your concerns, follow your requests?
Were kids relatively clean?
Was she attentive?
How did she address difficulties - like baby not going to sleep?
Do you think she enjoys babysitting. Is she happy to see your child each day?
By pickup and drop off is she on the phone, busy with other things?
Is the house safe? Are the toys age appropriate?
Would you send your next child there?
Did you have any concerns?

Last edited by sky on Mon, Jul 13 2015, 1:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

MagentaYenta

Mon, Jul 13 2015, 1:40 pm

momtra wrote:

Has she ever been in an emergency situation? How did she handle it? Will she be responsible about keeping a log of when baby ate , how much etc

Does she have a first aid certification and CPR? What is her fire escape plan? What are her emergency/contingency plans in case of an accident? Are there working smoke detectors?