Babysitters

Babysitting is a term used for taking care of young children

while their parents are occupied. The services of a
babysitter are usually for several hours at a time. Perhaps
one parent is working while the other has an appointment,
or a couple is going out for the evening. Daytime adult
classes or meeting venues may off r babysitting services
free or for a small fee to pay the babysitter. The good part
of this scenario is that the babysitter has been selected
and has credentials and/or training for the job.
If you need a babysitter and have to find one on your own,
it is important to get referrals from neighbors, colleagues, a
medical office, a school, or a hospital. Interview the
babysitter before hiring her or him, and if you can, have a
dry run: hire the potential
babysitter for a short time, do something in another room,
and observe the interaction between the babysitter and
your child or children. You may want to observe
interactions in several
situations—playtime, mealtime, and bedtime. Phrases to
Use When Interviewing a Babysitter
➜ Have you babysat before? How often?
➜ How long have you been babysitting?
➜ Have you taken a course in babysitting at your school
or community center?
➜ How many hours was the course?
➜ Did you get a certificate for taking a course in
babysitting, and may I see it?
➜ How old are the children you have babysat for?
➜ Have you babysat (during the day when the children are
awake, during the night after the children are asleep)?
➜ What do you do when the children are sleeping?
➜ What are your thoughts about discipline?
➜ What are your feelings about the children watching TV
or videos?
➜ What children’s (TV shows, videos, games, books) are
you familiar with?
➜ Have you taken a course in (first aid, mouth to-mouth
resuscitation, CPR)?
➜ What has been (the most difficult, unusual, funniest,
scariest) babysitting experience you have had?
➜ How much (do you charge, do you make, do you make
an hour)?