Babysitters are an extremely important part of every parent’s life. They are there for you when you have to work, want to go to a party, need to run errands, or need a date night with your spouse. However before you let some stranger lose on your kids, there are a few things that you need to consider to make sure that they are left in good and capable hands. The following are six qualities that you should look for in your babysitters to make sure that your kids are safe and you are worry free!

1. A potential babysitter must be willing to meet for an interview, preferably in person, but an over the phone interview will work as well. The babysitter should be able to provide a list of good references. If your sitter can’t, he or she may be either ill-experienced, or may not have satisfied customers

2. A babysitter should be experienced and be able to give you a list of available times when he or she can work, and should be able to answer any questions clearly. Any babysitter with emergency training, like CPR certification is a great plus, but isn’t necessarily common. But it may be worth requesting that any babysitter you use get certifications.

3. A babysitter should have a schedule that corresponds to when you need them to perform the sitting service. If a prospective babysitter cannot work at the times you need them then they are of no use to you. That being said, make sure that both you and the babysitter are clear about your schedules and needs.

4. The best babysitters will have background checks and while it may be too much for you to investigate every person that comes through the door, online directories like Sittercity.com or Care.com will do all of the work for you. That way you know what kind of person you are letting into your home.

5. The best babysitters will get along and interact well with your children. There should be time for your babysitter to interact with your children, so that you can observe the interaction and determine whether or not you are comfortable with it. If you or your children are not comfortable, then you need to find another babysitter.

6. Finally your babysitter needs to be available on a regular basis so that you can consistently use them, and not have to worry about finding more than one. It will be better for your children in the sense that they don’t have to keep getting adjusted to different people.

Sheila Dollarsby has 3 kids of her own and has to sometimes use Babysitters to help her when she needs to run errands. She found her trusty babysitter at Sittercity.com.

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