Choosing A Babysitter

Even though one of my goals for January was to worry less... I can't help but have anxiety with the thought of leaving my baby with someone other than family. However, Rusty and I decided we should have someone lined up in the event that a family member isn't available. Low and behold, we realized that when we go see Wicked at The Fox for my birthday, we'll need to leave before all of our family members leave work and may want to stay out later than they want to stay out on a weeknight. That gave us a tighter deadline to find someone.

Where I began:

I decided searching on Care.com for a stranger just wasn't for me. I understand they do background checks and reference checks, but because of all the negative publicity they've gotten recently, I was uneasy. Our church doesn't have a college group and with a baby, I wanted a college student, not a high schooler. My brother suggested that I contact churches around me, since there is a college very close to us. I reached out to two churches and a Christian group on campus... I got one response back, but nothing after I followed up with them again.

Next, I went to Facebook and asked for recommendations. I didn't do this first because I didn't want to be bombarded with suggestions or other moms judging me (because apparently being a mom is a competition). My Facebook friends had some great suggestions of some girls who attend and live at the college next to us. I chose a couple of girls from reliable sources and messaged them to see if they were still interested. Two seemed very enthusiastic, so I offered to meet them individually at a Starbucks (I know. I don't even drink coffee, but I assume everyone else does.), just to talk and get to know each other (and to make sure their not insane).

What to ask:

• Tell me about yourself.
• If she didn't hit these, ask:
• What is your major?
• What year are you in?
• What are your goals?
• Tell me about your babysitting experience.
• If she didn't hit these, ask:
• What ages have you babysat?
• How long have you babysat?
• Do you know baby first aid and CPR?
• Are you comfortable with changing messy diapers?
• Are you comfortable with giving a baby a bath?
• Do you have experience putting a baby to bed?
• How late do you feel comfortable staying out?
• Are you comfortable being around a dog?
• Of course, this is only pertinent if you have a dog.
• What is your availability?
• What is your hourly rate?
• If they don't say, ask for a range. Definitely get her to say something because it will give you an indication on how she values herself.
• Could you give me any references?
• Do you have any questions for me?

I tried to let the conversation flow, but did have a set of questions that I wanted to make sure were answered - to make sure the person I chose was competent and would work well with Adam. You will definitely need to edit the questions depending on the age of your child and the older your child, the more questions about activities and maybe question on how she handles misbehaving.

I hope this helps all the mommies out there who may be seeking a babysitter and may not know what to ask and how to do it. Good luck! We found one that I believe will work out and I hope that you do too!