finding a sitter

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Permalink Reply by Marie Mulqueen on March 26, 2009 at 2:32pm

You're right, some people are not as they seem, and you should always be careful when choosing a new caregiver for your children. However, there are some wonderful caregivers out there, who CAN give the same level of care as a parent can. Parent's should not feel bad about leaving the kids with a sitter for a date night, or a mom's night out, or anything else that isnt strictly nessicary. Parent's need a break too, and time with adults can make them better parents while with their children. And sometimes, it benifits kids to have a break from their parents and spend some time with someone else who cares for them and can afford to have time having silly fun without worrying about laundry or dishes or vaccuming. Once a parent has found a trustworthy sitter who is a good fit for their family, I think they should enjoy being able to call the sitter and have some time to do whatever they need or want to do, without kids tagging along.

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Permalink Reply by Heather on March 26, 2009 at 7:56pm

As a childcare provider I expressed to all interviewing clients to go with their gut. I may not be the best provider for your family, as I am for others. ALWAYS check references BUT come on will they really give a bad reference number? I alwasy provide past clinets as well as current client. But as a parent you truely need to be comfortable with your decsion and comfortable with the provider. If you have to interview her several times..then please do!

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Permalink Reply by Sittercity on March 27, 2009 at 5:55pm

Alexis, thanks creating this discussion. We always recommend parents use our 4 step screening to find the perfect sitter for their family. We make sure they have the right tools to screen references, conduct an interview, and run a background check.

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Permalink Reply by KSUNanny on March 27, 2009 at 8:24pm

I completely agree that you should get non-family references. When I was younger I got all my jobs through family/church/school connections, but I don't even list family as a reference now, as I have previous clients information to give to families. I would think that any non-high-school babysitter should be able to give you work references which should give you a better idea. As Heather said though, it's doubtful that any of the references caregivers would provide would be negative (so goodness I would worry if someone with loads of experience won't provide any past work experience references). I'm glad to provide references for all of my previous families and current as well. But you absolutely have to go with your gut and interview first. I worry when a family wants to hire me on the spot with no interview, because, even though I am an excellent caregiver with loads and loads of experience and tons of love for kids, there's always a chance that I might not click for a specific family/child. Every family has different needs/expectations/preferences and every caregiver is different. The perfect sitter for one family may just not be right for another, so definitely, call references (all of them!), and interview, and try to observe how the caregiver interacts with your child.

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Permalink Reply by Anita Allen on March 29, 2009 at 1:27pm

References are ever so valuable.

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