Finding a good babysitter is a challenging job for parents. You might need someone to provide child care if your work doesn’t fit the normal Monday to Friday,
8 a.m.-6 p.m. of day cares, or if you want an evening out as a couple.
People in rural areas may need to travel long distances to pick up sitters, unless she has a car and can drive herself.
Always meet the sitter in advance. If necessary, offer to pay her to come to meet you. If possible, have the potential sitter meet your child or children so you can pick up on attitudes and reactions of both.
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Insist on several references, not just of people who hired them as babysitters, but of teachers and neighbours. Call all these references.
If hiring a teenager, ask to meet his or her parents and find out how they might be able to provide support or help with an unexpected emergency.
Always let the sitter know where to contact you. A cell phone is excellent. If at a concert or a social function, set it for the vibrate mode so others aren’t disturbed.
When you return home spend a few minutes talking with them about how things went and pay them for
that extra time.
Set ground rules ahead. For example, if she is going to use the phone to talk to friends after the children have settled down, have a maximum of 10 minutes per call, followed by a five minute break between calls. This
gives you or others a chance to get through.
If you allow a babysitter to have someone over while she looks after your children it is helpful to get to know them so arrange to meet them in advance.
Let your baby-itter know that uninvited guests can create serious problems. Instruct them to call you,
a neighbour or 911 if anyone creates a problem of
any sort.
The more you and your babysitter work as a team,
the safer your children will be and the better the sitter will be able to serve you.
Peter Griffiths is a mental health counsellor based in Prince Albert, Sask. His columns are intended as general advice only. His website is www.sasktelwebsite.net/petecope.
