Questions to Ask Potential Babysitters

• Choosing who to trust with your child's well-being is a huge responsibility for a parent. Babyfuss image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com

  Entrusting your children into the care of others is a daunting and anxiety-inducing task, particularly for new parents. Asking a few simple questions when you interview a potential babysitter is a great way to put your mind at ease and allow you to get more out of your time away from your children. It will be easier to concentrate on the task or event at hand knowing your children are well-cared for.

Basics

• What days and hours is the potential sitter available? What does she charge? What activities might she plan for your child? Does she know how to cook? Change a diaper? Administer medications? Does she have transportation? Is there someone she can turn to in case of emergency if you're unavailable? Is she a smoker? Does she have a criminal record?

Experience

• How old is the potential sitter? How long has he been babysitting? Does he have experience with children of varying ages? Does he have younger siblings or children of his own? Has he ever experienced an emergency situation while babysitting? If so, how did he handle it? What was his worst childcare experience? The best?

Health and Safety

• Is this person trained in first aid or CPR? If the child is to go to the sitter's house, are there guns in the home? Is it childproofed? Does she know the Heimlich maneuver? Does she know who to call in case of emergency? Is she familiar with shaken baby syndrome and SIDS? If the sitter will be driving, what is her driving record? Is she comfortable with children riding with her?

Discipline

• How does the potential sitter discipline unruly children? Would she follow your guidelines in this regard? Has she ever spanked or physically punished a child? What is her solution to a crying child or one in the throes of a temper tantrum? What if a child refuses to go to bed?

References

• Ask potential sitters for at least two references. Then ask the references whether their children liked the sitter, if the sitter followed their instructions and rules and if anything unusual had occurred. You could also ask for a rating on a scale from one to 10 or simply whether or not they would hire this sitter again.