Questions to Ask Babysitter Applicants

You personal list of questions to ask babysitter applicants will probably grow, but you can use these as a starting point.

You need to cover a few categories:
Experience
Knowledge
Temperament
History

Some of this information will be obtained from the applicant herself, and some from references. But all of these need to be asked, and verified if need be, because you are placing the life of your child in the hands of this person whom you may not know at all..........

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Experience:

How long have you been doing this ?
What were the age groups of other children you looked after ? (Is the experience relevant ?)
What was the longest period you were employed by a single family ?
Do you have any younger brothers or sisters ? (Experience of responsibility from an early age)

Knowledge:

Do you have a basic knowledge of CPR and basic first aid ? (A nursing background would be great)
How would you.........(Random situation questions)
Do you know how to prepare food and / or formula ?
How do you..........(Random know-how questions)

Temperament:

How would you describe your approach to discipline ?
What would you do if...........(Questions surrounding your child's behavior)
What was the most infuriating situation you ever came across ?
How did you handle it ?
What activities do you enjoy doing with kids ?

History:

Do you have any contactable references ?
Do you mind if I call them ?
Do you mind if I do a background check ?

Lastly:

Is there anything else you want to add, concerning you capabilities ?
Is there anything else, good or bad, that I should know about ?

When you do contact the given references, find out about the prospective babysitter's temperament, her sense of responsibility, her communication with children, and most importantly, her ability to follow instructions, and to react to a situation.

These are the most basic questions to ask babysitter applicants. You con expand on these questions to include special concerns and circumstances, but getting answers to these questions will give you a basic idea of who you are dealing with.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking you can fire her after the first night if she doesn't cut it. By the time you get home, it may already be too late......

Using the services of a professional, reputable agency, will narrow down the search considerably, and take some of the pains out of finding the right babysitter.



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Taking care of children with special needs is definitely not a task for the neighbor's teenage daughter. Under normal circumstances she may be fine, but how will she react if something out of the ordinary happens? Worse, still, how will she react to your child's reaction to the situation? It takes a special kind of person to take care of a child with special needs...

Don't compromise - your child's life could be at stake...

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Search Local Babysitters Today. Find your ideal sitter. Fast and Easy.