Our child is our treasure, thus, it's critical that parents aware of how to choose a trustworthy and professional babysitter or nanny to look after the little one when you're not around.
1. Finding a Candidate
How can you find someone who can diaper like a pro, handle any emergency, and play games instead of parking your baby in front of the TV?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. Tell everyone you know that you're looking. Even the nurse in your pediatrician's office might have a name for you.
- Check with local high schools, colleges, nursing schools, and senior citizen centers.
- Read the bulletin boards (or place a posting yourself) at places where parents tend to congregate, such as churches, supermarkets.
- If your child is in day care, find out if any junior staffers are looking for additional work. The best part is that they are already familiar with your child, making the transition easier.
- Message SafehausUK using the chat box on the right corner of the screen to get a free consultation.
Ultimately, the age of the sitter depends on your own comfort level and the age of your child. If you have a baby, you may want an older teen, simply because younger kids may not have the strength or coordination to hold, feed, and diaper a baby. If you have more than one child, it's probably best to have a sitter who's at least 13. At SafehausUK. we have a babysitters and nannies ready for emergency situation so you don't have to worry about finding one.
2. Interviewing the Babysitter
Go Over the Interview Questions
Consider the answers you liked best to the questions that matter most to you and your family. For example, is it imperative that your children are driven to and from after-school activities? Go back to the answers your candidates gave you about their driving history, punctuality and knowledge of first aid. Do you need someone to prepare meals in your absence? Go over what your top choices said about being comfortable in the kitchen.
While it's great if a sitter gave a good interview, the one who stands out will be the care giver who really shined when telling her stories. For example about how having the children help her bake her famous chocolate chip cookies is a brilliant way to cheer them up when they're having separation anxiety, or how she absolutely loved spending afternoons playing football with the children she last looked after.
Some suggested interview questions:
Job Questions:
- How flexible is your schedule if we occasionally need you to arrive early or stay late?
- Are you willing to cook/do light housework/take care of our family pet? (ask about any assistance you need)
- Are there any activities or responsibilities that you won’t do?
- Do you swim/play sports or musical instruments/like arts & crafts? (ask about any activities that are important to you)
- How many children are you comfortable looking after? (especially important for play dates, visits from relatives, etc.)
SafehausUK babysitters and nannies are professionally trained and certified.
Requests References
Checking references and DBS (CRB) check are a must during any babysitter hiring process. Disclosure and Barring checks (formerly CRB checks) are searches through criminal records and other sources, including the Police National Computer. They can be very helpful when making a hiring decision, because they can uncover potential warning signs about candidates. Whatever type of carer an employer is looking for, a DBS (CRB) check can help reveal things like criminal conduct. In Scotland these are called PVG checks.
At SafehausUK, we do overall back ground check of our nanny before sending them to you so you can a peace in mind.
Evaluate Your Children's Strengths & Struggles
It would benefit you child the most if you can find a carer that can cultivate her/him's weakness. For instant, If you know your child isn't the strongest swimmer, don't be afraid to ask a lifeguard-sitter to practice with him a couple of days a week. Are science lessons proving a bit of a problem this year? Hire a chemistry degree student to tutor-sit. She can create science-based games whilst babysitting to get your child back on to the path of scientific success.
Do a Child Test
Ideally the candidate you're considering should come to your house for the interview, so you can see firsthand how she interacts with your child. Watch her interact with your children. A good sitter won't blink an eye at the request for a trial run. Do you like her style? How about her teaching skills; her playfulness? Are you comfortable with the way she disciplines? How do the children connect with the candidate? After all, they're the ones who will be spending the most time with her, so seeing the child-sitter interaction first hand can be a big help when making your final decision.
3. Closing the Deal
Consider the References
Consider the conversations you had with the families she listed as references. Are the families the sitter has cared for in the past similar to your family? Are the children of comparable age? Did she have similar duties and responsibilities (baths, cooking dinner, homework help) to those you'd like her to do for your children? If your prospective babysitter has had experience handling responsibilities that are similar to what she'll be doing with your family, then it's likely to be an easy transition for all involved.
Make the choice:
If the references check out and you hire her, go over house rules. You can tell your sitter to limit phone use, even after your child goes to bed, and not allowing her to have friends over.
Before you leave, make sure you go over your child's routines together: when he goes to bed, whether he's allowed to watch TV, what to feed him. Most important, review safety and emergency information like your baby's gates and your smoke detectors. Tell her where the first-aid kit, flashlight, and fire extinguisher are located. If you have an infant, remind the sitter that babies should be put to sleep on their backs.
Don't forget to give your babysitter the phone number of the place you're going and your cell phone number, if you have one. At home, post these numbers by the phone:
- Your child's doctor
- The police
- The fire department
- A neighbor who can be contacted for help
- The Poison Control Center's local emergency number
The final step is to walk out the door. But be forewarned: Now that you're free to have an uninterrupted adult conversation, you'll inevitably find yourself talking about — what else — the kids!
Hiring a carer from SafehausUK safe you from all the hustle of finding and interviewing babysitter in urgent occasion. At SafehausUk we guarantee all our carer are professionally trained, certified and got background check.
Further information
Book or message SafehausUK directly from our website http://safehaus-uk.co.uk/ for more information about our professional childcare service.