10 Questions to Ask a Potential Babysitter

10 Questions to Ask a Potential Babysitter

As busy moms, we can all get overwhelmed from time to time and we need a break away from the kids for a few hours at least. If you don’t already have a family member that’s willing to help out with the kids you may look into hiring a babysitter. A lot of people are fearful of leaving their children with others, but there are many reputable services and websites you can use to find sitters you can trust. When you are ready to conduct a face to face interview with your potential babysitter, you should keep these questions in mind.

10 Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Potential Babysitter 

1. What are your previous experiences in childcare? You want to know how many years experience in childcare your potential babysitter has, if she can provide references, and if she is willing to do a background check.
2. What is your availability? Find out in advance when your potential babysitter is available to watch your children. Keep in mind you may need a few back up sitters in case your regular sitter isn’t available when you need her.
3. What are your hourly rates? You want to know up front what your potential babysitter charges to watch your children by the hour. You don’t want there to be any surprises in the final price when you return to your children.
4. Do you have your own transportation? This is a really important question. I’ve had sitters ask if I could pick them up. The answer is NO! Your potential sitter should have her own reliable method of transportation.
5. How do you handle emergencies? If an emergency situation were to arise, what would your potential babysitter do? You want to make sure the proper steps are taken to keep your children safe.
6. What do you do in your spare time? It’s important to know what kind of person your potential babysitter is, and how she spends her time is one indication as to whether she would be good around your children or not.
7. Is she on Facebook, and if so is she willing to share her profile with you? Yes, I ask my potential babysitters if I can take a peek at their Facebook pages. I don’t want to friend them, but I do want to know what they talk about and the kinds of things they share with their friends.
8. How do you handle disciplining children? You want to know if your potential babysitters methods for discipline are in line with your families and how she would handle the children if they were to fight with one another or misbehave.
9. What kinds of activities do you plan to do with the children? What does your potential babysitter have planned to keep the children occupied for the hours you are away?
10. Do you have any health issues that would interfere with you watching the children? Does your potential babysitter have any illnesses that would prevent her from caring for your children? You want to know what they are and what she does to treat them.

Of course you can add or take away from this list as you wish, but you can use this is a starting point for Questions to Ask a Potential Babysitter. Are you going to use any questions on my list or do you have any to add? Let’s connect! Leave a comment or find me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @mommyweek #mommyweek.

Ashley