Guide to Hiring the Perfect Babysitter

January 28, 2018

Updated July 26, 2021 If you’ve never hired a babysitter or nanny, it can be hard to know what makes a great candidate, especially if you have a newborn or infant. Here’s our guide to hiring the perfect babysitter!

Guide to Hiring the Perfect Babysitter – Basic Questions to Ask Potential Sitters:

• Have you had experience babysitting an infant before?
• How old are the children you have worked with before?
• If you’re breastfeeding, ask your sitter if they have experience in preparing breastmilk. If you feed by formula, make sure they know how to prepare/heat the formula.
• Are you familiar with how to put an infant to bed?
• Do you know First Aid? Are you CPR certified?
• What types of activities do you do with children?
• How do you help a fussy baby?
• Do you have your COVID and flu vaccines or other immunizations recommended by my pediatrician?

Trust Your Gut

When you meet someone for the first time, get a read on them. Do they seem interested in your child? Do they answer your questions with enthusiasm and confidence? Are they distracted by their phone? Parental instinct is very strong and your own instincts are almost always correct.

Check References

We’re SHOCKED at the number of times people don’t check references! Ask for at least two references of non-family members that you can contact by phone; a references’ tone of voice can be as telling as the actual answers. Don’t feel uncomfortable asking questions; you are your child’s advocate and protector.

Are Credentials Important to You?

Many sitters take the Red Cross Babysitter Certification. Is this a requirement for you? How about CPR or First Aide Certification? If these are qualifications you’d like your sitter to have, ask those questions in the interview.

Guide to Hiring the Perfect Babysitter – Now What?

• Once you hire the sitter, make sure that you have all of your emergency info in an easily accessible place. You can copy our Emergency Info Sheet here if you need to!
• If you have a landline, show the sitter where it is.
• If you don’t use a landline, make sure you have a both iPhone and Android chargers in the house. The babysitter’s phone should be charged at all times.
• It’s perfectly fine to use a nanny cam while you’re out and it’s your legal right to have a camera anywhere except the bathroom or other places where there is an expectation of privacy (like the bathroom).  Please be considerate to your babysitter and let them know you’re recording. You never know- if baby has an accident or spits up, your sitter might need to do a quick clothing change! 

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