Finding a great Babysitter

As a parent you want to be sure you’re hiring the right person to take care of your children.

BABYSITTERS NOW is designed to make the whole process much easier, safer and more effective, both from a practical point of view, but also from a “human” perspective.

Find lovely local Babysitters and Nannies at Babysitters Now

TOP TIPS FOR FINDING A BABYSITTER

Once you get the hang of this, it's much easier. In the meantime, here are some tips that will be helpful:

Be clear about what you need:

Is this a single assignment, could it become a series of assignments, or is it a weekly thing?

How many hours will you need (realistically)?

How much are you planning to pay?

Will you need things like food preparation or nappy changing?

Does the babysitter need a car to get to your house?

Have a look around other Parents’ Job Ads to get an idea of what they are saying, and browse through Carers’ profiles to see what they are offering. The clearer you are before you start, the more straight-forward your experience will be.

Other considerations:

First impressions: Look for profiles that are well written and comprehensive. BABYSITTERS NOW allows Carers to put up very descriptive profiles, so good babysitters will work hard to impress you from the beginning.

Check references and referees: It’s essential to check references of any potential babysitter. Don’t hesitate to phone any referees and ask direct questions – they wouldn’t have agreed to become a referee if they weren’t very happy with the Carer in the first place.

Face to face interview: When you’ve identified a good candidate, make sure that you have a face-to-face interview. Make it very plain what you’re offering and expecting. Ask them what they would do in various scenarios. You will quickly get a sense of their suitability for your family.

Ask About Experience: Don’t be afraid to ask the babysitter about their experience in handling children who are the same age as your kids. Ask them about how often they undertake babysitting duties, what their expectations are from the job and why they think they would be a good babysitter for your children.

Paid Trial: If this will be a weekly assignment, you may want to give the babysitter a paid trial, while you are there. This way you can monitor their interaction with your children and decide whether they are a good fit. Observe how they connect with your children and equally as important, how your children respond to them.

Consider Your Child’s Needs: A good babysitter for one child may not necessarily be right for another child. This is only something that you can judge, but each of your children is unique and may respond radically differently to alternative carers.

Experience: Some babysitters will have worked in several homes around your area and come highly recommended. By choosing a local babysitter it is likely they will be familiar with your neighbourhood. This can enable you to build a great working relationship with a babysitter that you can call on in the future.

Qualifications and First Aid: Many babysitters are training for childcare careers, and will already have some qualifications. And a babysitter that has some first aid training, especially if it is related to childcare, offers a distinct advantage.

Checks and certification: While it is not essential, it can add a lot of confidence if a babysitter has a Police Check, or Working With Children certification. There are a number of checks like this, some of which vary from state to state.

AND… don’t rush: Unless you have no choice, allow yourself a bit of time to find the right babysitter. There are many wonderful babysitters out there, but it may still take a little while to find and engage the right one.

But it’s worth the time and effort. You need to feel absolutely confident in the person you’ve got caring for your children, and finding this person can make your life a WHOLE lot better.

Find wonderful local Babysitters at Babysitters Now

HOW DO I FIND A GREAT BABYSITTER?

BABYSITTERS NOW is designed from the ground up, to make the whole process easier, safer and faster.

We've got the technology, the space for common sense and intuition, and we have the Koalas. We're making Babysitting better, so if that's something you're interested in being a part of, please join with us.

And the great news is - ALL REGISTRATIONS ARE FREE, for life. That's how you find a great babysitter.