interviewing babysitters

oooCarrieB

Sorry if this gets asked all the time, but I'm interviewing some babysitters. My DH is home with our daughter during the day, but sometimes we need a sitter, so I'm interviewing now. Since its just a couple hours here and there or date nights, I'm leaning towards using a high school/college aged sitter. Any advice on questions or stuff I should bring up, outside of the normal - no smoking, etc.?

LoCarb

I'm mobile and not sure of your LO's age. I would ask abt activities the sitter can do to engage in entertainment. Flexibility, travel, food expenses. Do you wish for her to help with household chores while LO naps?

Brit's Luna154

Since your LO is so young, I would do a "fake" babysitting job instead of an interview. When DD was about that age, screened a baby sitter by hiring her to babysit while I did a few conference calls in the other room. That way I could see/hear how she handled a tiny baby. She did great and that led me to trust that she could handle it if I actually left the house. It was worth the $20 or $30 or whatever to have her sit while I was home the first time because it gave me peace of mind. You could easily use the excuse "H and I need to work on X project" or do yard work or something that keeps you nearby but not right on top of her.

christinak22

I like PP's idea of doing a tryout while home. I love having my 12yo cousin come to play with the kids so I can focus on actually getting a part of my house truly clean, so it would be worth the money even for the benefit of having time at home without your LO crawling under foot!

Do you know anyone with a babysitter who would be willing to share? I would definitely be able to trust someone that another person already uses more easily.