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questions to ask when calling sitter's references

sunnybrook.sunnybrook. member
in Multiples

I think I finally found a babysitter! I'm excited at the thought that DH and I can have date nights and I can get some time away from LOs for my appointments and such. She provided references and I'm drawing a blank on what to ask them. What should I ask in addition to how long she was employed by them, how old their LOs were at the time, and their overall experience with her? I found her on CL which I'm not thrilled about, but she is very experienced and DDs and the dog took to her right away. What else should I be asking her references?

Totally off subject - She told me she is praying for twins. When she starts ttc in a few years, she plans to talk to her doctor about using fertility drugs to conceive twins. I just wonder if actually babysitting twins will make her change her mind :)

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Re: questions to ask when calling sitter's references

  • Temp159135562506975Temp159135562506975 member

    uhm- the fact that she is going to ask a doc to help her get twins = red flag to me.

    that's weird as hell - i would not leave my twins with someone saying that to me. It's simply odd.

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  • sunnybrook.sunnybrook. member
    imageGoldie_Locks_5:

    uhm- the fact that she is going to ask a doc to help her get twins = red flag to me.

    that's weird as hell - i would not leave my twins with someone saying that to me. It's simply odd.

    She's a young college student who is just dreaming about having twins one day. She doesn't know anything about fertility meds, twin pregnancies, etc. She's young and the idea of two cute babies is romanticized. She's a talker and probably didn't even give what she was saying serious thought. I won't not hire just because she has a foolish idea that will probably be abandoned before she's married.

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  • baby2121baby2121
    Im with Goldie. Thats freakin weird!!!!!
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  • atc282atc282

    I will be the outsider and say that I don't think she was being bizarre in her twin comments--esp. given her age. So many times when I'm out at stores young (HS or college-aged) girls come up and say "awww. I hope I have twins some day, too!" And like you said, I am sure once she sitts for multiples and sees it's a lot of work it might change (or not) her dream of having twins some day, who knows.

    Anyway, sounds like the Qs you have are in line of what I recently asked refs when DH and I found someone to watch DDs for date nights from time to time. I'd make sure she had her own, reliable transportation and just really get a feel for what feedback the refs say--I knew within a few min. of conversation w/ her former employee that the girl we hired would be a really good caregiver--and upon meeting her myself, she fit all the descriptions her refs said about her.

    GL and hope it works out, be it her or someone else you find that will do great with your LOs

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker,Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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  • groovygrlgroovygrl member

    Sounds like a teaching opp on your part to talk to her about thinking like that. I think there are a lot of young (and not so young) people who romanticize twins &at her age she really doesn't know any better than to talk like that.

    That aside, I would find out why she left the previous families and if she told you anything about them, ask something to help corroborate that. The only reason I say this is that we interviewed a nanny who had all this experience & was so good on paper, etc and even brought a ref letter from her last employer. The letter & nanny said she left b/c the husband lost his job and they didnt need her anymore. When I called the woman, she was pretty up front that they had major diffs in opinion about how to do certain things and that now the mom's sister was staying there & helping them w/ baby.  the mom admitted to 'spoiling' her daughter, giving her whatever she wanted & not wanting to have any sort of schedule and the nanny did not generally operate that way, which IMO was not a bad thing- the bad thing was that the nanny fabricated a reason or stretched the truth a lot. Didn't hire her.

    GL! 

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  • sunnybrook.sunnybrook. member
    imageatc282:

    I will be the outsider and say that I don't think she was being bizarre in her twin comments--esp. given her age. So many times when I'm out at stores young (HS or college-aged) girls come up and say "awww. I hope I have twins some day, too!" And like you said, I am sure once she sitts for multiples and sees it's a lot of work it might change (or not) her dream of having twins some day, who knows.

    Anyway, sounds like the Qs you have are in line of what I recently asked refs when DH and I found someone to watch DDs for date nights from time to time. I'd make sure she had her own, reliable transportation and just really get a feel for what feedback the refs say--I knew within a few min. of conversation w/ her former employee that the girl we hired would be a really good caregiver--and upon meeting her myself, she fit all the descriptions her refs said about her.

    GL and hope it works out, be it her or someone else you find that will do great with your LOs

    I guess I'm an outsider with you :)  If she was older, I'd think it was weird.

    Thanks for answering. I didn't even think to ask about transportation. I just assumed she has a car. She has a lot of references (she sits for several families, works in a church nursery, coaches volleyball), so I'll be able to get a good sense whether she's a good match for us. 

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  • Temp159135562506975Temp159135562506975 member

    ok- being young makes more sense... if it was a woman in her late 20's or older i'd really be creeped out.

    i'd want to know if she was on time or late... anything specific she did that really stood out as being great... or bad.

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