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Hiring a Baby Sitter? Here Are the Questions to Ask

by Amy Hatch (Subscribe to Amy Hatch's posts) Jun 21st 2010 1:00PM

Categories: Health & Safety Babies, Childcare, Daycare & Education, Teen Culture, Health & Safety Toddlers Preschoolers

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Ask the right questions to find the right caregiver. Credit: Getty Images

Finding the right person to care for your precious little ones can be a daunting task, but there are ways to make the process as painless as possible.

First things first -- do you need a baby sitter or a nanny? There is a difference, says Genevieve Thiers, founder and CEO of Sittercity.com.

Baby sitters, she tells ParentDish, are part-time child care providers who typically come to your home, work less than 20 hours a week for an hourly rate and don't identify child care as their primary profession.

A nanny is similar to a baby sitter, but works more than 20 hours a week and sometimes even lives in your home. Nannies are generally paid by the week and have responsibilities beyond just watching the kids at home, like driving them around or preparing meals and light housekeeping.

Now that you know what kind of child care you need, where should you look? The Internet is a great resource, Thiers says.

"Sittercity.com has more than a million caregiver profiles nationwide," she says. "However, if you are unable to find the perfect sitter on Sittercity.com, you might want to visit a college in your area, which might have job boards or be able to help you find someone."

Other options include looking at your church, temple or synagogue, Thiers says. Once you've identified a few good candidates, be sure to set up in-home interviews and prepare your questions in advance. Some typical questions include:

  • What is it that you like about baby-sitting?
  • Are you OK if a job runs later than planned?
  • Do you have a backup ride home in case we cannot drive you?
  • How many years have you been working with children?
  • Do you have experience in bathing children?
  • Do you live nearby? How can you get to work with us? Car, public transportation, etc.?
  • What emergency skills do you have: CPR, swimming, first aid?
A full list of suggested interview questions for baby sitters and nannies is available on Sittercity.com. Once you've established a caregiver's background and skill level, get down to the nitty-gritty and ask about rates. Thiers says $13 per hour is the national average, but that can vary by geography. The site also offers a rate calculator, that allows you to plug in both your ZIP code and the number of children you have, generating a rate comparable to others in your geographic area.

If you've never had a baby-sitter or nanny before, you may want to start with a "mother's helper," Thiers suggests.

"This provides an opportunity for the sitter to ask the mother questions they may have," she says. "It also allows the mother the opportunity to observe the interaction between her children and the new sitter so she will feel comfortable when she leaves her children with the sitter."

The best advice is to trust your gut -- if you're comfortable with a caregiver, chances are your kids will be, too.

Related: Parents Spend 49 Minutes a Day With Their Kids, Survey Shows

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