9 Tips for Hiring A Sitter

Just last week, I noticed that a mom posted on FB that she was looking for a part-time babysitter to receive her children after school, do homework, fix a snack, and play with her children. I'm sure she's not alone with this request, so I wanted to share this with you.

A few years ago, I registered with www.SitterCity.com to help in my search for local sitters.  At the time, we didn't have family nearby to help with childcare, with the exceptions of weekends, so this came in handy. Currently, we use our teen neighbors to watch the children.  However, back then we were very fortunate to find a few reliable sitters using www.SitterCity.com.  Two of the sitters we hired were graduate students living in nearby Hempstead and another sitter lived right here in Valley Stream.  One young lady we still utilize to this day when our teen sitters are busy with school work and activities.

Here are my recommendations for hiring a sitter:

1.  Know your needs from a sitter and stick to them
2.  Ask for references and call them
3.  It's best that the applicants have completed and passed background checks
4.  Ask for photo ID
5.  Do not let the applicant meet your children until they have passed the first round of interviews
6.  Sitter should be certified in First Aid
7.  Valid drivers license (if you need the sitter to transport children to/from activities)
8.  Interview applicants at an offsite location other than you home.
9.  Trust your gut!

Sittercity.com Back-to-School Savings - 20% off memberships w/code SCHOOL20 expires 8/31

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