Babysitter interview tomorrow evening ?'s

Tomorrow I am having twin 15 year old's come over to meet Jack, my husband and myself for watching Jack occassionally 1 weekend night a month. They both have infant CPR and took babysitter courses so I believe they are qualified to basically watch Jack especially since it will basically consist of just being in the house while he sleeps.
What questions should I ask them? Is there anything you do special for your babysitter?

Oh yeah only one will watch him at a time but I figured babysitters who were twins were perfect since I have a spare :)

Re: Babysitter interview tomorrow evening ?'s

Laurie: I did a quick search on google and thought this article was interesting...

Hiring a Great Babysitter
By Lori Garcia, editor-in-chief and Heather Hales, senior editor

Good help is hard to find... and that goes for babysitters as well. Sometimes the difference between hiring a good babysitter and a great one, lies in the questions you ask beforehand, and the preparation you give them. We've put together some resources that will help you pick the best babysitter of the bunch and how to give them the tools they need to be successful.

Finding a Qualified Sitter

•Start looking for a sitter early... don't wait until the last minute.

• Recruit from among relatives, friends and neighbors whom you know.

• Give preference to someone already working with children, or introduce a first-time sitter gradually into the experience, beginning with short, simple situations.

Tips for Interviewing a Sitter

Sometimes getting stuck with a substandard babysitter is more the fault of the parents than the babysitter herself. To be an informed consumer, parents have to ask a lot of questions--and the right ones. Before you interview a babysitter, take these tips into consideration:

Here are a list of questions by the American Red Cross and BlueSuitMom.com that will help get you started.

• Name:

• Phone:

• Citizenship status:

• Age: (they should ideally be at least 16-years-old. If the sitter is under 18, do your parents support your babysitting jobs?)

• Do you have children of your own? How old?

• What other childcare experience do you have?

• Do you still babysit for your prior clients?

• What are the ages of other children you have watched?

• What do you like about babysitting and being around children?

• Ask how he or she would handle certain, possibly difficult, situations that may occur.

• What do you do in your spare time? Any hobbies, other jobs?

• Tell me about your school life. Sports? Activities? Grades? Do you like school?

• What kind of activities do you enjoy doing with children?

• Do you know CPR or other emergency procedures?

• What days and times are you available?

• Would you be comfortable getting acclimated to our family by babysitting a few times while we are at home?

• How much do you charge?

• Do you have any references?

• Do you have any questions for me?



Orientate Your Sitter

• Tour the home and point out such important items as fire extinguishers, phones, circuit breakers, and first aid box. Show the emergency escape plan. Explain how to exit locked doors or which areas of the house are off limits to children.

• Review rules of the home including those for meals, pets, TV and computer time, friends and play inside and outside the home.

• Allow time for the babysitter to ask you questions. Provide a list of key emergency phone numbers such as pediatrician, poison control, police (the non emergency number), family members that live nearby, any cell phone numbers or pagers for you or spouse
.
• Explain possible behavior problems and how you would want them handled.

• Introduce the babysitter to your child... allow them to get to know each other... observe.

• Share the hiding place of a extra key in the event they get locked out of the house with your child.

• Explain how the major appliances work.

• Make sure they know how to dial a pager number if applicable.

• Discuss rules which you expect to be followed

• Discuss any alarm systems and how they work. Don't forget to give code words in the event of an accidental alarm.

• Give a tour of the kitchen pointing out favorite foods, pet foods and any avoidables which might trigger allergies.

• Explain what medications should be given and where they are kept.

• Leave a list of activities that your children like (and where the items can be found) for the babysitter...this will help to keep your kids away from the TV all night.

• Remind sitter about drowning precautions such as bath tubs, toilets and sinks. If possible, tell the babysitter to skip giving a bath. Bathing is an extra hassle and could be a potential danger. Have the sitter help each child wipe their faces off with a lukewarm wash cloth to clean off any grim or food.

• Introduce sitter to neighbors or friends you can depend on to keep an eye on things while you are away.

• Make sure sitter knows address and phone number of your house in the event of a call to 911.

• Discuss clearly her responsibilities

• If there are any household chores which she will perform, demonstrate how you feel they should be done.

• Discuss what privileges you wish to extend to her such as foods she can eat, cars she can drive, phone calls she can make or not make.

A Great Idea...Want your babysitter to be CPR certified? Why not flip the bill?
Most Community Centers or Hospitals offer CPR classes, if you have a favorite babysitter that you use frequently, offer to pay for him/her to take a CPR class. Some places also offer free "babysitting" classes, that give ideas and tips on taking care of young children.

Here's the link:

Mommy Chic

Re: Babysitter interview tomorrow evening ?'s

Laurie,

Can I ask where you found them? I need a similar situation, just a once in a while babysitter, but I don't know where to begin!

Thanks, and good luck!!!

Re: Babysitter interview tomorrow evening ?'s

Cathy,

Thank you for googling that for me. We are switching to DSL next week because our cable internet isn't reliable so I appreciate the help.

Stacy,

Our homeowners association has the Red Cross Babysitter course and CPR classes every 6 weeks and then they have a phone list of about 35 girls and a few guys who are available for babysitting that live in our subdivision. It works out nice because in most cases you know some of the girls through somone else, we know that they took the courses and also they live close to the house. I grew up in the Plainedge SD and I know the local library offerred the classes and also had a list or you could leave your number you might want to try that or call your local high school and ask the gudiance couselors or whoever runs NHS if they know of anyone.