Hiring a Babysitter, Step-By-Step

Step one: sit back, relax and let the sitters find you. Really!

At Sittercity, we always recommend that you follow a clear routine when hiring and screening a babysitter. Best if you avoid a totally blind trial-and-error process that will waste your time and efforts.

Since you're going to be letting someone into your home, into your life and around your children, you'll want to make sure that you don't cut any corners during the hiring process. To help ensure that things go smoothly, we'll walk you through what we've found to be the best babysitter hiring process, step by step.

POST YOUR JOB ON SITTERCITY

Though you're always welcome to search through the sitters, an even easier way to find someone to care for your children is to post a job and let the babysitters contact YOU. It sounds counterintuitive, we know, but it really does work. So kick back, have a cocktail (ha! If life were that easy, would you really need a sitter?) and wait for the eager responses to roll in.

CULL RESPONSES AND PICK YOUR TOP TEN

We've got some awesome babysitters on our site, so odds are you'll come across a slew of local Super Nannies who have faced earth-shattering tantrums, been elbow-deep in poop and know the value of a harmless bribe. Narrow down your responses to your top 10 favorites before diving any deeper into the process.

SCREENING STEP 1: CHECK ONLINE FEEDBACK

Will you honestly have time to interview all 10 babysitters? Unlikely. So you'll want to start thinking about getting your list down to a solid five. Step one in the screening process is to check the babysitters' profiles to see if parents have left online feedback that may help you make a decide on your top five.

SCREENING STEP OPTIONAL: PHONE INTERVIEWS

Once you have your top five, you may choose to call the babysitters to chat with them on the phone and get a feel for their personalities. Does she sound bubbly and friendly or like an unenthused Debbie Downer? Listen to your intuition - if something doesn't feel right, no amount of questioning is going to settle those inner inklings.

SCREENING STEP 2: IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS

Armed with your Sittercity list of interview questions, ask the babysitters the questions you feel most important in determining which one of them is a great match for the job. And make it a family affair - don't be afraid to sic your children on the sitter. Pluck them from their Play Stations and watch them interact with each candidate. If the babysitter can't handle them now, she can't handle them when you're out.

SCREENING STEP 3: CHECK REFERENCES

By now, you probably have your top three babysitters in mind. Time to check each candidate's references. Each Sittercity sitter lists at least one reference in her profile, so that is a good place to start. Call or email these references with the reference questions you've found on right here in our library.

SELECT THE TOP THREE SITTERS

Screening process nearing completion, you've taken the necessary steps to selecting three qualified sitters who are perfect for the job. Pick your favorite and use that babysitter as your primary babysitter. The other two babysitters can serve as backups in case your primary babysitter can't make it to a job.

SCREENING STEP 4: CONDUCT A BACKGROUND CHECK

Don't hire your favorite sitter quite yet. Is she going to be your biggest ally or your biggest mistake? Run a background check through Sittercity's partner, LexisNexis, to be sure. It's only $9.99 and will provide you with peace of mind that's utterly priceless.