Signs of a Good Sitter

How's your sitter's sense of humor?

Choosing a babysitter is hard. With all of the babysitters out there, it can seem like an overwhelming task to try and narrow down the pool until you find that one, perfect caregiver.

So what makes a great babysitter, anyway? These tips will help you distinguish the great sitters from the rest of the pack!

TWO KEY THINGS TO LOOK FOR

When screening a babysitter, there are two key things to look for.

First, look for energy. We can't stress enough how important it is that your babysitter be alert, excited and eager to help you. An enthusiastic sitter won't resort to sticking the kids in front of the TV while she chats on the phone with her girlfriend for two hours, long-distance. Instead, she's much more likely to use her creativity to organize fun activities, play games, suggest a bike ride, and get the kids outside and moving.

Second, watch for questions. Your potential babysitter should be asking you as many questions as you are asking her. Ideally, she will be clutching a list of parent interview questions that she's downloaded from Sittercity, and in a perfect world, she'll be mixing those questions with her own off the top of her head, based on good old common sense. This will show that she's really listening and responding to the discussion, and thinking critically about her role in your home.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS/MANNERISMS

Beyond the two critical points above, we would also recommend that you keep an eye out for the following:

• An eagerness to meet and talk to your kids for the first time
• Certification in CPR, first aid or the Heimlich maneuver, or willingness to get training for these emergency maneuvers
• Good references that are very willing to talk about the babysitter
• A familiarity with terms such as ADD and SIDS
• A corresponding idea of discipline, and a willingness to work with your discipline ideals
• Availability for at least half a year from the interview date
• A good grasp of healthy food and nutrition
• A good grasp of routine and how to get one started
• A good overall knowledge of house safety features like child locks and fire extinguishers
• A general knowledge of allergies and how to treat them
• A readiness to communicate via phone or in person
• General cleanliness in presentation
• Good eye contact
• A history of working as a caregiver
• A healthy philosophy of TV and video game usage
• Driving experience, and a good driving record
• Spelling! When the candidates are writing you, narrow down based on their grasp of grammar. Care in spelling carries over into personal presentation
• Timeliness! If a babysitter is late to an interview, she will be late to jobs
• Concrete examples of babysitting situations that they have handled and resolved in the past
• A sense of humor

HOW SITTERS ANSWER QUESTIONS

While interviewing a babysitter, don't stick just to basic questions and answers. Ask them behavioral questions about how they would deal with a theoretical situation, such as a power outage, fire or tantrum. Watch how the babysitter replies. If she has to think about her answer, she probably has less experience with kids. If she has an answer on the tip of her tongue, she has more relevant child care experience.

BEHAVIOR OUT OF EAR SHOT

If you are using the babysitter as a mother's helper for a small while as part of the interview, which is a great idea, remove yourself from the area that they are playing in, even to another room, and then listen to make sure that the sitter's demeanor doesn't change. Try to convince her that you are not paying attention, but listen the entire time to determine both if your kids like the babysitter, and also to see if the babysitter has a gentle but firm touch.