By Stephanie Vozza

You wouldn’t walk up to a teenage girl at the mall, ask her to hold your purse and walk away, but trusting your children with a new babysitter can feel just like that. So how do you find a good sitter – someone you can trust?

Other parents are often great sources of sitters … if they’re willing to share! Be sure to ask for feedback, positive and negative. Some churches, synagogues and neighborhood associations have lists of members who are available for babysitting. High school and college campuses often have newsletters or bulletin boards where you can post jobs, or small, community newspapers offer domestic help wanted postings. Or consider a co-op where parents take turns watching each other’s children for evenings out.

In our high-tech age, a convenient source of sitters is online referral agencies, such as Sittercity.com or Babysitters.com, which match parents with local sitters and provide feedback and other resources. You can also attend a mom/babysitter matching party, such as the events held by Mommy Mixer. These are typically held in college towns and charge a fee to the parent to attend.

Babysitting is a job, so treat it like one. Don’t be afraid to interview potential sitters and ask for references. It’s normal to expect a babysitter has had some kind of safety training. The Red Cross offers a six-hour Babysitter’s Training Course in many communities.

Look for a sitter with lots of previous experience, but one of the most important things to look for a personality that will mesh well with your children. Once the sitter has passed your screening, introduce her/him to your child and observe the interaction.

Continue to assess the job your babysitter is doing. Watch your child for changes in behavior when the sitter is around. Come home unannounced to see the sitter in action. And trust your gut. Motherly intuition is an amazing tool!

Thanks, Stephanie!

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