How to Choose the Right Sitter
It would be wonderful if we could stay home with our children all the time, but unfortunately life makes other demands on our time. We have to work to help provide for them and, quite frankly, we need a little time away every once in a while. When you have to get away, that might mean using a sitter.
Allowing someone else to watch your children can be stressful, especially if you are forced to introduce someone new instead of a family member or close friend. How do you start? What is appropriate? Use these seven tips to find the right babysitter.
1. Ask for referrals.
You aren’t the first person in the world to need a sitter. Talk to your relatives, friends, and neighbors, especially if their children are similar in age to your kids. Ask them if they know or have used anyone who’s reliable, safe, and interactive with your children.
2. Do your research.
Learn anything you can about the person who will be watching your children. If they work for an agency or service, look up the service and learn whatever is available. Google the person’s name for any online information. Find someone else who has used the service and pick their brain.
3. Mind your instincts.
If you have a bad feeling, get a weird vibe, or in any way feel uncomfortable, break the arrangement. You shouldn’t leave your children with anyone who isn’t completely qualified to watch them. Besides, if you’re worried about their safety, you won’t enjoy the time you spend away.
4. Search a bit first.
You aren’t obligated to provide anyone with employment. If you decide your current sitter isn’t quite right, don’t be bashful about shopping around. Try someone new to see if there’s someone better for your children.
5. Observe before leaving.
A five minute conversation before running out the door isn’t enough to determine if someone is right for you and your children. Spend some time together with the potential babysitter to see how she engages with your children, her reactions to problems, and how well she interacts with them. When the sitter leaves, question your children about him/her and pay attention to their responses.
6. Ask as many questions as you can.
When you’re speaking to the person who minds your children, there is no such thing as a silly question. Ask everything. Question them on disciplinary tactics, safety issues, and pose mock situations to gauge their responses. If the person feels like you’re too intrusive, find someone new.
7. See what your children think.
If your children are old enough to reliably give you information, use them as well. What do they think of the sitter? Was he/she kind, or harsh? Were meals prepared properly, or did they eat junk food all day? Did you really go to the park, or just to the backyard?
Written by Holly MacLean from Wee Urban
As a new mom, Holly was driven to start Wee Urban™ to offer the modern family a unique and fresh collection of eco-friendly baby gear and accessories that goes beyond the conventional and explores the exceptional! Tired of traditional pinks and blues and cute motifs, we offer sophisticated designs, “conscious” organic alternatives, practical functionality and superior quality. Using our custom certified organic cotton blends, low-impact dyes, and other trendsetting fabrics, we hope to inspire families to be make better choices and of course- do it all in urban style!
Beyond our organic cotton and azo-free dyes, Wee Urban uses 100% post-consumer packaging and tags for our Wee Dreams™ Sleep Bags. Our distinctive screen-printing is done with 100% eco-inks and are all phthalate free.
We also recycle our remnants and donate as much as possible to local elementary schools to help with arts and crafts programs.
For more information, visit wwww.weeurban.com
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