But if youve never hired a babysitter before, it can be daunting to know where to start.
Here are a few key general topics you should ensure to hit on.
If theyre in school, ask what theyre studying or about their favorite class.
Ask them if theyre involved in any sports or extracurricular activities.
Ask what they like to do in their free time.
Ask about their family, and if they have any siblings.
This neednt be a grill session.
It should be more of a back-and-forth conversationyou should be sharing about yourself and your family, too.
Or if they love to read, maybe they wouldnt mind taking the kids to the library.
Do they have experience specifically with children the same age as yours?
Do they have experience putting children to bed, and what methods have worked for them?
Ask if theyve ever had a childcare emergency, and if so, ask how they handled it.
You could also try giving them some scenarios and asking how theyd handle them.
(For example, you leave and the child wont stop crying out for you.
Or the baby has a diaper blowout.
What do you do?)
If they have prior experience, ask for references from other families theyve worked with that you could call.
If any of the kids arent potty trained, theyll need to be comfortable with changing diapers.
For older kids, you might be hoping theyll help with homework, as needed.
