Want to go out on a date with your husband is the easy part… it is trusting the sitter that is watching your kids!
I received an email from a local Momee friend… she needs advice please help her out : )
“My husband and I have been wanting to do if not weekly (at least twice a month) date nights. My parents and my husbands parents live far from us and we have no other family near by to watch our kids.
How do you go about finding a sitter you can trust? I am a nervous wreck about letting a stranger in my house.
Is it weird to ask for references? or have them come here when I am home first to see how my kids are with the new sitter? also should I buy one of those bears with the camera in it to make myself feel better?”
Well after I had my 2nd child we actually did interviews of people for the position and asked them to bring references. We asked them questions like “Do you have your babysitting course?” How long have you babysat and what age groups?” “Do you drink or smoke?” We also gave them scenarios to answer, “Like my son refuses to go to bed, what would you do?” Things like. We made sure to call the references to. You can also ask around the ciommunity and some agencies fi there is any. You cannot be too careful when it comes to your kids. I hope they find someone they like and trust. 🙂
That is a great idea Tara… You can tell a lot by first impressions.
Thank you and I hope it works out for your friend. Even after my 3rd child, leaving them with anyone is still hard, but so far I have had some really good babysitters. 🙂
Also it is an excellent idea to have your kids sit in on the interview and/or do a test run to see how they like the person. After all, it is them spending time with the sitter and liking her is important.
And I fully agree with letting the child sit in on it. They are the best judges of character. I have yet to meet a kid that doesn’t speak their mind lol