 |
||
|
Cornell University : Cornell Cooperative Extension
|
||
|
||
| Yates Association |
|
|
Selecting a Teen Baby Sitter |
|
|
All parents use teen baby-sitters at one time or another. The right choice of a baby-sitter can have many benefits for your children. Ideally, your baby-sitter should be mature and adequately trained. When hiring a baby-sitter look for teens that exhibit confidence, flexibility and trustworthiness. To locate a reliable teen baby-sitter, check with several sources. Ask your neighbors for teens they would recommend in your neighborhood. Another good source is a teen group based at a local church or synagogue. Call area high school home and career skills teachers. Students in their child development classes may be available to baby-sit for you. Check with libraries, 4-H clubs or the Red Cross to see if they are sponsoring any baby-sitting training programs in your area. After locating a potential sitter, you may want to interview them by phone or in your home. Have a list of questions ready to ask and take notes as you go. Find out their availability to make sure it suits your needs. Ask what kind of experience or baby-sitting training they may have had. Do they prefer to baby-sit infants, toddlers or older children? What are their salary expectations? If the potential sitter suits your needs, be sure to ask for and check their personal references. It's a good idea for your children to meet a new baby-sitter before the he or she will actually be working for you. During your interview allow your children some time to interact with the sitter. Does he or she respond positively to your child? Do they make eye contact? Does your child seem to have fun with the sitter? Follow your intuition so that both the sitter and your child will have a positive experience. Baby-sitters' rates of pay vary with the age and experience of the sitter. Other considerations include the number of children the sitter will be responsible for, the time of day they will be sitting, and other tasks, such as meal preparation, you may ask them to do. Be sure to agree on an acceptable wage before you leave the house. Some families pay a lower wage to a new or inexperienced sitter and increase the wage as the sitter gains experience and becomes a regular sitter for the family. Encourage your teen baby-sitter and you children to tell you how their experience was. Good communication is the key to happy parents, sitters and children. Cornell
Cooperative Extension Yates Association |
