How to Get and KEEP a Babysitter

It’s so hard to find and keep good help. So hard, that when you do eventually find good help, you want to do whatever you possibly can to make sure nothing goes wrong. If your sitter is great with the kids, great with the family and overall just keeps you happy, KEEP the sitter happy! At this point you’re probably scratching your head wondering how to do that. It’s simple. Just follow these tips.  

Pay well.

If you love you babysitter, show her with your pocketbook.

There’s nothing worse than a cheap boss. When paying a babysitter, consider this: You have to pay someone for a service that not only benefits you, but also your loved ones. Do you really want to take the cheap route with this one? If you decide to be too thrifty, understand you not only get what you pay for, but you also face the prospect that higher-paying parents in the area may be more attractive to skillful sitters.  

Be clear on the expectations.

If you hire a babysitter to watch your children when you are not present, have her do just that. Your babysitter is not your personal assistant, so don’t send her out for coffee, groceries or make her feel like household duties are her responsibility. Be clear with the expectations you have, because if you are, there is no room for error or false expectation. Everyone gets what they want, and everyone goes home happy.

Promises versus delivery.

Emergencies happen—we get it. But if you say you’re going to be home at midnight, do just that. Breaking promises is the quickest way to lose the best help you could ever ask for. Be open and honest and never over promise and under deliver.

Lead by example, not by fear.

Understand that whomever you hire has to meet an expectation in order for her and you to feel comfortable leaving your children in her care. Threats are never the way to go. If you threaten your babysitter, you may not get a positive response. Lead by example. If you want your children cared for in a certain manner, demonstrate what you mean. As a parent, you are looked to as a head of your household. If you let your babysitter get away with breaking the rules, soon your children will think they have the same green light. And if you don’t allow your babysitter to grow within the position, you will never be happy—and neither will your babysitter and children.

Make sure your children are comfortable!

Don’t forget that a babysitter is for your children. While you may have your own expectations and preferences, keep in mind that so do children. If your children don’t like the person with whom they are sharing their lives, the relationship will not work. Kids want to have fun and feel free; parents want the best for them and also for them to have fun and feel free. Make sure your babysitter has the same values and intentions you do—but with your children in mind.

Jessica Samuel is a native of St. Louis and current Kansas City resident, journalist, photographer, graduate student, ALLY.