Qualities to look for in a Potential Babysitter

Finding a childcare workercan be one of the toughest jobs you will have when it comes to parting with your child / children. Even more, leaving your baby , or other kids with a stranger in order to go back to work can diffidently pull at your heart strings, or even leaving them with a loved one is hard but leaving them with a stranger for the first time can really be challenging for any loving and caring parent.

Just to be away from them is hard enough in order to work for that paycheck. Well, we have to do what we must do, right?

We love our children so much and want the very best for them always and in so doing it can be a bit of a challenge to seek out the # 1 best person to watch our child / children while at work.

It is bad enough that you have to be away from your child or children in order to support them. We all want someone that is loving, trust worthy and reliable to watch our children don't we?

When we are looking for someone to watch our child / children we usually start of seeking someone close to home at first. By means of a family member or close friend. If we can not find someone that we already know than we ask around if anyone knows someone that babysits or is looking for a nanny job, etc.. It can get a little scary, and nerve racking searching and seeking out someone that you hope you will be able to trust to care for your off spring.

If it is a daycare, nanny, or a regular babysitter that you need to find for your child / children than check out these helpful tips:

The Daycare Worker lets you stop by any time you like. Whether it is a daycare in someones home or a professional daycare facility you should be welcomed anytime. I once went to a house that had a big daycare sign up. There was a lot of toys in the yard and it was close to were I live so I thought I would stop by and check it out. Maybe get the paper work to enroll my child. The lady wasn't happy at all that I expectantly stopped by without first making an appointment. Kids were sitting on the couch watching TV. The bedroom where the babies and toddlers were at was off limits. It made me a little suspicious, that and that she disapproved of me just stopping in. I was told that it was nap time for the babies and toddlers so I couldn't look in there.

Note: In a regular daycare operation they do not band people from entering a daycare room. It is an open door facility to see the babies or for that matter any of the rooms where the kids are kept. Especially for someone that is interested in their child being there... so that was not good. Two marks against that place! One for not liking people showing up unexpectedly and the other down fall was banning the viewing of a room that had a worker in there with children (supposedly).

Daycare is clean and has enough space. If you reach your arm out and your hand touches something than it isn't a good place. To crammed in; to crowed. Can you imagine when all the kids are there? I have viewed a couple daycare facilities like that and it is shocking that they herd the children in there like cattle. No space to breath your own air. Day in day out that child will be in a cramped in area even with children that have running noses, coughing etc.. The children and worker don't have enough room to stretch out let alone relax in. That would really suck spending the day in that environment for anyone. Especially if your child turns out to have ADHD or someone else's child does and is trapped in a tight location / area to play in all day like that. That child or children would quickly become disliked.

Kids need a lot of open space to play in. Be it a big yard area and/ or enough room to stretch out and spend six to eight hours a day in indoors as well as enough outdoor room to move around in. That way if a kid is hyper there is room enough for a little jumping around or what have you.

Daycare worker is friendly and nice to the kids. Watch the way the daycare worker, nanny or babysitter are around the child or children. Do you have 15 minutes to sit there and watch patiently her / his interaction with your child and around other children if possible? If so please do. By so doing you will be able to better judge if she / he is the one that you are willing to care for your child / children while you are away.

Gut Feeling / Intuition we always hear about these stories where people say that they should have gone with their gut feeling on the matter. Or that they intuitively felt a certain way, but unfortunately went against that feeling. Don't you do that ! Instead go with your instincts, your intuition will guide you. Is it a gut feeling you get or do you pick up on things in another way? Go with your first impressions, or first feelings you get. By so doing you are at a better advantage / prospective at understanding and knowing the best choice in the matter being for it or against the childcare worker In addition, by reacting to those first feelings be it a gut feeling or something else. The important thing is to believe in yourself enough to go with what you feel instead of rationalizing it out afterwards and changing your mind or denying you intuitive instincts.

Responsible / Organized

Does she / he appear to be a responsible, trustworthy person, and organized?

If you said yes then you probably have yourself a reliable worker, and a good one. If that child care worker is responsible you have a better chance of her / him showing up to babysit on time regularly and being more efficient.

If the child care worker is irresponsible than you have to worry about things like:

Not showing up at all, or calling in sick every chance they get just to take a day off because they would rather be out partying, or maybe they drunk to much the night before, so can't go to work. In that case the person is unreliable and your job, and child care arrangements are in serious jeopardy.

Be aware that a responsible person has a good track record for being reliable.

Are they organized in their work environment?

Is everything tidy, or is everything strung out in a huge mess around where they work? Do they pick things up or are they to lazy for that, and leave out a big mess where ever they go? Is the breakfast dishes' still on the table at lunch time?

Pay attention to the surroundings. If the child care working will be working in your home than maybe consider first to hire on a trial bases in order to "see" first before making a commitment with that person.

Loving / Caring

One of the most important things to look for is if they are loving towards your child and other children. Check them out in a setting where a lot of children are if you can. At the parks play ground or another area where children are playing. How do they act? Are they attentive to your child / children? Do they seem interested in what the kids are doing; by means of keeping an eye on them, or are they looking around for the opposite sex to flirt. Be observant to how they are interacting with your child or to the children in a group setting.

Someone that has little to no patience for children isn't a good pick.

Watching children is a lot of work to be effective and meaningful. If they seem to get irritable easy or unresponsive towards your child or others than the chances of them watching your child/ children isn't a good choice for the safety and well-being of your child or anyone else's for that matter. Consider all the facts and your feelings before making a commitment to that person as a trustworthy person that will care for your off spring. Better always to be safe than sorry and never ever rush into hiring anyone.

Children need someone that is loving, caring, and that pays attention to them with patience. Also that communicates with them to where the conversation goes both ways. Nobody likes to be talked at. It needs to be a two way street with communication.

If you ultimately end up feeling that you made a good choice in a daycare worker, nanny, or babysitter for your child / children by following the helpful tips above than you are on the right track and probably have an excellent childcare worker at your convenience.