So your child is already in daycare during the week, and sometimes you need a few hours to yourself on the weekend to get a break from your kids. One of the best things I did for myself was hire a babysitter. This can be stressful because we don’t want to leave our kids with just anyone; we want someone who will care for them as we do.
1. Put out an ad.
The first thing is to ask around in your mom friend group. If you don’t get any great recommendations, put an ad out for exactly what you want. I posted in my local mom Facebook groups for babysitter recommendations, and then all the referrals came in. These are tried-and-true, and I rely heavily on my mom’s groups for suggestions. I came across a college student who was home for the winter break and was available.
2. Phone interview.
Next, I had a phone interview with her. I came up with a list of questions to ask her about her experience with kids, whether she had a car, references, etc. I asked her to send me a copy of her resume. Then I contacted all of her references.
3. In-person interview.
Before leaving my daughter with my new babysitter, I had her come over to meet me for an in-person interview. My daughter was asleep when she came, so we set out some guidelines on the rate and the expectations I wanted for her meals and nap time.
4. Schedule a supervised visit.
Since I am a photographer, I had a session near my house and didn’t have a sitter. I called my new sitter and asked if she would come with me for the photoshoot and to play with my daughter at the park. This was great for me because I could still watch in the distance and see how my daughter was interacting with my new babysitter. I was there just in case anything went wrong. I highly suggest a supervised visit for 1-2 hours so you can see how your child interacts with them. When we came home, and it was time for my babysitter to leave, my daughter was crying because she wanted her to stay.
5. Hire the babysitter!
For our first time, I decided to do a 3-4 hour visit with my babysitter while I was nearby but not at home. I decided to get my nails done. I was nearby and could come home if needed, but they were fine. Now, my babysitter watches my daughter for 8-9 hours if I need her to. I leave very detailed instructions and emergency contact numbers. I text throughout the day and ask her to send me pictures of my daughter.
