Are you looking for a babysitter? Is this the first time that you are leaving your child(ren) alone with someone that is not related to you? This can be extremely stressful even if your babysitter is someone that came highly recommended by someone you trust.

Here are some things you can do that may make you feel more at ease.

• Call all of the babysitters references. You will feel much better after speaking to other parents about your babysitter and how they have been with their children. It is always nice to hear other parents say how much their kids just love the babysitter and some parents will even let the children tell you themselves.
• Make sure your babysitter has a background check completed so that you can rest assured that your child(ren) are in safe hands.
• Go over everything with the babysitter before you leave. Let the babysitter know what the rules are.
• Make sure you leave the babysitter a list of phone numbers of family members and/or neighbors & friends that they can contact in case there is an emergency and they cannot get a hold of you. It is also recommended to give the nanny a medical release form for each child.
• Many parents will stop in to check on the babysitter to see how things are going. The old “whoops, I forgot something” always works well.
• Ask the child(ren) how they liked the babysitter and if they want the babysitter to come back (this obviously only works if the child(ren) are of speaking age).