Hiring a babysitter for the first time is a huge milestone in the parenting journey and definitely something to be celebrated!
Although nerves will likely run high before the first booking, it will be worth the stress as you gain some much-needed quality time to yourself. It will become easier leaving your child in someone else’s care and as you build a relationship with your babysitter, over time you’ll be thankful that you have reliable and trusted care when you need it.
Finding the right care when hiring a babysitter for the first time can seem like a daunting task. However, a lot of it comes down to your gut feeling and whether you trust them with the care of your children.
How Do You Go About Hiring A Babysitter For The First Time?
Here we will look at some useful points to take into consideration when finding the right babysitter for you and your family.
It is important that you leave the house feeling confident that your child is in safe and capable hands. Peace of mind is essential to a successful booking.
So how do you go about hiring a babysitter for the first time? Well, let’s take a look.
1) The Right Fit
Booking a babysitter that you feel has the appropriate experience is essential to ensuring you have peace of mind while you’re out.
Leaving your child with someone you know has been fully vetted and has adequate childcare experience will help you feel confident that your child is in safe hands.
We have a very thorough 6 step vetting process and only accept the highest calibre of candidates to our books. This gives you added reassurance that the babysitter is experienced, vetted and knows what to do in any given situation. Hiring a babysitter for the first time is a simple process with us.
You should expect your babysitter to be reliable, experienced, confident and punctual for the booking to run smoothly.
Clear communication is also a must as you’ll be relying on them to keep you informed and send you updates during the evening. If wires get crossed it could mean that the children don’t settle with the babysitter or important information is missed.
2) Prepare
We recommend that you allow at least 30mins handover on the first booking. We encourage you to introduce your child to the babysitter before they go to bed, so if they do wake up while you’re out, the babysitter is not an entirely unfamiliar face.
We also suggest that you arrange to go somewhere local just in case you need to come home if there are any problems.
We wouldn’t recommend booking your first sitter for that big event you’re speaking at or the once in a lifetime gig, for instance!
3) Communicate
Think about what information the babysitter will need to ensure the booking goes as smoothly as possible.
For example, it would be advisable to run through the following points when your babysitter arrives. You could even write out a list of instructions that the sitter can refer to.
- The child’s usual bedtime routine and the order of events e.g. bath, story, milk, lights out
- Any particular comforter or teddy they like to sleep with
- How you usually re-settle the child if they wake
- Do they often have nightmares/are they likely to wake before you get home
- If the child stirs, how long do you usually wait to go to them
- Show the babysitter how to work your model of baby monitor/steriliser etc
- Show your babysitter where you keep the formula/milk
- Show your babysitter where your first aid kit is
- Always leave clear contact details so you can be contacted at any time
4) Pay
Knowing how much to pay the babysitter in advance will prevent any last minute dash to the cash machine. We clearly set out your babysitter hourly rate so that you can be prepared.
If you arrive back late, just round up to the nearest half hour and if you are back early we ask that you pay for the original hours booked.
We also ask that a taxi be provided if the booking ends after 11.30pm. This ensures that the sitter gets home safely, particularly when they are in a new neighbourhood.
Need a babysitter for your home, hotel or apartment?
Fill in our booking form and find out more.
