Kane Dane
It is hard for working mothers to do jobs and take care of their children side by side. While you are out for your work or because of any other reason, there is no one to care for your little one. Most of the parents think of hiring a nanny, which is, in fact, a great idea. Hiring a babysitter can sometimes be challenging because you cannot trust anyone with your kids, especially.
When you are ready to hire a babysitter for your baby, make sure to prepare a list of questions that you have to ask her. Asking these questions will make you understand the nanny in a much better way, and that can help you decide whether you should hire her for the job or not. Once you have made up your mind, call the babysitter for an interview session.
Children need love and care like a mother, especially when they are in their growing stages. Therefore, being a parent, you need someone who is very polite and careful with your kids. This article has shared all the possible questions that you can ask a nanny before hiring her for the position. If you need some extra tips regarding the process of choosing the right babysitter, then go here.
Questions to Ask a Babysitter
1. Ask her to introduce herself and try to know a little about her background:
Whenever someone conducts an interview, he needs to know the personal details of the person he will hire. Apart from getting her name, address, qualifications, etc., you should also know a little about her background. If you hesitate to ask for these background details from the babysitter, you can also ask for such data from the people she already worked for. These people who have already known her can better explain to you about her.
2. Why did you choose babysitting as a career?
Before you begin to ask several questions, it is always better to start with this one. Asking this question will make you understand if she is doing this job or because of some financial problems. This will also help you know if she is a part-time babysitter or full-time.
3. Where did she work before becoming a nanny?
Whenever you are keen to learn about the interests of a person you are interviewing, this question should always strike in your mind. A person’s professional details explain a lot about her interest.
4. What do you enjoy the most about childcare?
You don’t want to hire someone who enjoys taking care of your children. Ask her what the thing that she likes most about childcare is. If she fails to answer this question of yours, you can consider this a red flag.
5. What are the things that she dislikes about childcare?
Another good point to judge if you are interviewing a genuine nanny or not is to ask about her dislikes when it comes to childcare. Remember that some babysitters will always hesitate to tell you about their dislikes, but a genuine and good nanny will not feel shy to share these details with you. We all dislike some or the other thing in our professional life, which also applies to nannies.
6. Ask her about what age group of kids she took care of in the past?
When you want to determine how much experience the nanny has in taking care of children with similar age groups as yours, ask this question. If she answers that she took care of children older than yours, then you have to think twice before hiring her for your little one because this might be entirely new for her. If your baby is around one year old, you need to make sure that the nanny is experienced in handling infants or kids up to the age of 5.
7. What types of activities do you do with kids?
If you want to understand if the babysitter has got a creative mind or not, then this question will help you. Planning out activities for children is essential in the development stages. You can even ask her if she will enjoy doing the activities that your children love the most.
8. Give them a situation and ask them how they would tackle your kid’s attitude or tantrums?
Handling children is not everyone’s cup of tea. A nanny must have polite behavior when tackling a situation where a child shows tantrums or is not in a good mood. Ask her how she would handle such a condition, and her answer will make you understand her behavior management policies.
9. Ask her if she is comfortable with pet animals:
If you have pets at home, make sure to tell about this beforehand by hiring a nanny. Some babysitters do not feel comfortable when they are around pets. Therefore, you must ask them about this condition as well.
10. How many years of experience has she got in this field?
The more the number of years of experience a nanny has, the more she can take care of your infants or kids. If not years, then ask her about the number of hours in total she worked as a babysitter.
11. Asking about her salary expectations:
Last but not the most minor thing to know is about the salary expectation of the babysitter. Let it be a very straightforward question, and don’t hesitate to ask it. After she tells you about her salary expectations, you may negotiate with her at the beginning itself.
To Sum Up
We always want the best for our children, and how can we miss hiring the right nanny for them. A nanny is a second person after parents who teaches a lot of things to children. Use the above list to interview the babysitter and select the one capable enough to handle the tantrums of little ones.
