How do I find a good babysitter in my neighbourhood?

Before you begin searching for a babysitter, decide what moments you need a babysitter. Are you looking for someone to pick the kids up from school on fixed days? Or are you looking for a babysitter to help you out at the last minute? These questions will help you find a fitting babysitter.

Ask around first to see if someone maybe knows a good babysitter. Maybe one of your colleagues can recommend a babysitter or one of your neighbours knows someone. If this does not work out, you can always search online. Google is your best friend ;-) Place a request on your Facebook page or sign up for an online platform, they can often help you find a babysitter in your own neighbourhood.

Of course, you want only the absolute best for your children. That is why you probably would not mind finding a babysitter who has previous babysitting experience. Have a newborn or a toddler? You might want to consider specifically looking for a babysitter who already has experience with newborns. Maybe ask the babysitter if you can call a parent for whom they used to babysit before, so you know with certainty that the babysitter can look after the littlest ones.

Found a good candidate, or even more than one? You probably want to get to know each other a bit before she gets to work. Invite her over to you home. During the meeting, you can sense if you both feel comfortable. Extra tip: also introduce the babysitter to your kids, even if your little one is only a few months old. So you can quickly see if there is a connection.

Do you have any special wishes for when the babysitter is there? Are there any allergies that need to be taken into account? Do you prefer her to cook a meal on Thursdays or help the kids with their homework? Discuss your expectations during the initial conversation and ask if the babysitter is comfortable with those.

First, consider what you would be willing to pay the babysitter and find out what the average hourly rates of babysitters are. You can then discuss the rate during the meeting. How high the rate should be, depends on a couple of factors. For example: age, the number of children, any previous babysitting experience, possible extra work and the time she babysits. Good to know: the hourly rate can be quite a bit lower in the evening than during the day.

Despite meeting the babysitter, it can still be quite exciting to actually let the babysitter watch the kids. Have the babysitter come by for a trial babysitting service. You can, for example, go run some errands or have a cup of coffee with a friend in the neighbourhood. This way, the kids can get used to the new babysitter while you are still only a short distance away. Quite a comfort.

Lucky you! You can know go out without having to worry about anything. Go have fun with your partner or go out with friend(s)!