Parents are becoming more and more busy nowadays with both mommy and daddy having a lot of things to do. When you need to leave your kid at home, you have to have someone to trust. That’s where the babysitter comes in.

However, movies and TV shows may have made us paranoid about how babysitters can cause much trouble. So here are some tips to make sure you find a sitter whom you could really trust with your child.

• Try asking your friends and family if they have anyone to recommend. It’s better that other people know and trust potential sitters.
• Check the applicant’s background. If the person’s an experienced sitter, try asking for references from former employers. Call them up.
• Take time to interview the applicant. Ask them their experiences are. Like if they ever encountered an emergency and how they dealt with it.
• Babysitting should be enjoyed by your child and the babysitter. Ask the applicant if he/she likes babysitting and how well kids react to them.
• Age may matter. Too young a sitter and the sitter may not be mature enough to deal with issues. Too old, and the sitter may not be able to keep up with your energetic child.
• Make sure you orient the sitter on house and discipline rules. Nap times. Bed times. Your child should not be struck by anyone.
• Your home’s privacy should not be invaded. Lock your rooms. Keep valuables away (just to be sure). Iterate your policy on visitors and other behavior such as smoking and drinking (Personally, I wouldn’t take a smoking drunkard as a sitter!).
• Try the sitter out for an hour with your child. See how well they’d go together.
• If you have chosen a sitter and availed of sitting services, always check your child out when you get home. Also check your home for anything off. If you’re child and home are both okay, then you might have found a sitter whom you can trust.