subject: Home Security and Hiring a Babysitter [print this page] Home Security and Hiring a Babysitter Home Security and Hiring a Babysitter
Hiring a babysitter for your kids has a number of benefits but when hiring a new babysitter it is important to remember that you are letting a stranger into your house, where they will be alone with your children and all of your valuables. For this reason it is very important to conduct a thorough interview process for all potential babysitters. Home security should be your number one factor when hiring a new sitter.
Hiring a babysitter, whether it is just for a day or on a regular basis, provides a number of benefits for your family. It gives you, as parents, a chance to get out of the house without having to worry about packing a diaper bag or having a crying baby in the restaurant. You can act as adults again and let someone else take care of the house and kids for a change. After all, you need a breather now and then to stay sane. A babysitter will let you get back in the mode of going to the gym, meeting up with friends, getting work done, or even going away for a weekend. A babysitter also provides benefits to your kids by introducing them to a new person who they can hopefully learn from and have fun with. Since babysitters are able to focus all their attention on the kids during their shift, a lot of fun is to be had.
If you are hiring a babysitter that you do not already know there are a lot of things to think about. Bringing a stranger into your home is a risk for your family and your home security. It is important for everyone that you conduct a thorough interview, finding out as much about the potential sitter as possible in order to avoid any dangers. Keeping the safety and home security of your family in mind, the interview process should include the following:
References: References of previous employers, especially for babysitting positions, is very important. With that contact information you can call your potential sitters' previous families to ask whether they were satisfied with their work, why they stopped working for them, if there were any problems, etc. This firsthand experience can be extremely useful in helping you to make a decision.
Driving history: If you plan on needing your babysitter to drive your children around, it is a good idea to do a driving history check to find out if they have been in any accidents, have received any speeding tickets, or DUIs. Any red flags on their history will tell you they may not be the best person to drive your kids around.
Criminal background check: This check is very important to find out if your potential babysitters have committed any crimes in the past. All you need is their Social Security number to receive their background check.
Once you have hired a babysitter, installing a home alarm system will add extra protection to your family and the babysitter when you are out of the house. Teach the sitter how to use the alarm system to avoid any problems.
