Hiring a nanny or babysitter to care for your children is no small undertaking. One of the best ways to find someone, unless you want to go through the expense of a nanny or babysitter service, is to ask your friends and/or co-workers who they’ve used and been happy with. You will still need to check the references and also it’s a good idea, an excellent idea in fact, to do a background check on any potential child care employee.

Once you have someone in mind, interview them. Remember some people just don’t interview way and have difficulty talking about themselves. Overall, does the person feel like a good fit? How much experience do they have? Do you have special needs children? Ask about their experience or what they would do in case of an emergency. You’d be amazed how many potential sitters or nannies forget the all important calling 911 part of an emergency when asked this question. Ask for a minimum of 2 references and 4 references is even better.

Now, you need to check those references. Ask about how the person was in dealing with the children they cared for. What sort of temperament did they have and don’t forget to ask – why is the person not caring for the children any longer. If the person you’re getting a reference from seems to be vague or evasive, there is something else you can do.

Develop a reference, ask the people you talk to for references if they know just one more person you can talk to for a reference. In this way you can talk to people that can give you an honest opinion of your potential nanny or babysitter.

A background check is also very important. You can screen your potential new hire for all types of public records including felony, misdemeanor, sex offender, arrests and convictions. If the person has been on probation or parole, you can find out why. Best of all, a criminal background check is discreet and the person you’re checking will not be notified.