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Calling All Babysitters!

In Search of a Super Sitter

By Teri Cooper Brown

Dr. Diane Bales, human development specialist in the Family Sciences Department at the University of Georgia, and author of Building Baby's Brain and Gray Matters: New Research on Early Brain Development, says that potential babysitters should "understand young children, be willing and able to follow instructions," and most importantly, "have the maturity to remain calm in an emergency." According to the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, accidents are the leading cause of death in young children. Ask if the sitter is trained in first aid or CPR, and discuss the proper procedure for common childhood accidents such as cuts, bruises, insect bites and falls. Ask,

• "What would you do if a child fell and scraped a knee or cut a lip?"
• "What if the injury appeared serious, for example, if a bone appears to be broken, or a cut will not stop bleeding?"

After a tour of your home, point out the location of all telephones and lists of emergency numbers including the doctor, a dependable neighbor and poison control. Hawley says that in addition to emergency procedures and phone numbers, sitters should be required to have "family support to draw on in an emergency. In other words, the parent should make sure the babysitter has their own parent, guardian or some other kind of emergency support available to help them while they are caring for children."

After the home visit and interview, parents should take a cue from businesses who screen backgrounds of prospective employees, says Dr. Poussaint. Call previous families who used the sitter, teachers or church leaders. Ask for specific information and details, for example:

• "Did the sitter ever fail to show-up?"
• "How does the sitter handle stressful situations?"
• "When sitting for you, did the sitter follow instructions? Did your children like her?"