How do you interview a babysitter?

Start with a short phone or video call to cover experience, availability and rate, then meet in person with the children present. Watch how they speak to your child rather than only how they answer you, and ask for two references you actually contact.

What questions should you ask a babysitter?

Ask what they would do if a child was hurt or would not stop crying, what first-aid training they have, whether they have looked after children of your child's age, and who they would call if they could not reach you. Answers to situations tell you more than answers about themselves.

What should you ask a babysitter for a newborn?

Ask specifically about experience with babies rather than children generally, how they would settle a baby who will not stop crying, what they know about safe sleep, and whether they are comfortable being left with a baby who cannot tell them what is wrong.

What are the qualities of a good babysitter?

Judgement more than experience: someone who asks questions before you leave, says plainly what they are not comfortable doing, rings you early rather than late, and pays attention to your child rather than to you. Training and years matter, but they are not what goes wrong on the night.

What do you tell a babysitter once you have chosen one?

Everything the interview showed they would otherwise have to ask: contacts in the order to try them, allergies and medicine, the routine, who may collect the child, and what to do if plans change. Write it down rather than saying it at the door.

Free guide and printable

Questions to ask a babysitter before you hire them

Most babysitter interview questions cover experience and rate, and then stop just before the ones that actually matter. What you want to know is how someone behaves in the twenty minutes when something has gone wrong and you are not there. Here is what to ask, what the answers tell you, and a printable checklist to take into the conversation.

Before the interview

These are worth covering on the phone, before anyone spends an evening on a meeting that was never going to work.

How long have you been looking after children?Not to filter out anyone new, but to know what you are working with. A sitter on their third family needs a fuller briefing than one who has done this for years, and that is a fact about your notes, not a mark against them.
Have you looked after children this age?A teenager who is wonderful with a seven-year-old may not have held a baby. Ask about your child's age specifically, because the skills are not the same and most people will say yes to the general question.
What first-aid or childcare training do you have?Ask what it covered and when. Training that lapsed years ago is still worth more than none, and it tells you what they will and will not feel confident doing.
Can you give me two references I can contact?And then contact them. The reference call is the part most parents skip and the part that tells you the most.

The questions that actually tell you something

Ask about situations rather than qualities. “Are you responsible?” has one answer; “what would you do if…” has a revealing one.

What would you do if she fell and hurt herself?You are not testing for a clinical answer. You want to hear that they would ring you, and roughly when they would stop trying to handle it themselves.
What would you do if he would not stop crying?The best answer usually includes trying a few things and then ringing you. A sitter who says they would simply keep going has not thought about the hour where nothing works.
If you could not reach me, who would you call?This is the question that reveals whether they have thought past the easy case. If they have no answer, that is exactly what your backup contact is for — and worth saying out loud before you leave.
How do you handle it when a child will not do what you have asked?Listen for whether their approach is one you would be comfortable seeing. This is the answer most likely to differ from your own, and better found now than afterwards.
Is there anything you would rather not be responsible for?Medicine, bath time, a dog, driving. A good sitter will tell you plainly, and a boundary you know about is not a problem.

The practical ones, worth settling early

What is your rate, and does it change after a certain hour?
How much notice do you usually need?
How will you get here and home again, especially late?
Are you comfortable with our pets?
Is there anything you need from us to feel prepared?

Printable interview checklist

Who I am meeting

Name and how we found themDate of the conversation

Experience

How long, and with what agesExperience with my child’s ageFirst-aid or childcare training, and when

References

Name and contact — called? yes / noName and contact — called? yes / no

What would you do if…

A child fell and hurt themselvesA child would not stop cryingYou could not reach me

Practical

Rate, and after a certain hourNotice needed, and getting home lateAnything they would rather not do

Afterwards

How they were with my child, not with meWould I leave my child with this person?

This is a blank template: once you fill it in, keeping it accurate is on you, and a printed sheet is believed long after it stops being true. Care Handover generates the same thing from a plan you have approved, so it cannot silently go out of date — and your carer sees what is happening now rather than what was true when you printed it.

Watch the interview, not just the answers

Have your child in the room. Someone who crouches down to their height, learns their name and follows what they are interested in has told you more than any answer will. So has someone who talks only to you for half an hour.

And trust the reference calls over the interview. People perform in interviews; a family who had this person in their house every Friday for a year will tell you what they were actually like.

The interview tells you what to write down

Every question you had to ask is a question your sitter would have had to ask on the night. Care Handover turns those answers into a private link your sitter opens on their phone — contacts in order, allergies, the routine, and what to do if plans change — reviewed by you before anyone sees it, and switched off whenever you like.

See a live example What to give them next

Common questions

How do you interview a babysitter?: Start with a short phone or video call to cover experience, availability and rate, then meet in person with the children present. Watch how they speak to your child rather than only how they answer you, and ask for two references you actually contact.
What questions should you ask a babysitter?: Ask what they would do if a child was hurt or would not stop crying, what first-aid training they have, whether they have looked after children of your child's age, and who they would call if they could not reach you. Answers to situations tell you more than answers about themselves.
What should you ask a babysitter for a newborn?: Ask specifically about experience with babies rather than children generally, how they would settle a baby who will not stop crying, what they know about safe sleep, and whether they are comfortable being left with a baby who cannot tell them what is wrong.
What are the qualities of a good babysitter?: Judgement more than experience: someone who asks questions before you leave, says plainly what they are not comfortable doing, rings you early rather than late, and pays attention to your child rather than to you. Training and years matter, but they are not what goes wrong on the night.
What do you tell a babysitter once you have chosen one?: Everything the interview showed they would otherwise have to ask: contacts in the order to try them, allergies and medicine, the routine, who may collect the child, and what to do if plans change. Write it down rather than saying it at the door.

What to write in your babysitter notesThe note you leave on the counter — what to put in it, in the order a sitter reads it.
An emergency contact card for your childOne card a carer can read in seconds, or hand to someone else — and what not to put on it.
Allergy and medication information for a carerHow to write down what your doctor told you so a sitter can follow it exactly.
Leaving your child with a sitter for the first timeWhat to cover before the first time, and what is worth saying out loud at the door.
Babysitter information sheetEverything a sitter needs in one sheet, with a free printable template.
Leaving your child with grandparents overnightWhat to say before the first overnight, including what to do at 2am.
Babysitting siblings with different routinesBriefing a sitter for two or more children whose evenings collide.
What to tell a wedding or hotel babysitterThe hardest handover: a sitter you have not met, in a room your child does not know.

This guide helps you decide who to trust with your own children; it is not vetting, screening or a background check, and Care Handover does not place, vet, employ or insure carers. In an emergency, ring your local emergency number — 112 or 999 in Ireland, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US.