How to Keep Your Babysitters Coming Back

Do you have trouble retaining babysitters, and aren't sure why your family can't hold on to a sitter? It can be tough to find good, cost-effective childcare, and is especially difficult to find someone new on a frequent basis. As a former babysitter, I have had a variety of good and bad sitting experiences, and hope that the following tips will make your family a delight to sit for.

Your sitter is not a maid
Unless this is part of your arrangement, it is not your sitter's job to do laundry, dishes, vacuuming, or housework of any kind. While basic tidying like cleaning up after a craft or putting toys back is acceptable, you should not expect your sitter to clean the dishes or put your children's worn clothes into the washing machine. While they can be expected to put dishes in the sink and clothing in the hamper, the rest of the cleaning must be undertaken by you when you return home.

Feed them
Make sure you make food available to your sitter! Your children may be satisfied with fruit snacks and dinosaur chicken fingers, but your sitter is most likely a young adult, and wants to eat like one. Make sure you have some sort of arrangement so that your sitter can eat without feeling like they're imposing on you and your home. Allowing them to order a pizza, make a sandwich, or prepare a frozen meal is a great way to keep everyone satisfied.

Prepare your kids
Before leaving your kids with a sitter, talk to them. Introduce your kids to the sitter, and make sure they understand that you are leaving, and that you are leaving the sitter full authority over them. Your children must be told that the sitter is in charge. If you're leaving later in the evening and expect the sitter to put the kids to bed, make sure that your kids know this, and do the sitter a favor by getting them bathed and into pajamas before you leave. Tell your children that you won't be there to tuck them in, so that they aren't sad when you're not around at bedtime.

Set a reasonable rate
Especially if your sitter is a neighbor or a family friend, it's a good idea for you to tell them up front how much you are willing to pay, and not leave wages open-ended. A good way to do this is to tell them, when asking them if they'll take the job, a flat rate you'll pay them for their entire job. If they sit for you more frequently, or for a variable length of time, a reasonable rate is five dollars per hour per child. Rates should be increased if there are more than three kids below the age of ten, and if the sitter is expected to change diapers, or given unusual directions, like monitoring medications, assisting with potty training, or cooking.

Plug in your kids
Do you usually limit how many hours your kids are allowed to watch television or play video games? These are great policies for everyday, but while you have a sitter over, it's a good idea to let these rules slide, and allow your kids to spend more time immobile in front of the tube. This will make your sitter's job a lot easier, as it will keep the kids in one place and make them easier to watch, and keep them mellower and easier to handle. The television also helps many kids to fall asleep more easily when parents are away, keeping anxious bedtimes to a minimum.