Wouldn’t it be great to be able to trust every babysitter you hired right off the bat?

Well, you can’t in today’s world, which is sad, but true. When you are going to hire a babysitter, there are some questions you should ask, but how do you know which questions are the right ones? Check out these 10 questions to ask a new potential babysitter.

Ask the discipline question.

Of course this is tough to hear, but it must be asked. Make sure you ask your potential babysitter what type of discipline they use on the children they babysit.

Ask the safety question.

Are you equipped to do CPR and the Heimlich? This babysitter will be watching your children, it’s important they know how to save a life.

Ask the experience question.

Okay, so not every babysitter has experience, but that’s the call of the parents on whether they want to hire the babysitter or not. Always ask what type of experience the potential babysitter has. If they have none, you still might be willing to give them a chance.

Ask the qualification question.

What makes you qualified to watch children? Ask why you should choose them over any other candidate.

Ask what they are interested in.

If you’re going to hire a babysitter, you’ll want to know what they’re interested in doing. Your kids will be spending time around this potential babysitter, so it only makes sense to want to know what they’re into.

Ask what they are comfortable with.

Some parents need to hire a babysitter that can take their kids to various activities. Don’t be afraid to ask the sitter you want to hire what they are comfortable with doing. Are they okay with taking your child to dance? Are they okay with getting dinner prepped for the night?

Ask what their availability is.

The last thing you want to do when you hire a sitter is find how they aren’t available to help you out when you need it. This should be one of the questions you ask the babysitter right away. You need to know if they’re available to help you out.

Ask how good they are at being the authority figure.

With you being gone, you’ll need the babysitter to be in charge. Ask the babysitter how they feel about being in charge when you’re gone. Hopefully they are pretty comfortable with the idea.

Ask about their strengths and weaknesses.

Every babysitter and person has a strength and a weakness. Don’t be shy about asking the potential babysitter what their strengths and weaknesses are because this is valuable information.

Ask the babysitter if they can pass a background check.

Never hire a babysitter without making sure they pass a background check. Ask the potential babysitter if they have had any issues with their criminal record in the past or if there’s anything you should know about.

Asking a sitter these 10 questions is a smart move. You can never know too much information about the person you’re about to leave your children with.

What questions do you ask your babysitter before you hire them?