What Babysitters & Parents REALLY Think

GALTime.com

By UrbanSitter's Lynn Perkins for GalTime.com

what do you look for in a babysitter?

Before the new school year started, you had your Golden Ticket in hand in the form of a trustworthy, loved-by-all, stand-by babysitter who never failed you.

She was the one you relied on for afternoon help, staying with the baby while he napped, date nights and even weekends away without the kids.

And then she went away to college.

Now that your favorite babysitter is gone, it's time to find a replacement. Or two, three, even four, as it's in your best interest to fortify your babysitter pool, and quick!
(Can you ever really have too many energetic, kid-loving, young souls jumping at the opportunity to play with and supervise your children while you're away?)

Related: Confessions of 'Bad' Moms & Why We're Still Good

Before you hire a new sitter, check out a recent info-graphic published by UrbanSitter (data was compiled by polling 200+ parents and 200+ sitters). It gives you a peak into the minds of like-minded parents and babysitters to show you what both sides really want out of babysitting.

You'll see which factors are seen as 'nice-to-haves', and which might just be deal-breakers for you, too.

Here are few interesting findings that might help guide your babysitter hiring decisions:

  • What's Most Important When Choosing a Sitter: The majority of parents polled said positive reviews from other parents, including their own friends, is the most important factor when hiring a new sitter. What's most important to sitters when taking a new job? Your location, the pay and the length of the job.

  • It's All About the Kids: Parents and sitters agree that the kids and sitter liking each another is more important than whether or not the sitter and parents are a match made in heaven.

Related: How Young is too Young to Start Babysitting?

  • Leaving a tidy house is (often) part of the job. A whopping 89 percent of sitters believe that putting away toys and doing the dishes is part of the job. If you're hoping to return to a tidy house, make sure you communicate your expectations to the sitter, who may or may not know it's part of the deal.

  • Biggest pet peeve on both sides--tardiness. Both parents and sitters expect each other to be on time. It's doubtful anyone would disagree that the common courtesy of punctuality is too much to ask.

  • Not sure how your sitter will entertain your kids when you leave? Most prefer to read stories, do arts and crafts and play outside when babysitting.

  • Avoid that awkward moment at the end of the job when you have to decide how much to pay. According to sitters, the biggest factors to consider are the number of kids you are leaving in her care, and whether you expect her to run errands. Most don't consider having to make a meal or even pick up a child from school worthy of a higher wage. Curious about average hourly rates? Check out these numbers.

Now that you know what parents and babysitters REALLY think, don't delay in finding a sitter or collection of sitters who share the same expectations as you do.

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