Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/353537
14 Hudson Valley Parent Q 2013 Baby Guide Y ou need some time out of the house and, let's be real, a couple of hours away from the kids. Do you remember enjoy- ing a meal out and not having to request a kids menu and crayons? If you don't, you should consider hiring a babysitter. It can be scary turning your babies over to some- one else's care, but you deserve to enjoy that new chick-flick! Every parent goes through this same dilemma. Here are four great tips to hiring a babysitter that will keep your kids safe and you sane. 1. Ask for recommendations. Ask neighbors, family and friends which experienced babysitters they would recommend. Experience is important because you take a big risk when you hire someone who has no babysitting experience. Young teenagers might be worth a shot to groom into good babysitters, but it's hard to trust someone who hasn't dealt with a real emergency before, and your kids shouldn't be guinea pigs for their trial run. Ask for references from potential babysitters and contact information. 2. Take the interview seriously. Preparing for the interview is the next step. Avoid asking "yes" or "no" questions. Make potential sitters think hard about their response and record their answer. Ask hard hitting questions that will reveal her babysitting methodology. For example: understand right from the beginning that the motivation to be a babysitter is to get paid. It's a job. The tricky thing is figuring out how much you can feasibly budget to keep your babysitter happy without breaking the bank. Ask other parents what they pay. You should be the one to make the first wage offer taking into consid- eration the amount of hours the babysitter will have to work, if there is more than one child, if it's What do you consider a real emergency? How would you discipline a child for getting in trouble? What activities do you like doing with kids? If the sitter attends local babysitting classes it would be a definite plus. 3. Watch for interaction. If, when meeting your kids, the babysitter isn't getting down to your kids level and interacting with them, you might want to take a pass on her and move on to another candidate. Your babysitter might have come off as a real pro in the one-on-one interview, but the sitter's real colors shine through when you see her interact with the children. Does she want to talk to the kids and play with them? Is she asking you questions about the child's personality and idiosyncrasies? If you believe the sitter would enjoy the company of your little ones, and that the child will benefit from having the babysitter around, then you have yourself a winner. 4. Discuss money. It would be great if every babysitter volunteered their services because they just love to take care of children, but you need to BY ANTHONY GERAS Finding the best babysitter ever!