What Kind of Babysitter Services You Can Expect

Before you agree to hire a babysitter it is important that you are very clear with every potential babysitter about what kind of babysitter services you expect the sitter to provide.  While some parents only expect the babysitter to keep their children alive while they are out of the house, other parents seem to think that hiring a babysitter is the same thing as hiring a housekeeper or maid.The babysitter is expected to clean up the house, fix meals and take on chores.  It is very important that you are up front with your babysitter about what you expect before leaving him or her alone with your kids.  After all, you cannot get upset about something not getting done if you did not communicate that you expected the babysitter to take care of it!CookingIf you keep your kids on specific diets or if your children have strict nutritional needs, it is important to communicate this to your babysitter or ask about cooking as part of her babysitter services before he or she is left in charge.  Some parents avoid the issue altogether by simply preparing the meal they want served ahead of time and leaving it in the refrigerator for the babysitter to simply heat up.  Other parents leave money for a pizza delivery or give the sitter permission to take the kids out to eat.  If you do not leave instructions about what you want your children to eat, and simply leave the babysitter to figure it out on her own, you cannot get angry if she feeds your children something you would rather they not eat.  Communication is key!CleaningThe same is true for cleaning.  Most babysitters will clean up after themselves and the kids as the afternoon goes along as part of their regularly offered babysitter services.  If you expect anything done beyond that, however, you need to explain that to your sitter before you leave her in charge. If you want the babysitter to take on, for example, a few loads of laundry or vacuuming, you need to tell her that you want that to be finished by the time you come home.  You should also be prepared to offer a higher rate for the extra cleaning jobs.  After all, a babysitter is not a maid and should not be treated like one! TransportationEvery once in a while you might need your babysitter to transport your kids somewhere.  You need to communicate this before you choose your sitter as some babysitters are not able to provide extensive transportation babysitting services.  You should also let your babysitter know whether or not it is okay for her to take your children out of the house or to allow them to leave the house with friends.  As with most things, the key to getting the babysitter services you want is communication.  The clearer you are about what you hope for and expect from your babysitter the happier you are likely to be with your sitter's babysitting services.