Does your sitter have a clean background?
Hiring a sitter through a professional agency would ensure that your sitter indeed has a clean background. Most reputed agencies will vouch for the fact that the babysitters they recommend not only have experience but also are quite reliable.
You can demand to see all records of different sitter from such agencies, which can include details regarding their criminal records, traffic violation records, rehabilitation due to addictions etc. If you hire a sitter through personal referral, so make sure that he or she has a clean record.
You can also verify the same by inquiring about the sitter’s conduct with her former employers. What you need to watch out for is if the sitter has any inclination towards child abuse whether sexual, physical or verbal.
Most babysitter networks let you to perform background checks and they also provide references from other parents.
Is your sitter from a good family?
It is vital for you to remain at peace when you leave your child with the sitter. A mere assurance of the fact that the sitter has a clean record cannot be satisfactory. You need to know whether the sitter comes from a good family and has been brought up whilst being imparted with the right values. In your absence, your child is going to spend a good deal of time with the sitter, and it is vital that he/she learns something good from her.
If your sitter comes from a dysfunctional family, then there is a chance that she might be resentful, hostile or even negligent towards your children. This will set forth a bad example in front of yourchild as he or she may pick up the wrong things from the sitter.
Children are very impressionable at a young age, age and the also pick up things quickly by observing their surroundings. So, see to it that the surroundings you provide for your child are good!