Eyes on Parenting: How to pick the right babysitter
Jun 7, 2017, 4:58 AM
It’s date night, so who’s going to watch the kids?
“Just asking the neighbor girl ‘hey you want to watch my kid? I really need to get out and go the movies.’ … That’s not always the best way to go about things,” said Ashley Losch with Glendale Fire.
Parents should be more selective with what they care about most.
“You got to look at the average teenager these days, they’re sitting on their phones,” Losch said. “They’re very ingrained in social media, […] and they’re not watching our kids.”
Ask your future potential babysitter or even your current “trusted” babysitter hypotheticals like what they would do if there’s an emergency or what their plan is if the child starts choking.
“(Ask) what is the babysitter going to be able to do if there is an actual issue with my child,” Losch said.
If you’re not comfortable with the answers you get, it might be time to look elsewhere. There are also websites dedicated to finding background checks and even certified babysitters.
“There are certifications that say ‘I’m a certified babysitter,’” Losch said. “That includes CPR, choking … things of that nature.
“We need to make sure we’re picking the right people.”
