Questions to Ask a Babysitter in an Interview
Questions for interviewing a babysitter for evening or occasional care, covering experience and availability, pay, first aid, how they would handle real situations in your house, and references.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Tell me about the families you have sat for and the ages of their children.
Why ask it
Ask how recently and how often, not just whether they have experience. Someone who sits weekly for a toddler is better prepared for your two-year-old than someone who minded teenagers two summers ago.
How did you get into babysitting, and what do you like about it?
Why ask it
A relaxed second question that tells you whether this is work they chose or work they took. People who mention specific children they have looked after usually enjoy the job.
What is your availability, and how far ahead do you need to know?
Why ask it
Most arrangements fail on logistics rather than on care. Get their usual free evenings, how late they can stay, whether they have another job with shifting shifts, and how much notice they need.
What do you charge, and how would you like to be paid?
Why ask it
Settle this in the interview rather than at the door. Ask about the rate for multiple children, whether there is a minimum, what happens after midnight, and what you owe if you cancel late.
Do you have first aid or CPR training, and when did you last renew it?
Why ask it
The renewal date matters as much as the certificate, since technique guidance changes and skills fade. If they have none, ask whether they would take a course, and decide whether that is a condition for you.
Have you ever had an injury or a scare while sitting? What happened?
Why ask it
Anyone with real experience has a story, and the useful part is what they did and who they called. A flat claim that nothing has ever gone wrong usually means very few hours logged.
What would you actually do with my children for three hours on a weeknight?
Why ask it
This separates people who have filled an evening from people describing childcare in the abstract. Look for a plan that includes dinner, something calm before bed, and no reliance on a screen for the whole stretch.
What would you do at bedtime if my child refuses to go to bed?
Why ask it
The most predictable challenge of the evening, and the one where a sitter's habits show. Sensible answers involve sticking to the routine you set, offering small choices, and staying calm rather than negotiating indefinitely.
What would you do if one of them hit or bit the other?
Why ask it
You want a response that separates the children, checks on the one who was hurt, and reports it to you honestly. Answers built around punishment, or around not bothering you with it, are both worth probing.
What if one of them will not stop crying for me?
Why ask it
Separation distress is common in younger children, and the sitter's instinct here matters. Listen for comfort and distraction, plus a clear sense of when they would call you rather than wait it out.
Do you cook, and what would you give them for dinner?
Why ask it
Concrete and quickly informative. Someone who names two or three simple meals is more use to you than someone who has always relied on food being left out, and it tells you what to stock.
How would you handle it if they asked for more screen time than I allow?
Why ask it
Children test new sitters on exactly this. What you want to hear is that your rule stands even when it is unpopular, and that they would tell you if they had bent it.
What is your phone doing while you are working?
Why ask it
Awkward but worth asking directly. A candid answer, such as checking it while the children sleep but not while they are awake, is more reassuring than a claim never to look at it.
Would anyone else be in the house while you are sitting?
Why ask it
Friends and partners dropping by is one of the most common causes of parents ending an arrangement. Say your rule out loud so nobody has to guess it later.
Do you drive, and would you be driving my children anywhere?
Why ask it
If driving is involved, ask about their licence, insurance, and experience with car seats. If it is not, say so plainly, including for a walk to the shop, since the boundary is easier set now.
What would you do if you could not reach me?
Why ask it
Phones die and venues have no signal. You are looking for someone who would work down a list of contacts and call for help when needed, rather than sit on a problem until you are home.
One of my children has an allergy and carries medication. How would you handle that?
Why ask it
Ask before you demonstrate anything. Their honesty here matters more than existing knowledge, and a sitter who says they would want to be shown and to practise is the right answer.
What would you want written down before I leave?
Why ask it
Experienced sitters ask for the same short list: contacts, allergies, bedtimes, where things are kept, what to do about the front door. Someone who wants nothing has probably not worked alone much.
Is there a house rule you think you would find hard to follow?
Why ask it
Asked after you have described your rules, this invites an honest objection while it is still easy to hear. Better to learn now that no screens at all is unworkable for them than to discover it by text at nine o'clock.
Can I speak to two families you have sat for?
Why ask it
References from parents who left children in their care are the only ones that count, and a willing sitter provides them without hesitation. Ask each family what a normal evening looked like and whether they would book again.
Hiring and briefing a babysitter
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
How to run the meeting
Meet with the children there
Half an hour at your house while the children are awake tells you more than any answer. Watch whether the sitter gets down to their level, follows their game, and copes with being ignored for a few minutes.
Pay for a trial evening while you are home
Book them for a short session while you work upstairs or in the garden. You see how bedtime actually goes, and the children meet them before the first night you are out.
Ask about situations, not qualities
Asking whether someone is responsible produces a yes. Asking what they would do about a refused bedtime or a nosebleed produces something you can weigh.
What to leave written down
The one-page sheet on the fridge
- Your mobile numbers and where you will be
- A local backup contact who could arrive quickly
- Address and nearest cross street, for calling emergency services
- Allergies, medication, doses, and where they are kept
- Bedtimes, routine, and comfort items by name
- Food, drinks, and anything off limits
- House details: alarm, locks, pets, which lights to leave on
- Your rules on screens, visitors, and leaving the house
Say what you want to hear about afterwards
Tell them you would rather be called for something small than told nothing. Sitters often stay quiet about a bump or a late bedtime because they fear losing the work.
Where arrangements go wrong
Leaving pay vague
Unclear rates and late cancellation terms end more babysitting arrangements than childcare disagreements do. Agree the number, the rounding, and the cancellation rule at the interview.
Skipping references because they came recommended
A friend's recommendation tells you the sitter was fine with that family's children, not with yours. One phone call to another parent is still worth making.
Not covering what to do if a child gets hurt
Decide in advance what warrants a call to you, an urgent care visit, or emergency services, and write it down. Nobody makes good decisions about this for the first time at nine in the evening.
Coming home much later than you said
It is the fastest way to lose a good sitter, particularly one with school or another job the next morning. Message as soon as you know, and pay for the extra time without being asked.