Hiring an infant caregiver?

Question

I am going to go back to work parttime and will be looking for someone to watch my 6 1/2 month old. I really would like to have someone that watches kids from there home, Please help with some important questions to ask during the interviewing process, and how many kids would be too much for one person to handle, assuming the kids are all under 1 year of age.

Answer 1

check out aupair in america. I had aupairs from when I was an infant until like 5th grade, I kind of miss them, it was like having an older sister for a year.

Answer 2

For kids under one, I would recommend no more than 3, but just 2 would be ideal. State ratios of children to caregivers are 3:1 in California for that age level. I would make sure that the caregiver had plenty of experience with children of that age (at least 3-4 years, the more the better), had classes in child development (like an Associates degree or something in ECS), and had passed a federal fingerprint examination (they have passed the child abuse index and general state investigation). I would ask the caregiver how they would handle general problems they may encounter (such as their ideas on disciplining your toddler, or what to do if they are sick). Have a trial run when you have narrowed your choices down to two or three people... have each of them watch your child for a short amount of time- with you still there. This way, you can observe the caregiver's interactions with your child. The best judge is probably your gut instinct. If you just have a funny feeling about a person, it is best to go with someone else. If the caregiver will be doing the job out of their own house, make sure that they are licensed... this won't guarantee that everything will be great- but they do have to adhere to some minimal standards that childcares who aren't licensed don't. This means that at least they are somewhat regulated by an outside agency. Make sure you explain your philosophies on raising your child, and get a feel for theirs... you want your ideas on child-rearing to be similar so that you don't have a conflict.

Answer 3

a six month old needs a consistent one on one relationship with a single caregiver. more than one caregiver in the first three to five years increases risks of depression, anxiety, and attachment disorders - which include sociopathy. decades of research through NICHD has found that when there is more than 10 hours of separation a week between infant and mother in the first year of life, it doesn't matter whether the caregiver is daddy, grandma, or mary poppins, serious damage is done.

so, if you put your child's upbringing in someone else's hands, you want to make sure they will be there reliably and that they understand infant development, including how stressful it is for an infant to separate from mommy. if they are watching any other child, your child is being short-changed, because babies need so much attention.

Answer 4

If the kids are all under the age of 1 then i would say 2-or maybe 3............how many kids are too much for one person??? i would say 5 or 6 depending on the age of the person and the age of the kids

some questions i would ask are:

what's your experience?
how old are you?
how long have you been babysitting?
how can i get a hold of you?

and you want to look for someone responsible

Answer 5

She should have no more than 3 under 1 year and no more. Or two under one year and two toddlers. Each state has a legal limit.

Be careful who you hire. Check them out with the police dept to see if they have a record. Ask others who they recommend. Get four references and call and talk to each one. Get one reference of a person with a child watched by her.
Ask about education, does she have first aid skills, CPR, does she spank a child, what type of punishment does she use (she will be big before you know it and you may still have the caregiver), whose children does she care for, does she take kids who get ill, what doe she think of caring for babies, does she have kids herself, is she married and will her husband be around (molesters have there wives care for kids to get access to them), what job does he do, will she follow your instructions for your childs care?
Make sure your personalities match well. You do not want your child with someone who can not communicate well with you.

Good luck

Answer 6

if the babysitter is a certified care giver, they have a limitation to how many children they can watch. However, the smaller the number of children per care giver, the better. Depending on the state, I think its somewhere around 5 children per care giver.

I would definately ask questions on how the care giver specifically deals with dicipline. Does he/she change diapers as needed or on a schedule (you would be suprised)? Does he/she ever get overwhelmed with having children? What do they do when they get frusterated? You should DEFINATELY ask to see their credentials. Do they have any goals as a care giver or strategies? What is a typical day like (you want someone who doesn't just take care of teh childrens' physiological needs, but developmental needs as well. So, does he/she read to the children or what?) How do they get the chldren to nap? Do they put the children in playpens or walkers, or do they believe in exploration? Good Luck!

Answer 7

for one year of age I would not recommend more than 5 children, ask to go over when the other children are there so you can see one on one how this caregiver treats the children, I would also ask them how long they have done this for & if they have any letters of recommendation
that they can show you. Good luck & if that does not work try day care.

Answer 8

I'd say no more than 3-4 babies under 1. Probably only 3. Questions to ask:

Where will the baby sleep? How will you put the baby to sleep?
Will you let my baby cry? If so, for what reason and how long?
How much time do you hold each baby?
What are your procedures for diaper changes? (clean area after each change?)
Do you provide me with a written record of diaper changes, feedings, naps, etc.?
Will anyone else ever hold my child? If so, who?
Will you be driving my child anywhere?
Will you have his/her care seat professionally installed?
What activities will you do with my child to promote mental and physical development?
Do you take vacations?
Do you have a back-up sitter for days when you are sick?
Check background
Check references
Trust your gut.

Answer 9

you know if there licenced i dont see why not as long as they dont have many kids there so you know your is getting care you know and other than that try a really close neighbor or someone you trust and have them watch you kid at your house and always have a ## they can reach you at im 16 and i watch kids all the time but the ppl i sit for know me and they trust me so i hope that helped

Answer 10

I feel the most important thing to ask is for viable references. I would check every single one.

I know this is hard to do, we are going through the same experience ourselves and it's not easy. Good luck!