Babysitters need to be chosen carefully

A BIG mistake many parents make when engaging a babysitter is to prioritise availability — is the sitter available every Saturday night or at short notice? 

Instead, parents’ primary focus should be on whether the babysitter is in sync with their parenting style and attitudes to childrearing.

“Matching personality and attitudes is the key to successful long-term arrangements with babysitters,” says Josephine Ryan, owner of Minderfinders (www.minderfinders.ie), which matches suitably-experienced babysitters with families.