Applicant Screening is must before hiring babysitters. When choosing the babysitting service, one of the main things to determine is the service providers' method of screening their own applicants. Only some people should be doing this but it has been seen that anyone can apply to watch children. To vet potential sitters for the safety of your child a good nanny service will have an extensive screening program. A background check is one such thing to ask about. It is necessary to ensure when applying for the service, the sitters are investigated fully.

Applicant Skills is another factor to look into. Whether their people are good with children, specifically your children is another factor when determining whether a nanny service is worth using. Often, in determining whether or not a babysitter is safe, parents get so caught up, and to find out whether the sitter will be good for the child, he or she has no criminal record and other such red flags that they neglect. Certain, definable set of skills, and another less-definable "way" with children will be enjoyed by a babysitter.

Changing a diaper, feeding a baby, giving baths, and other procedural things is included in the set of skills that the sitter needs to have. There are many other skills that can prove to be helpful. Any quality babysitting service will require of its members, CPR should be a skill. This is a sign that the agency does not really take its purpose seriously if a babysitting services provider doesn't require every sitter to know CPR. If he or she is a trained lifeguard this is even better but at least he or she must know how to swim. However, unless the nanny will specifically be watching the kids at the ocean, when there is no other lifeguard on duty (probably a rare situation), this should not be a limiting qualification.

There should be a perfect rapport with the applicant. The way he or she gets along with children is among the less-quantifiable set of skills a nanny should have. Whether the children are comfortable with the babysitter or not needs to be ensured and this is something that cannot be quantified. Further contributing for the child's safety, this is important, both for the happiness and well-being of the child and the ability for the babysitter to enforce discipline. To check the nanny's experience is the way to determine whether a nanny agency is likely to have a sitter who is compatible with your child. Presented by the babysitting agency, often this will be part of the resume. Chances are good that they will be able to connect and build rapport with your child if the babysitter has extensive experience.