If you are looking for someone to take care of your child/children, but aren't having much luck finding the perfect match, maybe you aren't using all the resources available. You may be searching by asking your friends for name suggestions or recommendations, advertising in the classifieds ads of a local newspaper, and replying to ads in the services offered section. You will also find ads posted on many public bulletin boards where prospective babysitters post their requests for employment. That being said, the best way is to use a babysitter service to locate a reliable and trustworthy babysitter.

First of all, the babysitters listed with a service have been screened and have all undergone a criminal background check. This is a definite requirement no matter how you recruit your babysitter, so a little of the time consuming research work has been done for your benefit at this stage. All candidates are also required to post a personal profile that describes their experience, any certification or training they may have, as well as a pictures of themselves. There may also be comments, references and feedbacks from past employers.

The babysitters listed will be all ages, with various levels of experience, and come from all walks of life. There may be retired teachers, stay at home moms, teens looking for part time employment, students, and even some parents who are experiencing the "empty nest syndrome." Some of these candidates may have first aid or CPR training, college students may be attending early childhood or child care, and more. You may even find services that require a first aid certification before a person can become a potential babysitter.

Many of these candidates are located close to you and they are willing to start work right away. You will definitely want to meet them in person and conduct your own interview, introduce them to your child/children, and check their references by yourself. You might also want to do a "trial" run where you leave them alone with the children for a short period of time, while you stay nearby but out of sight. If everything goes well, you can begin to leave for a longer period of time until your child/children and the babysitter are accustomed to each others.

Of course, it's quite tempting to choose the easy way and hire someone from a classified ad, but you need to be very cautious about the person you hire to babysit your child/children. Therefore, using a babysitting service or a sitter network to locate a babysitter is one of the most reliable and safest ways to do it.