Will they get down on the floor and play? Do they have the patience to paint, read and color with them? Before you know it, they are turning 12, babysitter trained and certified and eager to work!

You can't expect a sitter to know everything they need to know about each child and general information about the household.

A successful babysitting experience definitely includes having the sitter arrive 30 minutes before you need to go to allow time for instruction, maybe training and transition. I too often assume a sitter remembers my children's routine, location of necessary items and even names.

A really good sitter is one who can engage the children in a fun and safe way. I don't worry about [them] having all the toys put away or the dishes cleared. I want the kids happy and safe and directly supervised by the sitter.

I use Joyce's Service Registry. This has come in very handy in emergencies, especially since I have no extended family in town to count on for that sort of thing.

Girls from the neighborhood who are 10 to 11 are great mother's helpers, and using them makes for great babysitter training. They learn your children's behaviors and personalities under your supervision, so they learn what is acceptable and how discipline is handled.