I am looking into hiring a sitter and or p/t nanny. I haven't found any males, so what does that mean? Should it matter if they are male of female? What might one expect to encounter during this process? Are there any things to watch out for or beware of?
There is no way I would hire a dude to watch the kids. Unless, that is, I knew him VERY well. Having a woman/girl watch the kids virtually (but not totally) eliminates the risk of sexual abuse. That being said I would suggest:
Maybe have them come over for a while when you are there the first time so you get to see them with the kids and the kids get use to them.
Good luck!
Al
All good comments above. I prefer to have someone above 25 yo, who has experience with difficult babies/preemies. My baby girl is special to me. No teenagers. I job interview them.
Give me 5 reasons a baby cries?
Add your own here.
Cheers! Jeff
Well, my little man is 2 1/2 and we still haven't had a babysitter who isn't family - there was a neighbourhood girl who used to take him out in the stroller while he napped and played with him outside sometimes when he was around 1 1/2 - 2, but he doesn't nap any more and he would usually rather be with me anyway so she's stopped coming around. It is rare that we feel the need for an evening babysitter and we have so far been able to get by with family only - even though they live about 6 hours away (we see them every couple months or so).
That being said, I wonder how likely it is that we would find anyone certified in first aid or CPR who would be interested in babysitting - especially here in Norway where it seems that the only people who have that kind of training are people who are legally required to have it... teachers, daycare providers, health care professionals, etc. And take it from me - a guy who has received first aid training several times in his life - you forget stuff after a while and if you don't refresh your training every year or two, you may not remember what to do in certain situations. So just since someone has received training, it doesn't mean they will remember what to do...
About the girl vs. boy issue. I remember when I was a kid, the babysitter was almost always a girl, but there were a few times that my parents got a boy (an older brother of a friend of mine from down the street). I had no sisters and my brothers and I thought it was just fantastic to have a boy watching us rather than a girl... We definitely had the most fun with him and were most obedient when he was our babysitter - not because he was more forceful or anything, but because we somehow respected him more because he was "one of us".
Regarding the potential for abuse - well, there are many kinds of abuse (physical, sexual, mental...) and I would never leave my son with anyone I didn't know and trust (male or female). Make sure you get references and make sure you check them 
Joined: 2009-07-09
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