Where do I begin?!! Other than I am a nervous wreck!! This is the most stressful part of being a mom... trying to find a responsible, reliable and trustworthy caregiver for your little one! I was fortunate enough to be home with my little girl for the first year but now have returned back to work and have to go through the stressful task of finding a sitter! I am meeting with someone next week who I found through care.com but I am looking for some advice on what to ask/look for when I meet with her. What specifically should I ask? How many ppl did you interview before you were comfortable with choosing someone?

Sarah- hi. I am sure you will get lots of great ideas and feedback here.
The first couple thoughts I thought might be helpful (as I was new to this as of Sept 2011) is to create a little application for the person you are interviewing in person and create some basic items to share if you are screening candidates over the phone so that you are asking everyone the same thing (of course vary off of it as needed)- so things like name, location, experience, why they applied for the job, if they are looking for hourly pay or weekly or other, what pay they are looking for, what expectations they have, what their availability to start is and what hours/days they have available, etc. Share with them key items that you are expecting as part of the job etc. Maybe share with them what a typical day for then would be like- what time to arrive, feedings/diapers, how to keep the kitchen, the house, activities for your child, expectations on getting mail/answering the house phone/door and the use of their cell phone. Share with them how you feel about anyone taking cell pictures of your child etc. (I never saw that one coming and am surprised at how many people think it is ok to do.)
In regards to number of candidates- I think it is more of quality than quantity but it depends on how many are available in your area etc.
I wish you the best of luck.
If you are in eastern PA and have an interest in sharing someone, I would be interested in talking. :)

Regards, Kristin

Hi Sarah. In addition to what Kristin shared above I would recommend creating an employment agreement detailing expectations, hours, pay, vacation, sick days ec. I would suggest hiring an attorney who is well versed in the laws of your state. When I mentioned the employment agreement during my initial screening process a few candidates ran for cover. I tend to ask situational questions like, what would you do if this occurred or that occurred. I also ask for proof of insurance and all of their ceRtifications. If someone makes it to the final round I have a trial run to see the individual In action. I am so glad that I did this because I was prepared to hire a well educated and seemingly experienced nanny who tried to serve my then 19 month old food directly from the microwave without cooling it off. She also expected my child to feed herself despite my guidance to the contrary. Lastly despite the fact that she claimed to be neat she left dirty diapers sitting on top of the changing table despite the fact that there was a diaper genie a foot away and a trash can two feet away.needless to say the offer was rescinded. (I added the successful completion of the trial run as a prerequisite. Ultimately I've screened over thirty candidates, interviewed 7 face to face and finally made an offe. Trust your instincts. Even if the person looks good on paper, run if you get some type of feeling that you can't shake. This process takes time but the right candidate is out there for you. I wish you luck.

This is a tough time. Just remember when you had other tough times when your child was a newborn; but we got through those and you'll get through this.

Care.com has article(s) on what to ask/look for when interviewing candidates. I found those helpful. If you don't find the right nanny for you after the 1st few interviews, you will naturally learn with experience on what to ask, getting a more clear look on what you are looking for, and through it all your husband will get used to the idea of change (someone watching your little one while you are at work). I know that was a stressor that I didn't plan on.

Thanks everyone for your feedback!