Hiring a nanny and a sitter ca be very time consuming for everyone. Following some guidelines before hiring someone can be very useful especially if this is your first time doing so. Here are some tips you can do before hiring a nanny and a sitter to be part of your family:

• When hiring a nanny or sitter, Make sure that you get a background check.  Never, ever hire a nanny or a sitter without screening them first thoroughly. 

• Also, if you're going to post an ad about hiring a nanny or a sitter, make the ad very clear and detailed of what you need and you're expectations from the nanny, how many kids you have, the ages, who needs to be dropped off to school, picked up from school, the general job duties for the nanny or sitter (house work, cooking for dinner or picking up the kids) and so on.

•  When interviewing a nanny or a sitter, make sure it is an in-person interview. Never, ever hire someone over the phone and have your kids around during the interview to see how the nanny would interact toward your kids. Also, having your kids around the interview can help you decide which nanny you prefer by asking your kids which nanny they liked best or prefer.

• Make sure you write a list of interview questions ahead of time before the interview.

• Also, make sure you pick at least one or two sitters for back up just in case your main nanny can't make it to work, and make sure the back up sitters you pick are thoroughly screened.

• After hiring a nanny or sitter, make sure you have a good communication plan with your nanny or sitter (weekly discussion meetings about issues they are having) and this will help keep your relationship more professionally stable with each other.