Without a doubt, whether you are at home or away, the safety of your children should be your top priority as a parent or caregiver. At the same time, when looking to entrust the care of your little ones to a babysitter or a different caregiver, it is essential to ensure that your home remains a safe and secure environment.
If this is your first time hiring a babysitter, get ready for a rather stressful or even excruciating experience. Despite the long hours spent screening babysitters and interviewing them, it can be difficult to let go of the fear of missing something. Don’t worry; this is a natural feeling since there is nothing more important than the security of your children. Luckily, you can take some additional home security measures that should help with your anxiety and make you feel more relaxed once the babysitter arrives at your house.
We have prepared a series of effective solutions that could enhance the protection of your home before hiring a babysitter, ranging from using a local locksmith to assess the current state of your locks and alarm systems to fitting keyless entry systems and considering smartphone-connected monitoring camera systems.
Eliminate the Spare Key Hassle with Keyless Locks
Usually, no matter how thorough the screening process for a new babysitter might feel, and no matter how much trust you are ready to put into the chosen caregiver, the more you do to make your home safer before leaving the premises, the better.
We advise you to start with one of the riskiest aspects of hiring a babysitter: leaving a house key copy with the new babysitter. If you are like most parents, you probably despise the thought of having to hand over a key to a babysitter. To avoid doing it, fit a keyless lock system instead. This approach eliminates the necessity for physical keys, the need to create duplicates, and the ongoing management of keys. It also mitigates the risk of unauthorized key duplication or misplacement.
Keyless entryway systems that can be controlled with the help of a smartphone app allow you to instantly create unique virtual access keys or codes and hand them over to the chosen babysitter. The same systems will let you change access from a remote location and monitor all exit and entry times on a 24-hour basis.
If you have never used a keyless lock system before and need assistance with installation, contact a nearby home locksmith specializing in these systems to benefit from professional solutions. They can also quickly evaluate your security requirements, assess your current locks, and proceed accordingly. Keep in mind a keyless system will prove to be extremely useful in case of an emergency since it can provide parents with instant remote access.
Consider Storing Valuables In A Biometric Safe
You should only hire a babysitter with a proven track record. However, just in case you wish to give someone inexperienced a chance to prove themselves, it is a good idea to take a few additional precautions with your prized possessions at home.
Before granting them access to the property, you will want to gather all the cash, important papers, jewelry, and spare keys you store inside the house and place them all in a safe. We advise you to consider a biometric safe for enhanced protection. These models can also send notifications to your phone if someone attempts to access the safe while you are not there. You can also opt for a model that features a camera feed, which is activated automatically upon contact.
Install Security Cameras
If your home does not already benefit from the perks of having a solid security system installed, it is time to fix things while getting ready to welcome a new babysitter in. These cameras do not only serve as additional tools that allow you to supervise your home nonstop, but they also act as excellent deterrents against criminal minds. Remember that you will need to be open about the existence of these cameras when discussing all the terms of your agreement with the babysitter, or else you might risk being subject to privacy problems.
While a nanny cam might also serve the same purpose, installing a complete security system will bring you many additional benefits, including pinch-to-zoom options for camera view close-ups and clipping camera history for tracking activity you might have missed.
Finally, prepare a written set of home rules/DOs and DON’Ts for the babysitter and go over them together to make sure there are no loose ends. For best results, combine all these ideas to enjoy more peace of mind next time you need to hire a babysitter.
Final Thoughts
By integrating these comprehensive security measures, you can significantly enhance your peace of mind when entrusting your child’s care to a babysitter. Remember that your child’s safety is paramount, and taking proactive steps to secure your home not only safeguards your valuables but also ensures a secure and comfortable environment for your babysitter and child. With these strategies in place, you can confidently hire a babysitter, knowing that your home is well-prepared to handle any situation.