Hiring a Babysitter? Need to Know Tips for Every Parent
Tips for Preparing Your Baby Sitter so you can enjoy a stress free evening!
Leaving your children with a babysitter can be stressful for parents. Whether you have chosen the nice teenager from down the street, who came highly recommended by your neighbors or Dear Aunt Sally, there are some things every parent should do before leaving the house. If your babysitter is prepared and you feel that you have given them all the tools they need to keep your child safe, you will be able to enjoy your outing more completely.
Purchasing or making one of those baby sitter bulletin boards is a perfect way to organize all the information that they will need. You should make sure to include all of your contact numbers as well as the contact number to an adult that lives near you in case there is an emergency. Programming your home phone for your numbers is not enough, because many people won’t know how to speed dial on your phone. You should also leave your babysitter with a full itinerary of where you will be and numbers that they can call at those places just in case. Try to be as exact as possible so that if they need you, you can be reached easily.
Also leave a number for another family member who knows your children in the even of an emergency and instruct the baby sitter to call 911 first, before trying to contact any one else. It is also useful to leave instructions for your babysitter. If you have more than one child, than leave them with a step-by-step guide for getting the kids to sleep at night, feeding them etc. If your child has any allergies – list them and make sure that your babysitter is aware of them. One idea is to have dinner already fixed, along with some special snacks prepared that you know work well for your child.
Babysitters should also know a few basics about your house. Knowing where the fuse box is in your home is important. Should the power go off or a fire ignites, they will need to know how to manage the electricity. They should also be adept at locking and unlocking your doors. If your doors have any idiosyncrasies that can make them tricky, be sure to show the babysitter how to handle it. It is also important that a babysitter know where all of your first aid supplies are located in case they need a band-aid or something else to take care of your child.
Try to give your babysitter some hints about your child as well. If they have certain fears, then mention them so the babysitter won’t accidentally expose them to something frightening. If your child tends to play hide and seek and has a favorite spot to hide, tell the babysitter where it is. This way, should your child hide – the babysitter won’t panic and will know exactly where to find them.
Give your sitter a tour of your home if they have never been there before. If you have any firearms or weapons, make sure that you have them securely locked up. Don’t trust that any babysitter won’t go looking around the house when the children are asleep. The same is true for any medications or alcohol that you have at the house. The last thing you need is to come home to a sitter that has been tasting your wine.
Chances are everything will go just fine. Prepare ahead of time so that you won’t be scrambling around when the babysitter arrives, likely forgetting important things. When your sitter has all the information they need, even if it seems like too much – there is less opportunity for things to go wrong and YOU will have a much more relaxing time away from home.
