Babysitter Basics

Finding and keeping a good babysitter can be challenging at times. As an experienced sitter myself, let me give you some tips on how to successfully navigate this tricky business.

Finding a babysitter: Get recommendations for babysitters from family members or friends. These sitters will most likely be more trustworthy than someone you do not have a personal connection to. Also, if your regular sitter is unavailable, ask for a recommendation of any friends who are also experienced babysitters.

Requesting: Use social media, phone numbers or texting to get hold of babysitting candidates. When requesting a sitter, comfort is key. Always make sure your sitter is completely aware of what will be going on. You never want to put this person in an uncomfortable situation. Before babysitters agree to take on a job, make sure they know things like:

• Your kids’ ages.
• Any special needs or medical issues.
• Whether your kids are sick.
• Your home’s location.
• Your pets’ types, sizes and needs.
• Homework or sports/music assistance.
• Transportation responsibilities.

These all can be big deciding factors when a babysitter is determining whether to accept or decline jobs.

What to leave for your sitter:

• At least two good phone numbers for reaching guardians.
• Your home address.
• Kids’ routines and bedtimes.
• Ways to get back in the house if locked out. This can happen to even the most responsible sitters, so leave garage codes or hidden key locations.
• Names and/or contact numbers of other adults you are having the sitter work with.
• Medication locations and instructions, including list of allergies.
• Money for meals or activities you are having them do.
• Instructions for how to work your TV.
• Estimated time of return. Coming up with an exact return time can be tricky, especially when you leave for social events, but make sure you keep in touch with your sitter throughout the day and know for sure whether she/he might miss a planned activity if you come home too late.

Food: Make it clear whether you are going to feed the kids before you leave so that your sitter can be prepared. If the babysitter will be feeding your children while you are gone, it is respectful to leave enough ingredients for the sitter to eat, as well. Also, make sure the sitter knows exactly what and how much the kids can eat, especially when it comes to desserts and snacks.

Discipline: Your babysitter needs to have a rough idea of your discipline policies. Some homes are stricter and have specific procedures for punishment, but other homes can be very laid back when it comes to what is acceptable behavior. Make the rules on friends very clear. If you allow your children to have friends over while you are away, make sure sitters are okay with that, because sometimes they can get stuck watching many more kids than they are being paid for.

Activities: Leaving ideas or options for things to do can be very helpful, especially with new sitters, in order to avoid boredom and to aid the process of getting acquainted. Also, recognize that your babysitter is not your maid. The core responsibility is to make sure no harm comes to your children—that is it. If you want your home vacuumed or your toilets cleaned, leave those as chores for your children to do.

Transportation: If your babysitter cannot drive to and from your house, common courtesy dictates you offer at least a ride home, especially if you get back at a late or unpredictable hour. If your sitter can drive, still make sure to know her limits—personal ones and ones set by the law.

Payment: Most sitters will have set rates based purely on the length of the job and the number of kids. However, do not always be limited by these. When considering how much to compensate your babysitter, you may want to pay more if:

• Your children’s behavior was bad while you were away.
• The sitter worked on a holiday.
• You came back much later than what you originally expressed.
• The sitter drove especially far or took your kids places (gas money).
• The sitter stayed overnight.
• Pets had to be dealt with just as much as kids.
• The sitter went above and beyond, like cleaning up any messes made or doing an activity that your kids really loved.

Kelsey Neth lives in Liberty with her parents and younger brother. When she is not in school, she works as a babysitter and a nanny.