Hiring a babysitter can be stressful

Trusting a babysitter to look after your children can be worrying and unnerving at any age but babysitters can become a really important part of your life once children start to grow and parents start to re-enter their social and working lives.

It is really important to give your babysitter the correct information regarding household safety concerns, any medical advice and so forth.

The first step when arranging a babysitter is to make sure that they are well reputed, known to be good with kids, responsible and trustworthy.

Recommendations from friends or family members are best, and online forums with babysitter reviews can be helpful too.

For the first time you use a new babysitter, make sure that you arrange for them to arrive early enough that you can chat with them before leaving. Once you know that you have a trustworthy and responsible babysitter, the rest of the process becomes far simpler and stress-free.

Household safety is another vital factor when using a babysitter. Inform them of any potential safety issues, and make sure there is time to explain and answer any questions. This may include why they need to keep a certain door or cupboard locked, blind cords which could be a choking hazard safely secured, and child accessible windows closed. Also make sure you give instructions on how to use safety gates or childproof cupboard locks and other general safety information.

Ensure that everything they may need is at home. Keep a list of emergency contact numbers on the fridge or somewhere easy to read. Include your own number, a close friend, neighbour or family member’s number and a local doctor’s contact details in the event of an emergency.

Be careful to make sure that the babysitter is completely aware of any allergies, illnesses or dietary requirements that your children may have, as well as any medication which needs to be administered. Although this may seem totally straightforward, it can be easy to forget some things if you’ve grown accustomed to doing them daily.

Give your babysitter a general rundown of simple household instructions.

This includes the most basic instructions such as where light switches are, where the bathroom is, Internet/Wi-Fi details, heating/air-conditioning instructions and so forth.

If you will be away during mealtime, make sure that food and drink is ready for your children, with instructions regarding serving, portions and so on (the babysitter would also probably appreciate a snack of their own, especially if they’ll be there for a few hours!) Similarly, make sure that anything else such as games and toys are readily available.

If your children have homework to do, make sure your babysitter knows that they’re meant to be working – they could even help out!

If you place a limit on permitted time spent in front of the TV or on the Internet let them know.

Ensure that they’re also aware of bed time requirements, including where toiletries are, turning on night lights and if they need to help their children in preparing for sleep.

Babysitting can make life a lot easier for young parents. While it can be nerve wracking at first, a responsible babysitter who is informed about safety precautions and specific instructions for your child can reduce stress and allow you to enjoy time away from home.

Editorial written and supplied by Dreambaby®.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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18 Comments

- - mom81879 said
  - 18 Nov 2015
    6:35 pm
I only ever left my kids with my mother in law or my sister. Until they went to school and then they had sleepovers at friends places. They’re too precious to leave with just anyone

- - christial said
  - 30 Jun 2015
    11:29 pm
The only babysit we’ve Had was a girl we already knew from childcare. It was one of the carers there so we knew her and she knew our son.

- - mom67623 said
  - 14 Jun 2015
    6:17 pm
good article, sometimes it is good to have an older person too, depending on ages of children it is true. I am Nana now to new ready made family of three children age 5 to 10 years old. Been in Welfare with homeless youth and their babies too (some of them (young mums) did not know nursery rhymes or games as had not had them in childhood themselves it is true..so we had a day playing and talking too..Also on cruise ships too with under five year old’s had so much fun, stopped me growing old (or kept me young at heart) Just thought I would share as lots of oldies out there with experience and time to share

- - mom113055 said
  - 08 Jun 2015
    2:14 pm
it is so exellent

- - mom107723 said
  - 02 Jun 2015
    9:05 am
I cannot thank my mum enough for hlping me out, single and 3 kids she was our saviour.

- - dannsbuild said
  - 30 May 2015
    9:35 pm
Thank goodness for my mum. I always can’t say how good she is to me and I don’t know what I would do without her.

- - silvialee said
  - 26 May 2015
    2:37 am
i have a 11 month old and i just find it hard to allow others to look after her. Even when we are at my in laws house, i just can’t seem to be able to trust them to look after her. I guess it’s just part of me being a first time mum and has too much anxiety over it. Hope it will get better slowly!

- - mom113055 said
  - 11 May 2015
    2:28 pm
it is really great to read

- - mom113055 said
  - 10 May 2015
    3:34 pm
good to read

- - mom113055 said
  - 09 May 2015
    4:42 pm
great to read

- - mom110650 said
  - 07 May 2015
    8:10 pm
I find leaving my 9 month old with family stressful even though I trust them. I’m sure I’ll get better at it! Good tips on leaving basic house directions to make it easier for babysitting.

- - mom74959 said
  - 30 Apr 2015
    1:46 am
Scary trusting someone new with your baby too young to talk.

- - tinakraja said
  - 27 Apr 2015
    8:05 am
We Just had our first experience at finding a babysitter so we could attend an evening wedding, I used a young girl of 14 who has two younger sisters the same age as my girls and her mum (my Friend) came after 2 hours and stayed with her for the last 2 hours, I was so nervous but I remember growing up with cousins babysitting me and there was never such detail into it, I left my number and the name of the establishment we were at. I checked in via text a few times and all was well. In the good old days there wasn’t even a mobile just Neighbors and family close by. we need to stop being such a nanny state and relax a bit maybe. I couldn’t afford a professional and I also do not know them as well as I do a close friend and her children. its tough!

- - curlytops said
  - 21 Apr 2015
    5:06 pm
I also made sure all my baby sitters were first aid trained too. and can drive so in an emergency can rush your child to hospital.

- - mom136755 said
  - 19 Apr 2015
    7:59 pm
Or ask your babysitter to complete the http://www.sittertrain.com.au babysitting essentials online course. $100 for a 6 hour course with everything they will need to know to be safe and prepared to babysit
- mom93821 replied
  
  20 Apr 2015 , 5:45 am
  Thanks for sharing this link-babysitting. Has anyone completed this course?
- - nadine_hill said
  - 18 Apr 2015
    3:56 pm
Recommendations from family and friends are always the best – you trust your family so you will trust their choices!

- - mom93821 said
  - 18 Apr 2015
    9:04 am
Thanks for sharing these tips on hiring a babysitter-definitely important to have a list of all emergency contacts!