Saturday, 27 September 2008

  • Things Your Children's Babysitter Should Know

    by Mama Koala

    babysitterA few days ago, I got a call after dinner from a close acquaintance. She called me to ask me for a favor...for a friend of hers, someone I have never met. Her friend had an important appointment that she couldn't take her 3-year-old son to, so I agreed to watch him for a couple of hours the next morning.

    Morning came, and her friend dropped off her son at our place. She was in such a rush to make her appointment that she didn't even have time to come inside for a quick chat. We did exchange enough words for me to find out her son's name and age. Her son had no trouble adjusting to the new setting, and had a good time playing with all of Baby Koala's toys. He didn't need to use the bathroom during the 1.5 hours I watched him, so that took care of one concern I had (I had no clue how potty-trained he was, and whether or not he would tell me if he needed to go). However, after 40 minutes of playing, he asked for water and also pointed to the box of Cheerios on our table, and I had a moment of hesitation. Water, sure...but what if he was allergic to something in the Cheerios? I asked him if he's had them before, and he said yes, so I gave him a little bit and watched him carefully. I didn't want him to go hungry if he wanted a snack, but I didn't feel completely at ease about trusting a 3-year-old to tell me what he can or cannot eat. I also didn't have any emergency contact information, and I didn't even know his parents' names.

    With close friends or family members, these things aren't usually issues since they probably already know if your child is potty-trained or has any food allergies. However, this brief experience made me realize that if you're entrusting your children to someone you don't know (or barely know), you should probably at least give the following info to the babysitter:

    • Emergency contact information
    • How potty-trained your children are, and whether or not they need to be asked about needing to go to the bathroom
    • If your children have any food allergies, or if they should not be given certain foods (e.g. candy, soda, etc.)

    Do you ever leave your children with a babysitter? What information do/would you give the babysitter to help him/her watch your children while you're gone?

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Comments (25)

  • the_caramel_macchiato@xanga

    i make it a point to know above listed things... as well as medical allergies, allergies to grass,pollen, moldspores, latex, etc. I also like to know what your child is allowed to watch on television. not that i'd watch anything age inappropriate, but some parents don't allow t.v. at all. you wanna make sure the child abides by the same rules at home and when they are with you... so they don't get confused
  • Annette33@xanga

    I tell her what is available in the kitchen to fix for lunch.  I tell her snacking is ok, they know what they can eat.  I tell her what areas of the house are off limits to the kids.  I tell her to make sure little dd picks up after herself.  I also leave my cell phone number, and dh's number.  I also introduce her to the dogs, just in case they want to play outside in the back. 

  • Cliffycliffz@xanga

    wow. yeah all the safety information and all is very important, you especially do not want to endanger your dear child's life.
  • Noltes_Wife_Forever@xanga

    i cant belive she only gave you the age and name and nothing else. sad she was in that big of a rush to not even think to tell you those things.
  • Amyld@xanga

    The are only two people I trust to watch my children (besides my husband, of course) - My mother & my grandmother.  If I absolutely had to leave them with a babysitter, I would supply 5-10 contact numbers (yes, really), list of allergies, list of foods that are allowed/not allowed, tv shows that are allowed, and a list of approved "discipline" techniques... making sure they know that spanking is never allowed.
  • kaitlyn_in_wonderland@xanga

    Agreed. When I babysit I always have a list of emergency contacts and food allergies (what they can and can't have). Those are necessities.

  • ApplexXxAxXxDay@xanga

    I am a babysitter, and I am so greatful when I find those little information sheets on the refrigerator door. I think every family should have one, they are really cheap and you have to fill them out once and then your done. You can even just type one up one the computer. You would like to think nothing would ever happen to your child, and it probably wont. But I have had a few instances in which the child had a bad cough and needed medicine, but I had no clue which medicines he was allowed to take and which ones where not.

  • glorious_and_free@xanga

    I'm a very detail-oriented type person.  I always leave a page of details about everything I can think of, and our contact information.  And if the sitter is going to be at my house, I have to do a brief tour and show where everything is, whether I'm in a rush or not.  I've had sitters thank me for this, but I couldn't imagine just leaving them at my house with my kids and no info!  Some people do that?

    If I am watching someone else's kid, I usually ask lots of questions (about food, diaper/pottying, naps etc).  And always have their contact info.
  • TashaDW_18@xanga

    I have only ever left my kids with family (yea for having family close by!) so they know all the important info but I still leave a sheet with information about their schedules and any unusual stuff going on with them
  • PropertyOfMark@xanga

    I would *HOPE* that if he were allergic in a way that could be fatal that the mom surely wouldn't have forgotten. Cheerios probably aren't a high allergy risk but I certainly wouldn't give him peanut butter or milk or chocolate, things that tend to be common allergens. I agree though, you definitely should have been informed. Almost no one watches my son but when they do, I tell them his whole life story while they tell me 20 times that it'll be fine. lol

  • christygraves@xanga

    When I babysit, the first thing I do is ask about food allergies and schedules.  I don't worry too much about little things, but food allergies are a huge deal.  I'm sure (hope?) the woman would have told you if her kid was allergic to anything.
  • freedomcome@xanga

    I have been sitting since age 12 and make a big point in asking these questions and others. I babysat full time this past summer and was SOO glad i asked about allergies, because the middle child was severely allergic to peanut butter!!
  • mamajoyjoy

    the stuff you listed is good. i just drop my daughter off at the church nursery once a week, and besides food allergy info, i told them how to comfort her if she's feeling sad, and what her favorite things to do are. but other than that i have important info on a paper in the bag that i leave there.
  • NaomiJoy@xanga

    I don't think I could leave my kids with someone who didn't know them well enough to know these things about them.  I guess I'm paranoid, but I'm REALLY careful about who I leave my kids with...
  • orchestra3241@xanga

    @Amyld@xanga - when i babysat, i NEVER spanked the kids, i figured discipline (other than a time out) was not my responsibility. i did, however, tell the parents what went on, who disobeyed, what they did, etc when they got back.
  • BeigeTapsBlondeCurls@xanga

    As a babysitter, I always make sure that the parents don't leave without telling me where they're going, how to contact them, and, if I've never been there before, a quick runthrough of what's allowed and what's not.

    I've had some instances where lack of communication between the parents and me led to some intense freaking out.  Scary stuff.  Nothing major ever happened, though, and I've learned from my mistakes.

    But I agree that information should be exchanged before leaving your child with anybody.
  • Catherine_Rich@xanga

    In addition to food allergies, ANY allergy should be mentioned. I, for instance, am allergic to a lot of soap. As a child, I had to use my own soap at my day care providers house or I'd get hives.
  • different_one1@xanga

    OMG I could NEVER do what that woman did! I hate leaving my son  with people I do know. 
  • not_done_baking@xanga

    I just got back from babysitting and while I've been babysitting the child for his entire life I still have that fear in the back of my head about "what if he's allergic to this and his parents haven't told me?" I mean, I didn't believe he was allowed to chew gum at age 3, but surprise! He was. As a babysitter having a list of do's and don'ts (even as someone who has been watching a kid since he was sixth months old) would be very nice. It just makes it so much less stressful.
  • ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga

    There was a family of three that I helped babysit for a couple of months. The two older kids were not much of a problem at all. I played Clue with them and we had a good time. The younger one came close to getting me in trouble. The mom was very understanding I think. What happened was because she was too young to play Clue, I would read her a story so that she didn't feel left out. She would go over and pick up a book from the shelf and I would read her the story and then play Clue with the older ones. Well evidently, because I was new to babysitting I did not see the scenes of anything being "different" with our babysitter/babysitted relationship. Until the younger one (age 3 or so) asked her mother if I could be her new daddy.


    Yeah that was a question that caught both her mother and I a little off guard. how do you tell a 3 year old of divorced parents, that babysitter will be your only job title?


    Oh and I have no kids, so I don't leave any info with the babysitter I don't need :)
  • lyrics_and_lists@xanga

    i babysat for my boss one time, and she forgot to tell me that he was special needs. the kid is borderline autistic, so it wasn't something obvious. i noticed he had weird behaviors and stuff, but i just thought he was sort of goofy.

    that's something else babysitters need to know. things that the parent is accustomed to might slip their mind. so making sure the babysitter is fully aware of any special needsis crucial, is as how to handle any tantrums and stuff.
  • PoetMcChick@xanga

    I would like to assume that if he had any allergies, she would have told you. HOWEVER, I know not everyone is smart and if she was in a hurry, it could have slipped her mind.
  • filtered_sunlight@xanga

    I'm in the group that's in awe of how casual this woman was just literally leaving her son with a perfect stranger. Tim and I discussed potential babysitters (and legal gaurdians, in the event of our deaths) a few weeks ago...and realized just how limited our options will be just based on people that we know and are friends with, but whom we don't think would fair well with kids or keep a good enough eye on Megan.


    Contact numbers and allergy info is a MUST. Stage of potty training, another must...or even how regularly she needs to be changed before she's actually potty training...not everyone knows that or remembers it if it's a been a while since they've been around a baby. What our ground rules are and how we handle things if they're not obeyed. Instructions for any medical conditions, a definite MUST! (I baby sat for a co-worker once that "forgot" to tell me her son had asthma. NOT a pleasent surprise! I had to call her in the middle of dinner to ask what to do for him/where his inhaler was. And to say I was a little freaked out would be a serious understatement.) Rules on things like TV and sugar are also something that should be known if they're important to the parents...as well as bed times and bed time routines, to ensure a sucessful bed time. I think 2 lamenated copies of such a list; one for on the fridge at home and one for in the diaper/take-a-long bag, are a good idea...that way if (or rather when) you do find yourself in a rush, you don't have to worry about missing anything important.
  • TheatresLeadingDancer@xanga

    I babysit myself (and am a Tuesday Nanny for a family). Before I babysit someone like a neighbor or another child I don't know I ask the basics... (Where are you going, age of the child, alergies(Medical and whatnot), bedtime (Depending on the situation), potty trained, and basic house rules...
  • sabrafox@xanga

    Always good advice.  I don't babysit unless I have that kind of information.  I also like to know things like - what are the house rules, have they been fed, how do you discipline them if there's a problem, etc.


    That's just an uncomfortable situation all around that you were in, but it sure was nice of you to help out.

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