How to Survive Babysitting

How to Survive Babysitting

Have you just received your first babysitting assignment and have no clue on what to do? Read this article to help you be the perfect babysitter that everyone loves. These tips will not only help you prevent chaos, but they will also have parents and children begging for you to come back next time. In the end, the more they love you the more money you make. Babysitting is a tough job, but one that can be enjoyable. Being prepared is key to success with babysitting. Taking care of kids is hard, especially when you do it the right way. Knowing the elements listed below will help make your babysitting experience successful.

Always Be Prepared

There are always situations that occur that are not planned for. When babysitting, you want to know every little bit of information that could help solve a problem. You will need to be prepared for any type of situation that may arise.

Crisis Situations

The main job as a babysitter is to keep the children in your care safe. When dealing with children of all ages you need to be calm in any situation, especially in an emergency situation. When you stay calm and keep the child calm, it helps to prevent chaos and panic. Here is a list of phone numbers to have on hand in case of a crisis.

• Parents (phone number and email)
• Emergency Contact
• Poison Control
• Family
• Close neighbors
• Child’s Doctor

Allergies

Many kids have allergies and it is important to know what those are to prevent an unwanted
allergic reaction. When babysitting, it is very seldom that the kid will not be allergic
to anything.

Provide Healthy Meals and Snacks

During the time you are babysitting, you might be asked to prepare a meal or a
snack for kids.  It is critical to ask about meals and snacks that need to be
provided.  As a babysitter, you need to know about foods that pose potential
choking hazards depending on the age of the child.  For example, for a child
under six, it would be important to cut grapes in half to prevent choking.
Getting kids to eat healthy meals and snacks can often be a challenge. One way
to solve this issue is to provide snacks that are fun and kid-friendly. One
example of a kid-friendly, nutritious snack is an Apple Smile. With only a few
ingredients, you can make this simple, no-bake snack with the kids.

Making Apple Smiles

Ingredients:
• Apples
• Creamy peanut butter
• Mini marshmallows


To Make:

1. Slice the apple into ½ inch wedges.
2. Spread creamy peanut butter on one side of the apple.
3. Press another slice of apple on top.
4. Cut the mini marshmallows in half.
5. Press mini marshmallows into the peanut butter for “teeth”.
6. Enjoy!

Knowing the Rules and Boundaries

No one wants to be known as the babysitter that was so strict their kids could do
nothing. You never want to make them feel like they are always doing the wrong
thing but, sometimes you have to let them know who is in charge. Always check
with the parent for some rules that they follow on a day to day basis.
Every now and then you can bend the rules but that can only happen to a certain extent.  Kids function best with structure and consistency.  Following the
normal rules and routines will help your babysitting job run smoothly and you
will also have the respect of the kids and the parents.

Be Active and Entertaining

It might seem simple to entertain kids with television or other technology.
However, a fabulous babysitter engages kids with a wide variety of activities.
Before the day of babysitting, ask the parents about activities that are
acceptable to do with the kids. Find out about activities, such as a playground
or park, that is within walking distance. Find out what types of toys and games
that the kids would be interested in. Some examples of fun activities to do with
kids are listed below.

Fun Activities

• Obstacle course (set up with safe items such as pool              noodles and floats)
• Make paper airplanes
• Arts and crafts
• Read a book
• Build a fort out of boxes

Have Fun - And Enjoy the Kids!

Babysitting can be a rewarding job.  It is crucial to be prepared, know the rules
and boundaries, provide healthy meals, and be active and entertaining.  Your number one priority of babysitting is keeping the kids in your care safe. However,
you want to be a babysitter that the kids enjoy and want to spend time with again
and again. I have found that my most successful babysitting experiences happened when I came prepared and enjoyed spending time with the kids. If you follow the steps listed above, you will have a great time with the kids and the parents will
be ready for you to come back soon.