Does you babysitter know what to do when…….
Leaving a child or children in the care of someone else is necessary for working parents, and a welcome respite for parents who like to have some couple time. Does your babysitter know how to handle safety issues, health issues, behavior issues and emergencies?
Babysitting has changed over the years. There are now babysitter education courses at local hospitals for aspiring babysitters. Good babysitters can also earn a pretty decent wage compared to the $1 per hour that some of us used to earn. Are babysitters today really prepared for the task of handling children?
10 Things Your Babysitter Should Know How to Do
1. Perform CPR
Any babysitter that is caring for infants and children needs to know how to perform CPR. Babysitting courses cover the different methods of CPR for infants, and for children.
2. Help a Child Who is Choking
Related to number one, a babysitter also needs to know how to help an infant that is choking, and an older child that is choking.
3. How to Perform Basic First Aid
A babysitter should also know how to clean and treat scrapes and bruises, bumps, minor burns, bug bites, and poison ivy.
4. Handle Allergies
A babysitter should be well-versed in your child’s allergies to food or bees. If your child has an Epi-pen, the babysitter needs to be instructed by you on how to properly inject it.
5. When to Call the Parent
A babysitter should also be told when it is okay to call the parent about an issue. There are some issues, like children arguing, that the parent may want the babysitter tohandle on their own, rather than receive 10 calls in an hour. When the babysitter should call you is up to you. Discuss different scenarios with the babysitter.
6. When to Call 911
A babysitter should know when to call 911, and when not to call 911.
7. How to Prepare Food or Feed Babies
Babysitters should know how to prepare basic meals and snacks, or at least heat up the ones that the parents made. Babysitters should also know the proper way to give a baby a bottle without propping it, and how to feed a baby solid food.
8. How to Change a Diaper
Not only does a babysitter of a diaper-wearing child need to know how to change a diaper, they need to be willing to do so. A babysitter who would rather let the baby sit in a soiled diaper and let the parents change the diaper on return, is not doing anyone any favors.
9. How to Talk to Children
The babysitter should know how to talk to children. The babysitter should also understand the ways to encourage children to listen and follow their instructions.
10. How to Entertain and Play with Children
Any babysitter that will be watching the children for half a day or more, or as the “regular” babysitter should know how to entertain and play with the children. A babysittershould be engaging, interesting, and interested in creating fun for the kids.
Each parent will have their own list of important qualities in a babysitter. Discuss yours with a partner, and with the babysitter.
