10 tips to become a better babysitter

Hey guys!! I know that babysitting is definitely a’ teenager job’, and there are plenty of good reasons, especially if you love kids, and it pays pretty well too!! Here are some tips and tricks for being a awesome babysitter!!

        Hand out flyers. You can of course tell people you babysit, but in my opinion, if you make a good looking flier, and go to the trouble of handing them out, the potential clients will see that you’re responsible, and be more confident in giving you their kids for a few hours. 

Bring a “Kid Kit”. If you have read the Babysitter Club books, you probably already know what a Kid Kit is, but if you don’t, I’ll give you the run-down. A Kid Kit is usually either a bag or box of some sort that you bring to jobs, that have books, games, coloring sheets, and sometimes even toys that the kids you are sitting for don’t necessarily have, so they have something to look forward to.  

Leave the house better than you found it. I get re-hired a lot, mainly because I go the extra step.  Whenever I’m making the kids a snack, I clean up after it, and put other things away. Same thing is when you making a meal for them as well, clean up everything you used, and if the sink is full, or the dishwasher is clean, but full, clean the dishes, put the clean ones away, and I can almost guarantee you, that you clients will be impressed and think back to coming home and not having to clean the kitchen next time they need a sitter. 

Have a no phone policy for yourself. Remember, you are getting paid to play with the kids, and keep them occupied when their parents are away, not play on your phone and just do the bare minimum of making sure they dont send each other to the hospital. You can keep it in your pocket, in case of emergency, but make sure you interact with them. 

Dress the part. This is NOT the time to wear jeans with huge holes (I call them Bear Attack Jeans) and a ratty old T-shirt.  Wear a nice pair of jeans with maybe a small rip, and a plain colored T-Shirt that looks put together and nice.  

 Show up early.  Try to get to all your jobs around 5 minutes earlier than you were instructed to, especially if it’s your first time. If you get there late and then the parents are late to their event, there is a good chance you may not get hired again. You also need time to get phone numbers, if you’re serving a meal, find out about that, and other details.  

Get Emergency Numbers. This does relate to the tip above, but make sure you get the parents numbers, neighbors numbers, and your own parents numbers written down in case of an emergency.  

If they miss their parents… The truth of the matter is, they’re gonna miss their parents, especially if you don’t know the family really well.    Try and distract them with some new games or toys you brought or give them a fun snack. If they don’t calm down after a while, try and talk to them, tell them their parents will be home to put them to bed, or when they wake up in the morning, etc. 

If they aren’t behaving…Ok, I know I did this, but usually some kids around the ages of 6-9 can be slightly rebellious, and misbehave, sass you, etc. First off, try to get them to calm down, ask what’s wrong, calmly get them back to what they’re supposed to be doing, etc. If that doesn’t work, (I hate bribes, but…) Try to tell them that they can have some TV time if they calm down, or ice cream, candy, etc. If after that they don’t behave, as a last resort, call the parents or text them and ask them how they’d handle it. 

Ask about restrictions.  Some families may have restrictions on the use of a pool they might have, snacks the kids can eat, things they can watch, so always make sure you ask before so you don’t just give the kids whatever they want when they aren’t supposed to have it.  

   Those are all 10!! Hope these babysitting tips are helpful to yall!!

    ❤️Mayim