Finding a Safe Babysitter Kendal

By  Red 24 Supernanny Expert 25/09/2006

When leaving your child with a babysitter, it’s important that you trust the babysitter and that they have credible references and/or proof of professional caring qualifications. Parents should be aware of any training that the babysitter has undergone. Parents also should establish if the sitter is adept with holding techniques, bottle-feeding knowledge, nappy changing and bathing.

Babysitters should be advised of the details of each child, including age, weight, height, nap and/or bed times, food allergies, medical condition(s), names, doses of medicines to be taken and any other special conditions.

Information about the babysitter

Once a babysitter has been interviewed and hired, the following important information should be supplied to him or her so there’s no misunderstanding as to where you will be in the case of an emergency:

• Your home address and telephone number
• Name, phone number and location of where you will be or the mobile numbers for both parents
• Time you intend to return home
• Place where the house key is kept and the car key if necessary
• Exact location of the first-aid kit
• Place where the children's medications are kept

The babysitter should be given specific instructions with respect to calling parents back to the house, and should be advised of a possible problem concerning the child. Situations may include:

• If the child has been crying for 20 or 30 minutes and the sitter cannot establish what the problem is
• If the child develops a temperature or is injured (i.e. more than a superficial scratch)
• Any time a situation develops that the sitter feels he or she cannot handle

Should it happen that neither parent can be contacted, the names of three relatives, neighbours or close friends should be supplied, as well as their addresses and telephone numbers.

The babysitter and house rules

The babysitter should be made aware of what television programmes and movies are acceptable and unacceptable, as well as what the children are allowed to eat and drink. Guidelines should be laid down for ‘outside’ play and for what company is acceptable for each child. A bedtime routine must be explained together with the parent’s discipline philosophy. The sitter should ask the parents well in advance to prepare bottles, nappies and anything else that he or she feels is necessary. Parents should provide information to the sitter on how they usually get a child to sleep. He or she should be instructed to make notes of the following when babysitting:

• What and when did the children eat
• What time the children napped and went to bed
• How they behaved

The babysitter and safety

Sitters should be instructed not to give the children any of the following:

Under four years of age

Raisins, hot dogs, raw carrots, celery, grapes, nuts, hard sweets, chewing gum, raw pears and apples.

Four to six years

Apples, pears and carrots to be peeled.

The sitter must be instruc...

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