Help Your Babysitter Prepare for Anything
Everyday activities keep many parents so busy that they can't take their children
with them everywhere.
That makes it key to find the right babysitter and make sure that the sitter can be
entrusted with your child.
When you're looking for a babysitter, give yourself enough time to be choosy. You
should:
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Look for a sitter within your circle of friends, faith community, or neighborhood.
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Look for a sitter who is age 13 or older and mature enough to handle basic household
emergencies.
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Look for someone who has experience working with children.
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Have the sitter spend time with you before babysitting to meet the children and learn
their routines.
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Always check references.
Safe Sitter, a national organization devoted to training teens to become safe babysitters,
strongly recommends that the sitter have had some babysitting training. This should
include what to do if a child starts to choke, basic first aid, and cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR).
Parents must also make sure that their home is a safe environment and has first aid
supplies.
To make sure your sitter is ready for any situation that arises and knows how to get
help, give the sitter this checklist for use in an emergency:
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Family name:
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Phone number:
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Address, with clear directions on how to locate your house
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Children's names and ages:
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Children's allergies, health history, and daily medicines:
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Phone number where parent or guardian will be:
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Address where parent or guardian can be reached:
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Cell phone numbers:
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Neighbor's name and phone number:
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Local relative's name and phone number:
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Local emergency phone number:
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Healthcare provider's name:
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Healthcare provider's phone number:
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Insurance name and number:
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Poison control center:
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Police:
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Ambulance:
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Fire department:
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What time you will be home:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that, if your child is close to
age 12, the sitter should be quite a bit older. This will help your child to see the
sitter as being old enough to have authority. The AAP also suggests that, in addition
to checking references, you also speak with the sitter's parents before hiring them
so you can get a sense of how the teenager handles responsibility.
Show the sitter where the first aid supplies are kept and leave a first aid chart
for easy reference. If your child takes medicines, write the name of the medicine
down with specific instructions on how much to give, how to give it, and how to get
your child's cooperation. The safest method is to pre-measure the medicine and then
make certain all medicines are out of the children's reach.
Show your sitter the house and point out all entrances and exits, fire and burglar
alarms, flashlights, and off-limits areas. Discuss exits in case of a fire and escape
routines you may have practiced with your children. Remind the sitter that if there
is a fire the children should be taken outside before calling 911.
As you leave, lock all doors and windows. Close blinds and curtains if it is after
dark. Don't make arrangements for any deliveries while you are gone (including food).
Tell the sitter not to go to the door and let anyone in, even if someone knocks. Reassure
the sitter that it's OK to call you if anything unusual or concerning happens.
Make sure the sitter is clear on your "house rules" about what can be watched on TV,
visitors, telephone use, smoking or drinking, and taking your child outside.
Taking the time to find the right sitter will let you enjoy your out-of-home activity
with minimal worries about your child.
What to know about preventing SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths
Here are guidelines from the AAP on how to reduce the risk for SIDS (sudden infant
death syndrome) and sleep-related deaths from birth to age 1 to share with your babysitter:
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Place the baby on their back for all sleep or naps until the child is 1 year old.
This can decrease the risk for SIDS, aspiration, and choking. Never place the baby
on their side or stomach for sleep or naps. If the baby is awake, allow the child
time on their tummy as long as there is supervision. This helps the child build strong
tummy and neck muscles. This will also help minimize flattening of the head that can
happen when babies spend so much time on their backs.
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Offer the baby a pacifier for sleeping or naps. If the child is breastfeeding, don't
give the baby a pacifier until breastfeeding has been fully established.
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Use a firm mattress (covered by a tightly fitted sheet) to prevent gaps between the
mattress and the sides of a crib, a play yard, or a bassinet. This can decrease the
risk for entrapment, suffocation, and SIDS.
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Share the room instead of your bed with the baby. Putting the baby in bed with you
raises the risk for strangulation, suffocation, entrapment, and SIDS. Bed sharing
is not recommended for twins or other multiples. The AAP recommends that babies sleep
in the same room as their parents, close to their parents' bed, but in a separate
bed or crib appropriate for infants. This sleeping arrangement is recommended ideally
for the baby's first year but should at least be maintained for the first 6 months.
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Don't use infant seats, car seats, strollers, infant carriers, and infant swings for
routine sleep and daily naps. These may lead to blocking of an infant's airway or
suffocation.
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Don't place babies on a couch or armchair for sleep. Sleeping on a couch or armchair
puts the infant at a much higher risk of death, including SIDS.
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Don't use illegal drugs or alcohol. Don't allow smoking while babysitting. Don't allow
the baby to be around anyone who is smoking.
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Don't over bundle, overdress, or cover an infant's face or head. This will prevent
them from getting overheated, reducing the risks for SIDS. Signs of overheating are
sweating and the chest feeling hot.
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Don't use loose bedding or soft objects—bumper pads, pillows, comforters, blankets—in
an infant's crib or bassinet to help prevent suffocation, strangulation, entrapment,
or SIDS.
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Don't use cardiorespiratory monitors and commercial devices—wedges, positioners, and
special mattresses—to help decrease the risk for SIDS and sleep-related infant deaths.
These devices have not been shown to prevent SIDS. In rare cases, they have caused
the death of an infant.
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Always place cribs, bassinets, and play yards in hazard-free areas. Make sure there
are no dangling cords, wires, or window coverings. This will reduce the risk for strangulation.