Some Thoughts on Babysitting

After recent discussion with a few friends regarding the first profession most of us had - babysitting - I have some thoughts that perhaps someone else will find valuable.

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GREAT babysitters...

1. Always arrive 5 minutes early. Getting to the house a little early allows you the chance to touch base with the parents, meet the child (if you haven't yet) and help ease the transition when parents leave.

2. Are outwardly energetic and excited to work. If you're tired, get coffee before you show up.

3. Aren't being paid to stick a kid in front of a TV and make sure they don't burn the house down. This is an important job, and you can teach a monkey to watch a child watch a movie. Engage the child - read, color, draw, go for a walk. Help them clean their room. Build a blanket fort. Play with sidewalk chalk or basketballs. DO something.

4. Know how to cook basic meals - mac & cheese, frozen pizza or chicken nuggets, sandwiches. You should also know how to complete a meal - i.e. if parents leave a box of mac & cheese on the counter for you to cook, serve it with a fruit or a vegetable.

5. Have the house clean when parents come home. Remember, you're being paid good money for this job, and once the child is in bed you are not off the clock. Don't feel like you need to do laundry, but dishes should be washed, the counters/table wiped down and all toys/blankets/movies/etc should be put away.

6. Don't use electronics while working. Your cell phone should be in your car or on silent in your bag the ENTIRE time, even after the child is asleep. Don't use the computer. You may watch TV after the child is asleep, but only watch a show that you would watch with your grandmother - kids WILL get up and wonder what you're watching. The most preferable after-kids-are-in-bed activity is reading, because it is least likely to distract you or prevent you from hearing the sleeping child.

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GREAT families...

1. Pay well. This is YOUR CHILD someone is watching - it's an important job, and you want it done right. Minimum wage is $7.02 in Colorado! A good rule of thumb is this: $6/hr for one child; $8/hr for two children; $10/hr for three children, etc. Never pay someone less than $10 to babysit (even if it's only one child for one hour) if you're hoping to hire that person again someday.

2. Are prepared. Don't feel like you need to cook dinner before you leave, but have a number where you can be reached, your plans, the time you expect to return and a nearby emergency contact written down.

3. Are clear. If your child has food restrictions (no dessert today, allergic to apples, etc) say so AND have it written down. If you want your child in bed by 8:15pm, say so AND have it written down. If your child needs to read before bed, has a medication to take, can't watch Batman, has to walk the dog after school, etc, say so AND have it written down.

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I had friends in junior high and high school who were practically professional babysitters - girls (and a few guys) who babysat so often they could afford a down payment on a car. I was not that girl; aside from my own 3 siblings, I have only regularly babysat for three families my whole life. I remember my favorite babysitters as fun (we made peanut-butter balls and played M.A.S.H.), good at engaging both 10-year-old me and 2-year-old Christian, and relatively laid-back. Obviously I LOVE babysitting for the S family; their three little girls are like my little sisters. I came up with the list for what "great families" do based on the things JS & AS have done for me over the last 2.5 years that I've watched their kids. (It also helps that they're really fun people - I have stayed 30 minutes after they've come home on many occassions just talking to them in the kitchen. I don't necessarily recommend this, because most parents just want you out of their hair when they come home.)
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I guess I don't really have anything else to say.