Choosing and Instructing a Babysitter

Entrusting someone to care for your child can be a difficult thing to do. Finding a qualified babysitter requires time and effort, but your reward is assurance that your child is in capable hands.

Choosing a Babysitter
The recommendations of people you know and trust are your best bet for finding a reliable and capable babysitter. If you're new to the area and don't know how to go about finding a sitter, ask your neighbors or coworkers for recommendations, or inquire at your place of worship.

Interviewing prospective sitters and checking their references will give you peace of mind. You may want to invite the sitter over for a "dry run" while you are at home so you can familiarize her with your household and observe how she interacts with your child.

Babysitter Instructions

Before you walk out the door, give the sitter all the help you can:

·              ·         Make sure the sitter knows where you will be and how to reach you.

• Make sure the sitter knows what to do in an emergency. Provide an emergency phone list that includes neighbors, friends, relatives, and your child's physician. Write your own phone number and address on the list.
• Point out where the sitter can find the number for poison control and the bottle of ipecac syrup (used to induce vomiting in some cases when harmful substances have been swallowed; poison control should always be consulted first).
• Teach your children how to call for help. What if something happens to your babysitter while she is watching your child?
• Show the sitter where you keep the door keys in case a child locks herself inside a room.
• Let the sitter know of any special problems your child may have, such as an allergy to bee stings, certain foods, or household products. Show her where first-aid items are kept.
• The American Red Cross offers classes for babysitters that teach safety basics and CPR for infants and children. To learn more, contact your local chapter.

Sitter Beware!
Remind your sitter of these DON'Ts:

·              ·         Don't give a child any medicine without instructions to do so.

• Don't leave a child alone in the house or yard, even for a minute.
• Don't leave children unattended whenever they are near water. Infants and small children can drown in only a few inches of water.
• Don't feed a child under age four nuts, popcorn, hard candy, raw carrots, or any hard, smooth foods that can block the windpipe and cause choking. Some soft foods such as hot dogs or grapes should be chopped into small pieces.
• Don't let children play with plastic bags, latex balloons, coins, or other small objects they could choke on.
• Don't let children play near stairs, windows, stoves, or electrical outlets.