How To

Last time on How To, Julia requested the topic of how to be a super babysitter. Not as easy as it sounds!

Being a babysitter is a very important job and should not be taken lightly. Remember, you’re in charge (which can be cool), but you’re also responsible for everything that happens to the kids while they are in your care.

A great babysitter needs the following:

• A love of children (that always helps, eh?!)
• At least some experience in dealing with children
• A professional manner whilst being enthusiastic and friendly (remember in this job you need to also deal with parents as well!)
• A good imagination and creativity
• A willingness to appropriately discipline the kids when and if needed (it helps to discuss disciplinary measures with the parents before they leave you and the kids)
• A sense of responsibility
• Reliability (no one will hire a babysitter that constantly falls through and doesn’t keep plans made)
• Punctuality
• TRUCKLOADS of PATIENCE!

OK, so if you’ve looked though that list and thought “OK, that sounds like me,” then read on!

If you want to guarantee being asked back to babysit again, you have to stand out from the crowd. To do this, you need to be unique in your services and manner of relating to the kids (often it’s them who ask and influence their parents: “Can you ask Julia to look after us again?!!! PLEEEEEEEAAASSSE?!!”)

A few ways that you can make your mark in the babysitting business are:

• Get some basic first aid training, or do a certificate. If you mention this, parents will feel safer knowing their kids will be in safe hands.
  
• Be prepared. Take along some of your favourite games, puzzles or books. Children always love new things.
  
• Make yourself a business card or a flyer that you can give to parents so that they have your number on hand at all times.
  
• Be a big kid – think back to your own childhood and relive it. Kids will really connect with that and will have lots more fun if you get into it yourself.
  
• Be professional at ALL TIMES, especially with parents and on the phone.
  
• If you require payment, charge a reasonable amount and discuss this with the parents before they leave so everything is clear.
  

It’s important to keep as much as you can to their set routine. Having someone else in the house can be offputting as well as exciting and upset the general routine.

Children’s minds are constantly going, so their attention span may not be long. Therefore, it’s important to have lots of stuff organised before you go. Here are some suggestions for time-fillers:

Games
Ask the kids what their favourite game is. This could be as simple as tag or a board game they really like. If they don’t have many favourites, don’t be afraid to make up a game. Create a scenario and then act it out. Make them be a princess, and rescue them, or get them to pretend to be a fireman and put out a fire.

Crafty stuff
Children are really stimulated by lots of colours, shapes and textures, so have some craft materials on hand for them. They can do some drawing, or colour in a picture, or make something to show their parents later. Playdough is a surefire winner too! There are lots of crafty sites on the web where you can get ideas from as to what to make.

Reading
Ask them what their favourite books are – often they can spend HOURS reading the same book. It might not be much fun for you after 5 readings in a row, but for them, they love hearing certain stories over and over again, so don’t be afraid to spend lots of time reading with or to them

Get out of the house
After checking with the parents first, go out for a long walk or to a local park. Kids love play equipment and will happily play for hours on it, and the great thing is that they are exercising as well, which is great for their growth and development. If you like, take a football or Frisbee with you to play with if there is no equipment.



If you haven’t got a lot of experience with children, that’s ok – practice makes perfect!
Try and get ahold of some parenting books or go on some websites to get info about what to expect and how to deal with common problems that children might have. There are also some great babysitting sites out there such as this one from the University of Illinois.

Since for some of our How To readers, summer is coming up, which can only mean one thing - SWIMMING! While swimming is fun, it also means wearing a swimming costume. So for next time, you can look forward to a How To on getting yourself bikini-ready! And don't forget if you have a topic or theme you would like covered, send it in!

Good luck and have fun babysitting!

Anna xo