By the Book: How to Take Care of My Kids

Whether your kids have a nanny, babysitter, grandma or any other type of caregiver and no matter how much or how little time they spend watching them, you will have to leave them a note or two at some point. More than likely, a ton of notes at all points. Chances are good, they'll also have notes for you. Personally, I always feel a little like I'm nagging when asking the dozens of questions that accompany picking up the kids and all the orders that are required when dropping them off. In the famous words of every single infomercial: "There's got to be an easier way!"

By the Book: How to Take Care of My Kids was born from the minds of two busy moms with a genuine need to organize all the info that their caregivers needed for their children. "Karen and Melissa began working on the book in November of 2005. By the summer of 2006 they formed Karmel Publishing, LLC. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Karen and Melissa are pursuing the dream of making things easier for other parents by providing quality products to organize it all."*

The book is broken up into 5 main sections.
1)The Basics
2)The Caregiver's Note
3)Help! It's an Emergency!
4)All Things Medical
5)Parents Only

Each section is broken down into every possible detail and scenario that the caregiver could ever have to know or plan for.

I love the Household Odds and Ends page in the first section. Things like how to use the remote control or how to work the sprinkler system are important items of information but, often overlooked.

There are nice little quick notes for babysitters to include info on where you'll be and what needs to happen while you are gone. The Nanny News section is wonderful. I am definitely a mom that feels the need to know the specifics on everything that went on during the day. If I was to leave my kids with someone for an extended period of time, this is the form that would make me feel better about not being there to actually witness these things happening. It's got places for everything from food to naps, potty info to outdoor playtime. There's no such thing as TMI when you are a parent!

I like the places in the emergency section for talking about the things that we don't like to think about but, need to know. There are places to put fingerprints and identifying information. There's also a page about having a family password. There might be a time that you need to send someone else to pick up your kids. Having the sitter check their ID and ask for a password is definitely not too much to ask!

There are some super hepful pages in the back that can be put into a separate book for your own personal reference. These pages help keep track of the babysitter or caregiver's info. They also have some really beneficial pages for using while interviewing these caregivers and babysitters as well.

I really think that any parent would find this book incredibly useful. Whether you leave your child with a caregiver on a daily basis or once a year for your anniversary, this book will come in handy! By the Book: How to Take Care of My Kids is available for purchase in hardback and eBook formats. You can also purchase refills for the different sections. I like that. You could have several copies of things in different areas of the house or have one with you if need be.

*bythebookkids.com