Information that Every Parent Should Leave with Their Babysitter

Leaving your child with a babysitter can make a parent nervous but if you have a babysitter that you trust you should feel a little more at ease. The best way to feel comfortable with leaving your child with a babysitter is to make sure that your babysitter has all of the information that they will need in order to properly care for your child. Here is a list of information that every parent should leave with their babysitter before leaving the house.

Your Expectations- Your expectations should be listed out for your babysitter. Is he or she suppose to cook dinner? Clean up the dishes? Give the children their bathes? What exactly do you need done and is your babysitter willing to do these items? Is your sitter allowed to take the children out of the house? Is the babysitter allowed to have friends over, use the phone, use the computer, etc? Making a list and discussing it with your babysitter before you leave the house is the best way to handle your expectations. If you want the babysitter to provide a particular meal make that clear to them instead of simply saying "Dinner is in the fridge". By laying out what you expect to be done ahead of time you will prevent any hurt feelings, or pay frustrations at the end of the night.

Phone Numbers- Always leave your babysitter with several phone numbers before you leave the house. Your babysitter will need to know where you are going to be and the phone number to that location. Make sure that you leave your cell phone number and even someone else's cell phone number who will be with you because you never know when your cell phone battery will decide to die and leave your sitter with no way to contact you. Be sure to leave the phone number to your child's pediatrician's office also. You may also want to keep a print out of the local emergency numbers such as the fire department, police department, hospital and, of course, 911. Many may think that leaving this many phone numbers is a touch of overkill, but it's always better to be safe than sorry and there is nothing more important than your child's safety.

Medical Requirement- Before you leave the house you should make sure that your babysitter knows about any medical requirements that your child will need, or may have the possibilty of needing, in your absence. If your child is allergic to insect stings then your sitter will need to know that even if it's a rainy night with absolutely no chance of an insect stinging your child. It's better that your babysitter knows about that, than to have it happen and your babysitter not know what's wrong with your child. The same goes for things like asthma, food allergies and any other medical situations that your child deals with. Also include anything like allergies to penicillan just in case your child has to be taken to the emergency room for treatment of an injury.

Schedule- Writing your child's schedule down will make it easier for your babysitter to know what your child enjoys doing or what they require in order to have a good time. If your child always eats their dinner at 6pm and then takes their bath at 7pm then let your sitter know so that they can adhere to your child's schedule, especially if that schedule is necessary for your child to get a good night's sleep. Be sure to include things like your child's favorite storybook, if they need their nightlight on before falling asleep and which CD they like to listen to before falling asleep. You don't have to be too detailed but a few tips will help your babysitter out in the long run.

Transportation- Make sure to find out if your babysitter will have their own transportation to and from your house when they are sitting for you. If you are using a teenage babysitter you may need to take them home at the end of the night. Be sure to find all of this out ahead of time so that you aren't surprised with a "Can you take me home now, Mrs. Smith?" when you are ready to fall into bed.

Pay Rate- You and your babysitter should settle on a pay rate before you leave the house. Make sure that you are both happy with the decision before running out the door. If your babysitter thinks that they will walk away with $25 at the end of the night but you come home and toss a $20 at them there may be hard feelings and you may not have a babysitter for future nights out. It's just easier that everyone knows what to expect before you leave the house rather than to have hurt feelings and an angry babysitter at the end of the night. Be prepared to offer a little more if you come home and your babysitter has exceeded your expectations. It never hurts to give a fantastic sitter a few more dollars for a job well-done.

Since this list of items is pretty detailed it is a great idea that you have everything listed above written down for your babysitter to look at whenever they need to. By making sure that your babysitter has all of the information possible to make their job easier, you are insuring that your child will be well taken care of and that you will be fully informed if something were to occur while you are out of the house. Having the peace of mind that your babysitter is well informed will help you relax while you are out of the house, which in turn will help you have a good time with whatever you are doing while you are out of the house. Make sure that your babysitter has all of the information that they need and you can be assured that all will go smoothly while you aren't there.