What do you expect from a babysitter?

Scarinae

I was just wondering, since most of the people on this forum are probably parents, what sort of thing do you expect from a babysitter? Obviously you'd expect things like punctuality and that they won't run up huge phone bills for you, but do you ever ask anything more of them? I have a friend who was left a basket of ironing by a woman she was babysitting for, she was not impressed by this (probably because she can't iron)
What do you ask of your babysitter, if you have one, and what would be your ideal babysitter qualities? I'm just wondering if there's anything I can do to improve

Tiny Tot

It's always great when they're in bed. But seriously, asking someone to do your ironing is a bit not on if you ask me. Maybe to help feed the children or change...uggh!...nappies? But to make sure they're safe and taken care of, sure that's really what they need. Right?

cecilwinthorpe

one summer i looked after 4 children between the ages of 8-10 years and i was told that all i had to do was get em out of bed, let them play in the filed, make them their lunch and the odd day get the dinner started if needs be but after a week my "duties" started piling up and one that i was given which i wasnt too impressed with was having to cover all 4 childrens school books. thankfully i can do this quite quick but everyday when i went there was a new pile for me to cover. I cant see how i could be keeping an eye on the children in the field while covering school books so make sure the tasts you give your babysitter are actually sensible and not just jobs that you dont want to do cause of laziness.

beer enigma

Are we talking babysitter or Au Pair here ??

If its a babysitter, then its purely minding the children - can include feeding them if the sitting times are around meal times, but thats normally by prior arrangement. Other than that, drinks if they are thirsty & putting them to bed.

Au Pairs tend to have other household duties such as ironing etc, but asking trhe babysitter to do it is not on.

Scarinae

I was talking about babysitting, I presume the others were as well?

madison 1

mine is expected to mind the kids and stay of my phone.
No the fridge is ha empty and dont get me wrong she's a great sitter and the kids love her, but she has a habbit of stuffing her self when i go out.
Im just worrird about her, piling on the weight , she's 19 and i thinks she would weigh about 13 or 14 stone.
she she dons't have the boys in or mess the house, and the kids are well looked after, its just her well being i worry about.

DaDa

A Babysitter should be able to feed kids, put them to bed, react in an emergency appropriately (i.e. know how to get help ...fast). Kids should also enjoy the sitter's company. They should not be expected to do any household chores, with the exception of perhaps tidying up after kids from play time.

Rozabeez

The ironing thing isnt that bad, I'm a babysitter but the houses I babysit in are usually spotless and there's not much for me to do, but I wouldnt mind being asked to do a small bit of housework as long as the kids were in bed.

Dummy

Fishie - I had a good laugh when I read your thread.

We have a 16 month old and when he will not sleep in the evening, we take out the ironing board and iron and without fail ever, in 10 mins he is fast asleep. I am convinced that it is that "ironing-smell" that does it.

We have never had a babysitter but after reading your thread I don't know if I would now have the courage to ask him / her to iron. I know they wouldn't believe me if I said it makes the baby sleep. : > )

Blinda

Ah!...the replies :rolleyes:

As well as teaching Parenting Skills courses we also do 'Babysitting' courses for teens.
a) 1st priority is Safety - of child/ren, Babysitter & Parents.
b) 2nd is Rules of the house.

A4 size page with instructions.

a) Safety of the child/children:
Parent/s or significant other relative CONTACT details.
Child Allergies; What foods / drinks allowed.
What can / cant do - play / bed times.

b) Safety of Babysitter & Parents:
Legalities - give other tasks and hurt self - can sue householder.
Ensure BS is reliable - refs if possible.
Ensure gets home safely


*Course includes Paed First Aid & Personal safety.

Zoned

My wife and I went out for a drink one night and left our babysitter with our 3 children who we had put to bed and waited till they fell asleep.
We got to the pub and i found out that I had left my card at home and we had no cash.
On returning we found 7 bikes strewn between the front gate and front door....and entering the house we found the 7 male owners....
This babysitter was very popular with the boys and so seemingly was our house....
:eek:

Rozabeez

Wow...that is absolute madness! There's one person I babysit for and she says I could have a friend over, but I still dont think it's a good idea.

cuckoo

Ah, my babysitting days...

Fond memories include:

-the couple that rang the house half an hour after they'd left to tell me 'oh, we forgot to mention, we're minding my sister's baby. it was asleep in the spare room when we left, would you check up on it a few times?'

-the confusion when i'd politely decline a lift home in the car driven by a "happy" parent. don't drink and offer to drive the babysitter home

-the satanic children i came across. original sin is alive and well in a lot of the children in dublin

-the very sweet child that used to offer to make me gin and tonics, 'just like i do for mum and dad. do you want lemon or lime?' bit disturbing that family...

-the father i nearly brained with a poker after he let himself in the side door hours before they were due home, they'd had a row and he'd had to walk home

-oh, and the tipsy father who was so mesmirised by the slogan on my t shirt that he leant forward to point at it and ended up jabbing my 16 yr old chest with his forefinger. i got paid twice as much by his embarassed wife that night.

There's also things that a babysitter expects from a customer, and if you come across a good babysitter treat them well as they'll be in demand in your area.

One family i was very fond of and babysat for years used to pay me a small retainer for Saturday nights, in addition to the babysitting charge. They'd let me know by Thursday if they needed me, so i could take other jobs or make plans. I got on very well with the children, and it worked for them as they could make plans knowing i would be available.

I wouldn't go back to houses in a hurry where the heating would switch off automatically at 10pm and i'd be shivering in my coat and hat by the time they got home at 1am.

I never expected the run of the kitchen when it came to food, but being shown the tea and coffee plus some biscuits was kind of expected. I always liked the families that would show me 'help yourself this shelf, bread for toast here, that's tommorrow's dinner so leave be' - i knew where i was at.

I didn't like it if the first time i met the children was five minutes before their parents left, sometimes i know it can be a last minute thing but i don't really understand people that'd leave their kids with someone they've only just met. I liked a quick drop by in advance of the first babysitting job, get a tour of the house and spend a bit of time with the children and talking to the parents.

Give the children a definite bed time, and remind them of it in front of the babysitter so they can't do the 'but, mum/dad said i could stay up all night...'

You might think it's a treat to allow the eldest to sit up with the babysitter, but, i took babysitting jobs on the understanding that the children would be in bed by a certain time and i could get some study done - talking to a 11 year old for hours on end is not a treat for a babysitter. I'd never mind reading bed time stories, or comforting after nightmares - but there's a reason why those children's entertainers for parties cost more than babysitters do.

Oh, and a good babysitter won't cancel on you with minimum notice so if the babysitter arrives at your house and you've decided that you're not going out for whatever reason, it's polite to pay at least a good portion of the charge. Why? Chances are they've turned down other jobs for that job, and if you want them to babysit for you again there's a big good faith element.

But, i've only one side of the experience. I was a very good babysitter (if i say so myself ) and spent on average four nights a week doing so during my older teenage years. I was a bit fussy about what i expected from customers because i wasn't taking advantage of them, and took good care of their children and homes. I'm sure there's some nightmare babysitters out there!