Choosing and
Using a Babysitter
Planning time away from your new baby means that you will need to find
a trusted babysitter to care for your baby like you would. That may seem
impossible, but knowing what qualities you need in a babysitter will help
you to find the best person to take care of your child. The National Women's
Health Information Center (NWHIC) recommends taking the following steps
to familiarize a new babysitter with you, your baby, and your home. Also,
we have provided a babysitter checklist to remind you of the information
the babysitter will need while caring for your child, such as numbers
where you can be reached in an emergency.
Tips for Familiarizing a New Babysitter with Child Safety and Your Home
Safety/First Aid:
- Ask if the babysitter knows infant/child CPR and Rescue Breathing.
- Remind the babysitter that infants should not be placed on an adult
bed of any kind.
- Remind the babysitter to place the baby on her/his back to sleep.
- Be sure that the babysitter knows the signs of illness in an infant
including: changes in skin color, sweating, nausea or vomiting, and
diarrhea.
- Show the babysitter where the fire extinguishers are kept, and explain
how they are used.
- Be sure to show the babysitter where the first aid supplies are kept.
- Remind the babysitter to keep all balloons or plastic items away from
the baby.
- Instruct the babysitter that children should never be unsupervised
in the bathtub.
- He/she should take them with him/her if they must answer the telephone
or the door bell.
- Remind the babysitter to keep the bathroom door closed, and the toilet
seat and lid down when not in use.
Familiarity with your House:
- Before leaving, be sure to give the babysitter a tour of the house.
- Ensure that all windows have been closed, and that the babysitter
knows to keep them closed.
- Show the babysitter how to operate your child safety gates, and indicate
where they need to be kept.
- Also show the babysitter where the flashlights are located.
- Make sure that you have put away all sharp items including scissors,
knives, and any other objects that can cause injury.
Choosing and Using Child Care
Many moms today work and rely on child care for their children. Relatives
or family members sometimes take on child-care duties, or children are
enrolled in child-care programs. All parents wish the best start for their
children. Child care is more than just a service that allows parents to
work. It is a world that will affect a child’s development in many
ways – physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Finding
quality child care that is affordable can be challenging. Many parents
need inexpensive or cost-free day care where they know their children
are safe and are being helped to grow and develop. Parents can contact
their local social service agency (listed in the phone book) for information
about government-sponsored programs such as Head Start and Early Head
Start and other community programs.
Steps to Choosing Quality Child Care
- Look. Visit several child care homes or centers.
Visit the home or center more than once and stay as long as possible
so you can get a good feel for what the care will be like for your child.
Continue to visit even after you start using the home or center.
- Listen. Make sure the place is cheerful and not too
quiet, which can mean not enough activity. Happy-sounding children means
they are involved and busy.
- Count. Count the number of children in the group
and the number of staff members caring for them. The fewer the number
of children for each staff member, the more attention your child will
get.
- Ask. Adults who care for children need knowledge
and experience. Ask about the background and experience of all staff
that will have contact with your child in the home or center.
- Be Informed. Find out more about efforts in your
community to improve the quality of child care. Ask if the home or center
is involved in these activities. Consider getting involved yourself.
