The In's and Out's of Babysitting (Baby sitters in general)

Member Name: LauraElliott

Product:	Baby sitters in general
Date:	27/07/02 (797 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Earn a bit of extra money, Can have fun at the same time, Good experience and looks good when you go to get a job when you are older, especially if it involves working with children

Disadvantages: Some families might not be as nice as others

Note to parents: Most parent's are a little bit reticent at leaving their children with a babysitter at first, but this is a common thing - most working parent's leave their children in day nursery's during the day (like from 8.00am till 6.00pm), so you shouldn't feel too bad about leaving them for four or five hours in the evenings to go and spend some well deserved time out to relax and take the pressures away from being a parent. If you have children of your own, then you will understand how important breaks from your children are, and just because you leave them with a babysitter doesn't mean that you are not showing them your love, in fact, the children might love you even more for it because you would of given them the chance of a new experience.

My Babysitting Stories

I have been babysitting myself for quite a long time (probably since the age of 14 or younger), so it's been a good few years. I don't have the time much anymore due to lots of studying but on the odd occasion, I have been known to look after my nieces and nephew when my sister or brother need the spare time.

A few of my experiences?

Family Number One

This family were the nicest family ever, they always used to offer to pick me up from my house to get to their home in the first place, and even offered me a lift home in their car (if they hadn't drank any alcohol) after babysitting their two young babies. Another good thing about this family were that they were fairly relaxed. They showed me where the fridge was and where the phone was and told me not to hesitate to ring them if I was unsure of anything, they even told me that if I should feel peckish then I could help myself to some food and cola. They were very kind in that way, and the two babies weren't too bad themselves although they could be a handful at times. When I first started looking after the babies (twins), they were aged approximately 9 months. Babie
s are so cute as this age and extremely easy to look after - it was my first proper babysitting job and I thought 'wow, this doesn't seem like hard work', especially after reading the week or so before about that case in America with Louise Woodward (the Au pair) and how she couldn't handle the child who was meant to be in her care. Anyway, the twins were really cute - when I got to their house they were usually awake but on the way off to sleep (dozing) in their cots. This meant that I didn't have to feed them or anything like that, just change their nappies when required, keep an eye on them (especially if I heard crying through the baby monitor), and give them bottled milk if they cried for it. The reason why I stopped babysitting for that family was because when the babies were about a year and three quarters, they all moved house to somewhere up North and so it would have been a bit far for me to travel (seeing as I'm all the way down South in London).

Family Number Two

This family was awful, they expected something for nothing. They wanted to pay me lousy rates of money for doing so much hard work. I mean, it wasn't as if there was only one or two children either - there were three, and if I was very unlucky, the friends of the parents (who also had children) would leave their children with me too, and I wouldn't get paid any more money for doing much more work. Do you know how difficult it is to amuse up to five toddlers? We're not even talking babies here, we are talking about proper little brats aged between two and five - the type that could drive absolutely anyone up the wall within a few hours. The other thing I didn't like about this family was that they weren't very relaxed, they didn't show me where the fridge was, or the toilet (I had to ask before they went out) and they didn?t leave me any contact numbers (which I classed as essential, and thought that any good and sensible parent w
ould think of). The children were spoilt and always used to ask for chocolate and try and push their luck with me by being cheeky and rude. It got to the point where the parents were ordering me about, and I felt like I had lost the sense of being in control, so I soon finished with that job.

Family Number Three

This was a different sort of babysitting, one from the comfort of my own home. The only problem with this was that once the kids had settled off to sleep, they didn't like being woken up by their parents coming to my house to pick them up, sometimes even in early hours of the morning. I much preferred babysitting at my house though, because I had my own home comforts, didn't feel uncomfortable or that I couldn't move around, and was able to get on with other things (such as a spot of cleaning) whilst looking after the children at the same time. This sort of babysitting wouldn't be for everyone because there are no set ideas of the times and also if the parents have had a lot to drink, it then becomes difficult because there is no one to pick up the children. I found that the children were more comfortable at my house though, they brought along a few of their favourite toys such as teddy bears, puzzles and books, and I managed to keep them amused for hours. The whole different surroundings was better for them too because it was something new to them.

An important point to note is that if you are not happy with the family you are working for, then you have as much right as they would if they didn't like you, to tell them and to finish working for them.

How can I look for babysitting jobs?

If you want to start babysitting then the first thing to do is sort out all of your details (which I go on to talk about later on in this opinion). You then write down important key facts about the service you are offering, such as a contact number (I recommend mobile numbers so that they can get through to you
anytime - therefore meaning more work if your phone is answered compared to your home phone keep ringing while your out and them getting inpatient)...although if you do not have a mobile phone then a home phone is fine (would be useful if you had an answer phone for them to leave a message on. Include your first name only, and a little bit about yourself, such as your age, the area you wish to work around and the furthest you'll travel too, and a few bits about your hobbies. You can put these cards up in places like newsagents or even your local Woolworth's or supermarket, which should have a special designated notice board. You can even put advertisements up in your local newspapers.

References

Having references from places where you have been employed before or even from your school (if you are still in education, which most babysitters are) help you to find jobs much more easily. On your cards that you put around, if it says 'references included', more people are likely to think 'ohhh, we'll check her out because she has obviously had past experience with this sort of thing before'. A good idea would be to get references from people you have babysat for before as well, even if it is family or your next-door neighbours.

How much should I be paid?

How much do you think that your services warrant? It is your call to decide how much you charge, don't feel like you are being bargained with here. Childcare does cost a lot, I know of nursery's, which charge up to a tenner an hour...so by you charging half of that wouldn't be extreme. In my opinion, I think you should work out how much to charge, on an hourly basis and also depending on how many children there are. Say for instance your hourly rate is £5 including the first child, and then a pound for any children after that, i.e £7 an hour for three children. If you set your prices as too low, people will just take you for granted and although
money isn't everything, you will feel as though you have nothing to show for your hard work, and think about it from this view - if the parents can afford to go out and have dinner or do whatever they are doing whilst you are looking after their children, then they can afford to pay you with a reasonable wage. After all, it isn't like babysitting is your main source of income, but it is nice to feel appreciated.

What to do whilst babysitting?

The whole idea of babysitting is that you are as involved as possible with the children and are helping them to interact by you sitting there reading a book or watching the TV, isn't going to set a good impression and the child might even tell mummy or daddy that you wasn't playing with them, which won't look too good on you. What I recommend doing is either reading books, sitting down and letting them tell the story for you and that when they get stuck or tired that you continue it for them. If the children are tired and want a quick activity before going to bed, then you can always do a small puzzle with them, helping them if you want to speed up the game. You could always put on a teletubbies or tweenie video to keep them occupied, but make sure that their full attention isn't on that alone. If the weather is warm and it is summer then the nights won't be as dark, so for the first few hours of babysitting you could play some games outside (if they have a garden), but this has to be done with great care, keeping eyes on them at all times to keep them out of danger.

What do you do if the child is naughty?

Well some parent's think that the best way to punish a child is to give them a smack - now I am totally against this and if any parents asked me to do it, I just couldn't bring myself to do it, the child would end up with a grudge against me and I wouldn't feel comfortable with knowing that I could do damage to a child (probably quarter of the size
of me at least - and I'm not that big!). I prefer to use the 'lets take something away method' or 'sit down quietly until you can learn how to behave' type of discipline, one where no harm is involved and the child knows where they stand. By taking a toy away from them, yes, they might get upset at first, but then they'll know not to do it again if they want to play with it. By making them be quiet, they will soon get bored and then understand that if they had done as they were told or asked, then they wouldn't have to sit in total silence, wasting their own time (don't make it seem as if you are wasting your own time, even if you are).

What should I do if the worst happens?

What could possibly go wrong? You might be thinking, but believe me, the least you expec, the more it could happen. The children could get into all sorts of problems such as cutting themselves by accident on a kitchen knife, burning themselves on a boiling kettle, lots of things could happen that are potentially dangerous. Obviously at all times, make sure you are aware of any dangers and don't do anything which could be hazardous, but if it does happen and there isn't anything you can do to prevent it...then you have to deal with it afterwards. Obviously using a first aid kit shouldn't be too difficult (ask the parents where they keep it before they go out - this will make you look responsible, especially in cases where the child could be hurt). Obviously don't start performing major operations...if they are in that much pain?then seek medical advice urgently!

Note: Ask the parents to leave a list of telephone numbers for the clinic, doctors and their mobile numbers (if they have them) or the place that they are going to be going. Tell them that they would be the first to know if anything was to go wrong...and possibly ask them for a relative's number in case you couldn't get through to them. If you can be tru
sted in this way, then the parents will recommend you to all of their friends and before long, you'll have lots of work.

Another note: Before the parents go out, find out what time approximately they will be back, and what the arrangements are for lifts or how you will be getting home. Never be late when you arrive at the house, because this will delay the parents and might make them less friendly towards you.

Overall, I liked most of the family's that I worked for and if you find the right one's for you, then I'm sure that your experience will be equally as good as mine have been. The job can be quite fun if you like children, but make sure that you do not abuse the trust of the parents by going and inviting all of your friends over to have a party, or something like that, you can guarantee that the child will be reporting back to their parents.
Good luck.

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