Babysitting Tips for College Students

By Jordyn Austin on March 30, 2017

Babysitting can be a great gig for college students who are looking to make some money. Websites like care.com allow you to create a profile and begin searching for babysitting jobs near you. Babysitting can be a very rewarding job that pays well.

If you decide to become a babysitter, here are some babysitting tips for new college student sitters.

image via https://www.pixabay.com

Phone numbers and addresses

As a babysitter, it is essential that you have the phone numbers and addresses of the parents, emergency family members, and also emergency places like the local police, fire department, and poison control. You should have a list of people and places to call in case something happens to the child. As an emergency happens should not be the first time you look up a phone number to call.

First aid

You should know where the first aid kit is at all times in the home. If there isn’t one, it is okay to ask the parents to purchase one for the safety of their child. Even though it is not a requirement, it could be very beneficial to know CPR and first aid. There are many local programs that offer these courses at a discounted price or for free.

As a college student, you may even have more of an advantage and these courses could be offered through your school. Knowing first aid and CPR could help save a child’s life in case of an emergency.

Follow instructions

It is always important to follow the parent’s instructions concerning their child. They know their child the best and know what is best for them. So if a parent tells you that a child needs to take a vitamin at a certain time of the day, it is important that you administer that vitamin at that particular time every single day. Don’t ever feed the child anything other than what the parent has permitted. You should be aware of any food allergies a child has and what to do if they accidentally come in contact with it.

Do not ever go against the parent’s wishes and try to give the child a rewarding snack. You never know totally what could affect the child. If a parent has a sugar limit for their child, it is probably for a reason. Too much sugar could lead to extreme hyperactivity in a child and that is why the parent said to limit the sugar or else it would be very difficult for them to go to bed.

Know your limits

If a home has too many children or too many pets that they want you to watch, that may not be the best job for you. You have to be aware of how much you can realistically handle. Trying to watch too many children at one time can be dangerous anyway. It can be very difficult to keep an equal eye out for each child.

Priorities

As a babysitter, it is important to keep your priorities straight while you are on the job. Your number one priority should be watching the children and making sure they have everything they need. Even after they go to bed, you should check on them frequently. It is not wise to be conversing constantly with your friends or significant other when you should be watching the kids. It is also very unwise to invite anyone over to the home that you haven’t received permission for from the parents.

Activities

Learn the kids you babysit and what they like, so you can come up with games and activities that will keep them preoccupied. When kids become bored they can “act out” until they are preoccupied again. Ask the parents questions if you have to about what their kids enjoy or what shows and movies they like to watch. If you are given permission to let the children play outside, make sure you follow directions and keep a close eye on them at all times. If the parents only allow their children to play outside in the backyard, then it is your job to make sure they don’t venture into the front yard.

image via https://www.pixabay.com

Cleaning

Although you may not have been hired to clean the home, you should always clean up after yourself and anything you allowed the children to do. The home should be left back how it was when you arrived. If you want to do a little extra and clean up a little more that is up to you. For example, if you work for a single parent, then you might want to help out a little more because you know how hectic the life of the single parent can be.

Do not use or eat anything that the parent has not given you permission for. If you are permitted to use or eat something, make sure it is put back exactly where you found it. If you eat the rest of something, offer to purchase more and replace it.

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