Baby Sitting World

When you think of babysitting, whether you are the babysitter or the parent, do you consider whether or not the children will be outside while they are in your care or the care of the sitter? 

In many parts of the country and in many parts of the world for that matter, the weather can change often from hour to hour.  A bright sunny day can change quickly to a stormy afternoon complete with thunder and lightning.  A snowstorm can break way to a clear blue sunny sky.  Warm summer air can drop numerous degrees in a matter of minutes with a sudden gust of wind from an approaching cold front. 

“What does this have to do with babysitting?”

When you are babysitting, YOU are in charge of taking care of the children.  Protecting them from sun, cold, rain etc. is your job.  Parents are busy people.  They have thousands of things to remember between working and/or taking care of the house, and caring for their kids with their often overloaded schedules and just plain daily maintenance!  If Mrs. Jones has left for work for the day and forgot to leave the sunscreen out, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want you to put sunscreen on the children before taking them outside.  However, you do need to discuss this with parents and get their permission.

Some parents may not want you applying sunscreen to their children.  Perhaps one of them is allergic to sunscreen.  Maybe the mother prefers to do it herself so she’s sure you haven’t missed a spot.  Whatever the reason may be is not important.  Making sure you follow the parents request is!  Keep in mind though, that you also need to think wisely.  For instance, if a parent says she doesn’t want you to use sunscreen on  her children, then taking them to the playground between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on a hot summer day is not a good idea.

Lots of children love the outdoors.  They love to play in the dirt with rocks and sticks, they like to dig in the sand, and they love to explore nature.  But, many of them prefer not to wear a jacket regardless of the temperature.  This is another instance where the sitter is required to use her best judgement.  Just because a child says they aren’t cold, doesn’t mean they should be allowed to run around without a jacket on a cold day.  If there are puddles outside or the ground is wet and muddy, the kids need to wear boots.  If their hands and fingers are red after being outside just a short time, they need mittens or gloves.  If it is raining or snowing, they need hats or hoods.

Adhering to parent’s requests and using your best judgement as well, will help to keep the children you are caring for safe and healthy.

As an added measure, keep a bottle of hypoallergenic sunscreen, a pair of kids mittens, and a small travel size umbrella in your babysitting kit!  Always try to be prepared for anything!

Lisa McLellan, Child Care Expert

Ahhh, Valentines Day!  A day especially for celebrating love, whether you are dating, engaged, in another type of relationship, or married!  Many couples use February 14thas a day to celebrate and express their love for each other in some way out of the ordinary.  Some couples will wed on this most wonderful day, while others will simply celebrate with candy, flowers, gifts, or a night out to some place special.   If they choose to go out and either one or both of them have children, they will all share something in common – they will need a babysitter!

If you happen to be a babysitter, be aware that New Years Eve and Valentines Day are two days when you may increase your hourly rates.  These are days when your services will be in high demand and charging time and a half is not out of the ordinary.  If you are a parent or guardian, you should start looking for a sitter at least a month in advance to be sure you get the sitter you want.

If you don’t go out very often or usually have family or friends who care for your children in your absence, then you may not even know where to look for a babysitter if you are now in need of one. The best local sitters are at Sittercity.com.  Sittercity has thousands of sitters available all over the country.  Just click the link and fill in your zip code to view the babysitters available right in your area.  Also, Sittercity is offering a special promotion to take 15% off with promo code “SAVE15″ now through Valentines Day!  You can try the newspaper classifieds, but why wait?  Click on the link, enter your zip code, and you can view potential sitters from the comfort of your own home.

Babysitting services like Sittercity, provide you with information like age, level of experience, rates, and often a photo,  background check, and/or comments from other parents who have used their services.  Find your next sitter now!  And Happy Valentines Day!