What have your favorite babysitters done?

[Excelsior! Academy]

Dd just started babysitting and would like some good ideas.

[Catwoman]

Honestly, the most important thing she can do is give the children her complete, undivided attention. So many kids lack that, and will be thrilled with her just because she pays attention to them. Have her ask them what they'd like to do or play. Read them stories if they like them, or play board games or video games, or whatever the kids prefer.

 

So many sitters show up at people's homes and spend the night on the phone or texting with friends, so kids will be very happy with a sitter who puts them first, and acts interested in what they have to say and what they'd like to do.

[Belacqua]

This was almost 40 years ago, but I still remember it. My babysitter would let me stay up later than my bedtime as long as I was in bed, reading. She made a big production out of warning me that my mom was home and I needed to kill the light and pretend to be asleep. It took me decades to realize that, of course, my mother was in on it from the beginning.

 

I suppose encouraging rule-breaking and flouting parents' authority might not always be a spiffy idea, but that particular charade made me adore that sitter and really look forward to the times she'd be coming.

[Spryte]

Good ideas for the kids or the parents?

 

DS's favorite babysitter lets him do her make up and hair. He is really into special effects, and always looking for face paint victims, er, subjects... She also shows up with activities - nothing big, just little dollar size kits with clay or art supplies (for artist DS, probably something different for her other kids). I plan activities, too, but invariably hers are more interesting!

 

For me, I'm just happy when all goes well, and if she leaves the house straightened up it's a bonus.

[KrissiK]

Be available. And come back. Honestly, with my kids.... But, really, we don't need a babysitter that much, but generally we need them on weekends. I know that young people have social lives and all, but if I get declined more than 3-4 times (and we try to be flexible, I mean, we can have a date night on either Friday or Saturday, though sometimes there's a set event)' then I won't be calling back. We had one gal, and she was as sweet as could be, but she was popular and had a very busy social life. So, we stopped calling her.

[texasmama]

Played endless, boring board games with the kids. Also, played outside endlessly. All stuff that makes mom want to poke her eyes out. :D

[staceyobu]

I agree - playing with the kids is number one!

 

Also, coming home to a house that is not a train wreck is really nice. Especially if the kids are in bed and the sitter is staying later. I hate when I pay someone for three hours after the kids are asleep and come in and toys are all over the floor. I don't expect spotless. And, if the kids are awake the whole time, I don't really expect it at all.

[Gentlemommy]

Play. Run around and be silly. Jump right in, even when mom is there, and p.l.a.y.!!! We've been having a girl come twice a week for two hours and she is amazing. She is just shy of 16, but isn't into boys and all that. Today when she came she had my three and the neighbors two out in the yard playing duck duck goose. I told her not to worry about the kids if they were all playing, she was welcome to come in and chill, but she instead chose to play with them. She also plays board games with them which they love. She comes from 5-7 and so I make her dinner, and she sit with the kids and eats while I clean up the kitchen. She also bathes the toddler and 5 year old while I gpdo some school stuff with big dd. it's lovely.

[Spryte]

Play. Run around and be silly. Jump right in, even when mom is there, and p.l.a.y.!!! We've been having a girl come twice a week for two hours and she is amazing. She is just shy of 16, but isn't into boys and all that. Today when she came she had my three and the neighbors two out in the yard playing duck duck goose. I told her not to worry about the kids if they were all playing, she was welcome to come in and chill, but she instead chose to play with them. She also plays board games with them which they love. She comes from 5-7 and so I make her dinner, and she sit with the kids and eats while I clean up the kitchen. She also bathes the toddler and 5 year old while I gpdo some school stuff with big dd. it's lovely.

 

 

Wow. She sounds wonderful! How on earth did you find her??

[laf919]

When I babysat as a teenager, I had a small bag of my favorite toys that I would take with me - nothing big or fancy, but some things that were "new" to the kids. And the kids I sat for regularly loved them - it was fun to have something new and different I think. It also helped a lot with separation anxiety prone kiddos - I could pull a new to them toy out of my bag and use that to distract them from missing mom and dad.....she could also take a few favorite story books or something.

[StephanieZ]

1) As above, play with the kids! Play with them outside if allowed. Do fun stuff like board games or crafty projects or building forts out of sofa cushions. Things that Mom and Dad often don't have time to do. Avoid TV/video if possible.

2) Make sure the house is at least as clean as when the parents left. Clean up the toys and kitchen as you go along. Once the kids are safely in bed, spend half an hour finishing tidying up the toys/books and washing up dishes/snack stuff. Wipe down the counters with a damp papertowel or counter spray. It only takes a few minutes to tidy things up, and it makes a big positive impression. If the kids are in bed for hours, of course you can nap on the couch or read or text . . . but taking a little time to clean up a bit is fair since you are on the clock!

[albeto]

If there was one thing I wish my favorite babysitter did (speaking as a mother), I wish she would have cleaned up. It's something my mother told me and my sisters when we were babysitting and so I always thought it was standard, but apparently not. Coming home after a long day battling the school personnel, or the precious night out alone with my husband, the last thing I wanted to do was come home, roll up my sleeves, and clean dirty dishes. One thing I would encourage your daughter to do is clean the kitchen (nothing major, you know, like clean all the dishes, wipe table and counter, sweep the floor, even if the mess was made before she got there), straighten up living room (fluffing pillows, straightening up magazines or whatever is around), etc, if she has the time. I can't recall anything from my childhood other than the few babysitters that played with me and my sisters as if they enjoyed visiting us. That was always a nice treat.

[QueenCat]

My kids favorite sitter when they were little would bring an activity bag. She always had surprises in there for them. Crafts, books, etc.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Sounds like she'll do fine. She loves playing with them. Today was UNO and baking cupcakes with a little Barney mixed in. She also cleans up her own messes. I have told her to leave the house better than when she arrived.

 

Thank you all.

[AndyJoy]

I was the highly sought after sitter when I was a teen. Some things that parents told me made me "stand out" to them were:

 

1. Even if the kids were allowed to watch TV, I didn't "do" TV. We DID stuff. (My only exception was a movie night when I watched kids for a whole weekend or the 5-year-old who would get up at 6:15 am when I was 16. He got 1 hour of Nick Jr. before I could function properly.) I involved the kids in lots of imaginary play that would be more memorable than vegging out.

 

2. Get to know the kids' interests and plan accordingly. Simple crafts were hugely popular with most kids. I would bring a box of supplies (beads, string, glue gun, buttons, fabric scraps, etc.) and help them make stuff. This especially helped with really long days. Finger or sock puppets, hair bows/barrettes, funky hats, the classic necklace or bracelet--esp. with alphabet beads etc. were very popular.

 

3. Clean up if at all possible. Wash any dishes you use and maybe even wash any that are already sitting there dirty. My sister actually got a housecleaning gig from one of the families for which she babysat because she always tidied up. You can even involve the kids as long as you make it fun. Somehow it is more fun to clean with the babysitter as a surprise for mom. When I watched kids ages 5+ for a whole day we would often tackle a big project like organizing their bedroom or playroom. The kids LOVED surprising their parents.

 

4. Bring toys or books of your own that are different from theirs. I had a favorite childhood book that was really funny that all the kids loved (Stand Back, Said the Elephant, I'm Going to Sneeze!")

[FairClaire]

Done something special with my kids that I don't know how to do or don't have the time to plan. She has braided their hair, done fancy painting on their nails, brought fun seasonal crafts along, taught them a few ballet moves, etc. She has learned what my kids are interested in and plans activities she knows they will enjoy. Also, she is a great communicator. I never have to ask what the kids did or if there were any problems during the evening because she tells me as soon as I return.

 

I am very clear about my expectations: no phone calls, no texting, no unapproved guests. Good babysitters are hard to find. If your daughter builds a relationship with the kids she watches and does meaningful activities with them, she will never run out of opportunities to babysit.

[I.Dup.]

If there was one thing I wish my favorite babysitter did (speaking as a mother), I wish she would have cleaned up. It's something my mother told me and my sisters when we were babysitting and so I always thought it was standard, but apparently not. Coming home after a long day battling the school personnel, or the precious night out alone with my husband, the last thing I wanted to do was come home, roll up my sleeves, and clean dirty dishes. One thing I would encourage your daughter to do is clean the kitchen (nothing major, you know, like clean all the dishes, wipe table and counter, sweep the floor, even if the mess was made before she got there), straighten up living room (fluffing pillows, straightening up magazines or whatever is around), etc, if she has the time. I can't recall anything from my childhood other than the few babysitters that played with me and my sisters as if they enjoyed visiting us. That was always a nice treat.

 

 

I totally agree with this. It's always a bummer to come home and find not a single dish has been put away, the games are still left out, etc.

 

I also agree with the babysitter playing and interacting with the kids. Cleaning is just an added bonus!