Before Your Babysitter arrives:
1. When the babysitter arrives it is a good idea to conduct a brief tour of your house. Include things like location of baby monitor, telephone, TV / DVD / heating remotes (add any instructions for fireplace / heaters if complicated), toilets, keys / locks, any water hazards, children accessible exits, general hazards or other useful things the babysitter should know.
2. Show them where items they may need are kept eg. books, toys, milk / formula & bottle, nappies, wipes, tea and coffee facilities, first aid / emergency kit. – Also if relevant to your household, technology devices and your preferences around their use (our default is not to use them with children, or as little as possible – we may use them in an emergency situation or in accordance with your guidelines).
3. Leave a list of phone number’s where you can be reached, you should consider including an in case of emergency list: Perhaps a nearby neighbour / friend / relative and the Children’s Doctor.
4. Explain the bedtime / toilet / other routines for each child (if complicated maybe leave a note). Include bed times, stories or bath routine including any comforters eg. dummy / pacifier, blanket, special toy, lights on or off, door open or closed, music on or silence.
5. Outline what to do if your children wake up during the evening – what is your preferred way to deal with them – leave to settle, cuddle, bottle, phone you etc.
6. Never leave a child with an unknown sickness with the babysitter and inform them if there have been any possible symptoms, or any known recent illnesses to be aware of.
7. Give the babysitter an estimated time you will be home, but feel free to ring home during the evening to check how things are going, and to advise that you will be delayed or be staying out longer (if possible). You can relay this information via us (the agency) on 0225 235532, as many babysitters do not give out their contact number and will avoid answering your home phone, if you have not requested that they do so.
8. The babysitter will not generally have any cash with them, so it is advisable to have the correct amount of cash to pay them, alternatively you may pay using online banking (by prior arrangement with the agency only, or as a member benefit after our prompt payment criteria has been met). Feel free to round up and tip your babysitter for their service if desired.
9. At the end of an evening booking, please help ensure the babysitter gets to their vehicle safely especially if your house is far from their car.
10. You may wish to type out an info sheet with some of this information to keep on the fridge or kitchen bench so that you don‘t have to go through it all every time you use our service. Alternatively, you can request to have the same babysitter every time you make a booking, but we do advise that you book in advance with as much time as possible. Rest assured we do always endeavour to provide you with the same babysitter whenever possible, to be consistent for your children (and in line with your preferences).
11. We expect our babysitters to leave your home as they found it (even often better after helping with any obvious light housekeeping). If you do not require the babysitter to do any light housekeeping such as dishes, picking up toys, folding washing please let them know. We also do respect your privacy and preferences around this
12. Once you have confirmed a booking with us, you should receive a link to the printable version of the above information. This will be in a format you can fill out for the babysitter in advance of their arrival, we also recommend laminating a blank version of this printable form and using a whiteboard marker to reuse it again and again, then you can update it as your children grow and routines change.