How to Get a Baby Sitting Job
How to Get a Baby Sitting Job
Knowing how to get a baby sitting job can be a good way to make extra cash. The more families you baby sit for, the more money you can make.
To be a good babysitter, you need to be reliable, punctual, organized, safety conscious, mature, and trustworthy. You also need to have people skills . (That’s what is required when dealing with unruly or needy children.) Being fun, firm and patient is a good start toward having those people skills.
Baby Sitter Qualifications
No hard and fast rules or state laws affect babysitters, but most parents want to hand their children over to an older youth. You should probably be 12 years old or older to babysit. Having a babysitter training certificate is even better.
Babysitting Courses and Classes
You can find informal babysitting instruction courses by looking at the bulletin boards at your school or local YMCA. Carry a pen and paper with you so that you can write down this information. Many modern parents prefer to hire babysitters who have some type of babysitting instruction or education behind them, so take advantage of these courses if you can, especially if you have no previous babysitting experience.
Getting a job baby sitting the neighbor’s kids is the easiest way to get started. Family members are another good place to find potential baby sitting clients. Depending on where you live and how large your family is, you might be able to get all the babysitting gigs you can handle. But if you need to broaden your pool of potential clients, you should definitely have some child care courses under your belt. Having lots of options enables you to pick and choose which kids you get along with. And you can prioritize the parents who pay more for the babysitting services you provide, too.
Baby sitting and child care classes are usually easier to find in the spring and early summer.
How to Get a Baby Sitting Job
How to Get a Babysitter Job
The first step is to get the word out that you’re in the market for babysitting gigs. Babysitting and informal nanny jobs are best found via word of mouth. (So you needn’t put together a resume.) Ask your parents to tell their friends that you are now a baby sitter and that you are ready to sit their children for money.
You should also tell any babysitters you know to consider you as a “backup babysitter.” You can create a network of contacts so that you’ll have steady work as a babysitter.
But be sure to get your parents’ permission before advertising yourself for babysitting jobs.
Baby Sitting Job Specifics
It’s a good idea to set limits on your babysitting. Stipulate exactly what times in the day or week you are available, how many kids you can babysit at once, and what age groups you’ll sit for.
Keep the following questions and their answers in mind when you’re looking at prospective babysitting clients:
- How Many Children Do You Babysit at Once?
- What Age Groups Do You Babysit? Babies? Toddlers? Tweens?
- How Late Are You Available to Babysit?
- Are You Available on Weekends?
- How Many Hours Will You Work at One Time?
- Is This a Only a Summer Job?
- Do You Babysit Problem Children?
Don’t be so restrictive when you’re answering these questions that you’re useless to potential customers. But you do want to leave time to get your homework done. And you have family responsibilities and extracurricular activities to think about too. Keep your parents’ curfew in mind too.
Many parents need babysitters when they go out at night or on the weekends. Part of being a babysitter is giving parents time to have a social life, so this can sometimes impede on your social life. But that’s why you’re getting paid. You’re trading your time for your clients’ money.
Safety Issues
Once you get a baby sitting job, you’re going to have responsibility for one or more children, so learn some basic babysitting safety.
Safety Checklist
- Emergency Numbers
- First Aid Kid
- Smoke Detector & Fire Extinguisher
- Emergency Exits
- Fire Escape Plan
- Swimming Pool Safety Policy (if applicable)
- Child’s Medical Background (Allergies, Medications, Conditions)
- Family’s Internet Access Policies
- Family’s TV Watching Policies
Handling Emergency Numbers
When writing down emergency numbers, get the mom and dad’s full names, the dad’s phone number, the mom’s phone number, an emergency contact for the next nearest relative, and a phone number for a trusted neighbor. Also make sure you know the major emergency phone numbers, such as 911, the Police Department, the Fire Department, Poison Control, the Family Doctor, and the preferred hospital.
Print up a sheet of paper with a line beside each of these items, then have one of the parents fill these out when you arrive. If they seem to be in too much of a hurry, have them point you to their list of emergency numbers. Program these into your cell phone if you need to.
Media Access
Some families have strict Internet access and television watching policies. Find out what your clients’ rules are for television and Internet usage in advance.
How to Become a Nanny
Becoming a baby sitter is good preparation if you later want to become a nanny. Being a nanny is way more involved than being a babysitter, but if you find that you enjoy spending time with children, you might be a good nanny candidate.
Nannies spend more time with children, seeing to their basic needs and instructing them in basic life skills. A nanny needs to know first aid and household medical skills, and a nanny needs to know how to cook. Nanny instruction courses can make you better qualified to become a nanny. And being better qualified almost always means making more money.
Getting a nanny job is more like getting any other job. You’ll need a resume with a list of your appropriate experience and education, and you may need a certificate. Unlike most babysitting jobs for teens, a nanny might have to undergo a routine background check.
Getting Your First Baby Sitting Job
Getting your first baby sitting job is a big responsibility. Being a babysitter means that you’re being entrusted with a parent’s most precious thing in the world, so work hard to be worthy of that responsibility. Good babysitters are hard to find, so if you’re dependable, you’ll be in demand.
Resources
- Open Directory: Kids and Teens: Teen Life: Babysitting
- Open Directory: Kids and Teens: Teen Life: Babysitting: Courses
- Open Directory: Kids and Teens: Teen Life: Safety Tips