You made reservations at your favorite restaurant. You are finally wearing something other than workout clothes. A frozen pizza is in the oven, and you’ve selected a movie for the kids. The doorbell just rang. The babysitter is at the front door.
It’s date night.
As you give your children a hug, you remind them of the house rules—they’re still not allowed to see if food can stick to the ceiling. And no more innovative haircuts for the dog.
You open the front door and welcome the babysitter. This is the first time she has watched your kids. What should you tell her? And how can you ensure that she will remember everything she needs to know? These are important questions to answer. After all, she’s tasked with caring for your most prized gifts.
What should you tell her? And how can you ensure that she will remember everything she needs to know?
Let’s answer that first question—What should you tell the babysitter? There are four pieces of information that every babysitter should know:
1. How to reach you.
Your babysitter needs to know your phone number. If something were to happen at the house, your babysitter will need a way to quickly contact you. This means that you will need to keep your phone near and on, even in a movie theater. It can also be helpful to tell your babysitter where you are going. If she’s unable to reach you via phone, she can contact the restaurant, movie theater, or wherever you are.
2. Where to go for a medical emergency.
If an emergency where to happen, you need your babysitter to act quickly. Because you might not be able to make it back to the house quick enough, your babysitter may need to transport a child to an urgent treatment center or emergency room. So, be sure to communicate where the nearest urgent treatment center and emergency room are located.
3. How to reach others who know your kids.
As you can see, contact information is key. Provide your babysitter additional phone numbers for family friends and neighbors. If an emergency were to occur, these contacts may be invaluable.
4. Vital information about your children.
Does your child have an allergy? Do they have any medical issues? What are your children allowed to eat and drink? What activities do they enjoy? How can you calm down the child when they are scared or upset? Leave your babysitter any other vital information that equips them to take care of your child well.
Admittedly, this is a lot of information for a babysitter. So, how do you ensure that your babysitter is able to quickly find the right information when it is required? You could put sticky notes all over the house, or you could give the babysitter a one-pager.
While I can’t give you a bunch of sticky notes, I can provide you with a babysitter one-pager. This page will be your easy, go-to information sheet for babysitters.
Provide a completed one-pager to your babysitter, and you will find yourself worrying about the kids less and enjoying your night out more.
Click on the image below to get your free babysitter one-pager.
The babysitter one-pager is a part of a larger, family document called The Essential Emergency Binder.
No one likes to consider life-altering emergencies. But out of love, we must prepare for them. Every household needs a place where all the essential information is found. This is why I created The Essential Emergency Binder.
In the event of an emergency, do you and your loved ones know where to find vital family and financial documents? The Essential Emergency Binder pages are an amazing way to keep all of your most important information in one place.
This document provides over 60 pages, covering you and your family's finances, medical care, childcare, petcare, and funeral preferences. An emergency binder is a must for every household, and The Essential Emergency Binder pages make putting together your binder easy.
Do you and your loved ones know where to find vital family and financial documents?
