I found an article written by V. JEANE WOOLFENDEN entitled
“Tending” in the July issue of the New Era back in 1972, I took most of it from there and revised it to better fit our needs today.
I plan to share this with my own kids and also share it with my Activity day girls.
*Reminder- this blog is written for fun and is in NO WAY responsible for a babysitting job gone bad! I am simply putting ideas out there to help with learning, and becoming a better and more effective babysitter. Listed here are only a few ideas to help with babysitting and in no way want to suggest that this is all you need to know about babysitting. If you are planning to babysit- talk to your own parents, or leaders on what to do to be better, and if possible inquire at your local 4-H Extension Service to see if a class is provided to better educate yourself, your child, or others to become a more competent sitter or caregiver.
Now in your “tween-age” to teenage years, is a time of powerful and lasting training. You learn important homemaking skills, you learn how to study and achieve, and to do an endless number of creative things. You have opportunities to develop your skills in caring for children. As a potential mother, you gain valuable knowledge and practice while tending younger brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, or the neighbor’s children. When parents have responsibilities away from home or go out for an evening together, attend the temple, or when mothers go off to Relief Society activities or care for a sick neighbor, your help as a baby sitter is essential. But no matter who the children or what the circumstances, there are guidelines to follow.
Think before you accept a babysitting job. No young person should accept tending jobs too young. Parents should always be consulted when a prospective job is offered. Your parents are the best judges of your ability to handle younger children.
Never accept a tending responsibility from anyone whom you, your parents, or some trusted friend does not know. Never accept if you do not plan to keep the appointment. Tend only when you are in good health.
Accept every worthwhile opportunity for the fun, for the experience, and, if you must, for the money. The learning you gain and the assistance you render will be well worth your time.
- Be courteous to both the parents and the children. Be the high example of Latter-day Saint standards that you are expected to be. Respect the property of others.
- Unless you are invited to eat a snack-specifically left for you, never eat anything in the house or take the children to a store to buy something to eat. If you are tending the children during mealtime, ask the parent’s instructions concerning how to prepare the food, how much to serve, and if there is anything special you should know about the eating habits of the children.
- Never use the phone for extended personal calls or texting. Never invite friends to drop in or call or text you while you are tending.
- Observe the house rules established by the parents. For example, if the children are not allowed in the front room to eat, they should not eat there while you are tending them. Be sure the children are in bed by the time their parents want them to be.
- Have an understanding with your parents and the parents of the children you are to tend concerning what you will be paid for the evening before you accept the job.
- Always be kind and loving to the children; use the outer limits of your patience, and think of them first.
What Do I Do in Case of an Emergency?
- Keep calm—you have to be in charge.
- Before the parents leave, find out where they can be reached and ask for a list of phone numbers you can call in case of an emergency.
- Be aware of any physical limitations the children may have and what to do if they should need special care. Know some practical first aid. The best thing to do is to prevent any accident by watching the children carefully.
- Good Babysitters should have a clear understanding of emergency contacts, rules, allergies, and bedtimes and more.
- We also contacted a local EMS First Responder in our area to come to teach the girls a few basics of how to be prepared for an emergency and what to do till the ambulance arrives.
What Can I Do with the Children?
To a child everything is new and exciting. To them life isn’t dull, learning is still fun, spontaneous, and exciting. Children have boundless energy to throw into everything they do. They play with fascination, quarrel with determination, and pursue any accepted project with deep intent.
Because of their energy, it is sometime hard for them to concentrate for a great deal of time on any one subject. Success in tending children includes variety, involvement, and a keen eye on the children’s particular interests.
Try a few of
these activities– read them ahead of time, so that what ever activities you choose to do – you can have all the item necessary to play the games or do the crafts.
Keep an eye out for more fun things to do.
Get a medium sized bag to make a take-along-happy kit. Use this to collect things like crayons, coloring books, puzzles, blocks, balls, jump ropes, construction paper, blunt-tip scissors, colored pencils, Silly-Putty/play dough, scratch paper, story books, glue sticks, froot-loops/rainbow/cheerios cereals, string—anything that would be fun for children, easy to carry, and safe to play with.
If it’s a special time of year, take something to make or a bring a story book that tells about the time of year (Easter story, red white and blue construction paper to make flags, paper bags to make Halloween characters, etc.) remember to gauge your planned activities to the age of the children. (For example, if you tend a four-year-old and a six-year-old on Valentines Day, take some colored paper and crayons so the children can make special Valentines for their parents, and let the children put the Valentines they make on the parents’ dresser or bed so they will see them when they come home. Or if it is Easter time, collect stories to tell the children while they decorate egg cartons to put colored Easter eggs into.)
You may find it fun to collect an idea file of things to do with children. The Friend is a great magazine for ideas; take one with you if it isn’t already in the home.
Another fun activity is to take games that the family may not have , but be careful about any “prizes” that you bring- remember parents might have guidelines about candy, toys, stickers and stamps.
Problems—What Do I Do Now?
Sometimes baby sitters find that the children just won’t behave. Your best bet is to find out why the children are naughty and lovingly treat the cause—never strike out at the symptoms. Never lose your temper! Often children get out of hand simply because they’re bored. Keep in mind that the area of discipline is a very sensitive area, and the parents’ wishes should always be respected concerning their children. Keep the children busy, happy, and safe, and you shouldn’t have difficult discipline problems to deal with.
Things I Must Be Sure to Do
Leave with your parents the address and phone number of where you will be tending, and tell them the approximate hour of your return.
Make sure you have a safe and prompt way to return to your home before you ever leave.
Dress properly and within the standards of the Church. A modest pants outfit would be appropriate, especially when you play with the children in the yard or on the floor.
- The children always come first—you should tend them… focus on the children and having a safe and good time with them and not be focused of the time when the parents return.
- Be happy! Children notice and will be happy too. Be excited and enthusiastic—it’s contagious. Remember there is never a time when you are in the house with children that you are not communicating with them in some way; everything you do is teaching the children.
- Have fun with the children. Play with them. Let them help choose what to do. Get to know them and enjoy them as people. Involve them, listen to them, and learn from them— you’ll have a ball!
I know that there are so many ideas that can help mature children become great babysitters- and I thought that it would be fun to share a few other sites that were great some of these sparked my imagination and helped build upon my ideas:
