Parenting Tips: Safe Sitter

Guess What? Practice Will Never Make Perfect!

As a child-free young person, you probably had a vision of what kind of parent you would be. That vision probably included healthy food at the dinner table and music lessons after school. It probably didn’t include bribing them with candy to behave.

12 Ways To Be A Great Parent

Parenting is tough. Here are 12 ways you can make a real difference with your kids.

“You’ve got hair growing where?”

“You’ve got hair growing where?” and other things not to say to your teenager.

My child wants to babysit. What do I do?

My child wants to babysit. What do I do? Here’s what you need to know if your child wants to start babysitting.

Dear Fellow Weary Mothers of Teenagers

So your child is a teenager. If this is your first time as a parent of a teenager, then be prepared: you’re a little like Katniss about to compete in the Hunger Games: You might make it out alive, but you’ll be scarred for life.

5 Ways to Help your Children Develop Self-Esteem

Fostering positive self-esteem in children encourages them to try new things, take healthy risks, and solve problems.

Preparing School-Age Children to be Safe After School

As a parent, you want to support your child in his desire for independence, but you also need to know your child will be safe while home alone after school. Now you can prepare your child to stay home alone safely by leading him through a 90-minute program called Safe@Home.

Is Your Child Ready to Babysit? A Checklist to Help You Decide

Age isn’t what determines whether your child can handle the responsibility of babysitting—her stage of development does. Use this checklist to determine if your child is ready to babysit.

Finding (and Paying) a Great Babysitter

A great babysitter can make life so much easier. Follow these steps and you’ll be sure to find a babysitter that suits your family’s needs.

Digital Footprints: What Do Your Footprints Say?

There are safety hazards online. Supervise your children’s online activities and teach them to practice these safety habits while online.

A Checklist to Tell if Your Older Child is Ready to Watch Younger Siblings

Parents enjoy a new sense of freedom when their oldest is able to babysit. Checkout this list and make sure your child is ready to start sibling sitting.

From Tween to Teen: Understanding their Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Growth

Understanding the social, emotional, and cognitive changes your preteen is experiencing can help you through this parenting challenge.

9 Lessons To Teach Children About Digital Citizenship

Utilize this guide to have conversations about digital citizenship and check out some of the tools listed to help you navigate this world.

When Your Child Is Afraid To Stay Home Alone

Sooner or later, most tweens (age 10-13) will spend some time home alone, whether out of a busy parent’s necessity or because they’re being gently eased into greater independence. Some need reassurance about assuming what they view as a new and scary responsibility. Here's how to ease them into it.

Staying Home Alone: A Big Step In A Child’s Independence

One of the best ways you can help preteens develop the confidence they’ll need to succeed in life is by teaching them the skills to stay home alone.

What Age Are Kids Ready to Stay Home Alone?

As all parents know, kids mature at their own pace, so there is no magic age when kids are ready to be left home alone. Essentially, age isn’t what determines whether your child can handle the responsibility of staying home alone ─ his stage of development does.

5 Questions To Ask Before You Let Your Kids Stay Home Alone

It can be outright scary to think of your kids home alone, making decisions for themselves without your care and direction. Answering these five questions will help you feel more at ease about letting them care for themselves while you step out.

What You Should Ask Your Babysitter After Every Job

You return home from a night out, pay your teen babysitter, and thank her for looking after your kids. That’s all that’s required, right? Not quite. You should always dedicate a few minutes to get feedback from your sitter.

4 Things to Consider When You Cancel a Sitter

Occasionally things happen that are out of your control. Sometimes, this means a change in plans and the need to cancel a sitter. Every parent has been there. Just keep these four things in mind if you find yourself needing to cancel.

Must-Read Advice If Your Child Is Babysitting Over The Holidays

The holiday season is busy for everyone, including babysitters. If your child babysits, she may be flooded with requests from frazzled parents scrambling to find someone to handle things at home while they enjoy holiday events. Here are tips for dealing with the holiday rush.

Hiring a Babysitter Over the Holidays

For many parents, the holiday season means a desperate search for an available, qualified babysitter who’s responsible enough to handle things at home while they step out for a party or two.

How to Say Thank You to Your Babysitter

If you’ve found a dependable babysitter that your kids like and that you trust, you want to do what you can to keep that relationship going. Here are ways to thank your sitter for all she does.

Picking the Best Babysitter for the Job

There’s more to babysitting than showing up on time and hanging out with your kids. Your babysitter is being asked to assume responsibility for your child’s life when you’re away. There’s no bigger job than that! Think about what type of job you’re asking your sitter to do, and pick one that’s the right fit.

The BEST Answer To “I’m Bored” This Summer

No matter how excited your kids were that school was out, it won’t be long until you hear them complain about how bored they are. With a little effort and our seven tips, you can help your kids make the most of summer.

The Makings Of The Best Babysitter [Infographic]

Good babysitters do exist! It's no surprise that the most qualified are highly sought-after. They have certain qualities in common. Make sure you pick the best by knowing what to look for.

10 Tips When Hiring a Summer Sitter

Although parents may want to use young teens, especially siblings, to babysit during long summer days, they need to make sure it’s a good fit for everyone involved. Here are some guidelines when hiring a teenage babysitter this summer.

Managing Behavior: A Parent’s Guide [Infographic]

Managing behavior is often the hardest part of child care. That's what we teach teens who take Safe Sitter®. And it's what parents know from first-hand experience! Try these behavior management tips whenever you find yourself dealing with difficult behavior.

4 Things Parents Should Make Sure Their Teens Know About Choking

Choking rescue skills are a vital part of Safe Sitter’s curriculum. So far, nearly 200 lives have been saved by graduates who knew what to do in an emergency. Here’s what we teach teens about choking and why.

5 Things You Should Do to Keep Kids and Sitters Safe

It’s natural to feel a certain level of anxiety when entrusting a babysitter with your children’s care. There are five easy, but essential, things you should do before you leave that will increase both the safety of your children and your sitter as well as your peace of mind.

The Recipe for Dealing with Picky Eaters

If you’re a mom, chances are that you have at least one picky eater in the house. If you’re struggling with picky eaters, here are four tips that have helped Safe Sitter® moms keep their sanity!

safesitter@safesitter.org

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Parenting Tips

Guess What? Practice Will Never Make Perfect!

12 Ways To Be A Great Parent

“You’ve got hair growing where?”

My child wants to babysit. What do I do?

Dear Fellow Weary Mothers of Teenagers

5 Ways to Help your Children Develop Self-Esteem

Preparing School-Age Children to be Safe After School

Is Your Child Ready to Babysit? A Checklist to Help You Decide

Finding (and Paying) a Great Babysitter

Digital Footprints: What Do Your Footprints Say?

A Checklist to Tell if Your Older Child is Ready to Watch Younger Siblings

From Tween to Teen: Understanding their Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Growth

9 Lessons To Teach Children About Digital Citizenship

When Your Child Is Afraid To Stay Home Alone

Staying Home Alone: A Big Step In A Child’s Independence

What Age Are Kids Ready to Stay Home Alone?

5 Questions To Ask Before You Let Your Kids Stay Home Alone

What You Should Ask Your Babysitter After Every Job

4 Things to Consider When You Cancel a Sitter

Must-Read Advice If Your Child Is Babysitting Over The Holidays

Hiring a Babysitter Over the Holidays

How to Say Thank You to Your Babysitter

Picking the Best Babysitter for the Job

The BEST Answer To “I’m Bored” This Summer

The Makings Of The Best Babysitter [Infographic]

10 Tips When Hiring a Summer Sitter

Managing Behavior: A Parent’s Guide [Infographic]

4 Things Parents Should Make Sure Their Teens Know About Choking

5 Things You Should Do to Keep Kids and Sitters Safe

The Recipe for Dealing with Picky Eaters