Safety for the Sitter

I am a babysitter, and the kids I babysit love me. I give them undivided attention and play games with them – babysitting is a blast!

But if I’m being completely honest with you, I’m still a kid myself. I still live with my parents and rely on them for most things in life. When bad things happen, I look to my mom and dad for guidance.

As a babysitter, I’m the substitute parent. I’m the one the kids look too when bad things happen, and I have to step up and be the leader. Sure, I can call my parents for help, but I also have to stay in control of myself (and my emotions) as well as stay in control of the kids I’m babysitting.

There are three things that can be really scary to face as a babysitter: bad weather, power outages, and house fires. I hope you never have to face any of those things when babysitting, but if you do, it’s really important that you know what to do. Watch this video to learn exactly what you need to know to stay safe.

Being a babysitter can be a lot of fun, but it’s also a little scary. You’ll be in new situations and sometimes things will go wrong, and you won’t know what to do. Unless you watch this video because I’m going to tell you exactly how to stay safe when things go bad.

Here are the real adventures in babysitting – the three things that can really turn your night of babysitting into an adventure in trying to stay safe and sound.

Let’s start with the weather. Usually, the weather is pretty harmless. It can even be really nice but occasionally it will completely betray you. If there is a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning, stay calm and take the children you’re babysitting to the basement. If there’s no basement go to an interior room without windows such as a bathroom. Take your phone with you so you can access weather or safety instructions. Stay there until the warning has expired or the storm has passed.

Next on the list and something that you might have to deal with if there are storms in the area, power outages. The power can go out for a lot of reasons: the weather, too many things are plugged in at one time, even damaged power lines in the area. When the power goes out when you’re babysitting it creates two problems: one you have no electricity; and two, the kids you’re babysitting might panic.

The most important thing in this situation is to stay calm. Do not, I repeat do not, scream. It might make you feel better, but it’s going to make the kids you’re babysitting feel worse. See they think you’re the grown-up that’s got everything under control so even if you’re scared, stay calm and find a flashlight. Hmmm, here’s a hint, there’s one on your phone.

After that, it’s time to call in some backup. That’s right. Get an adult to come help. This adult might be the parents who hired you, a neighbor, or even your own parents.

Last on the list, and the scariest thing of all, fire, or the smell of smoke. Fire is serious business so if you see flames or smell smoke, take the children, and leave the house. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, don’t even stop to find Fluffy the cat before you leave. It’s the firefighter’s job to get Fluffy the cat to safety. Your job is to get you and those children to safety. Call 9-1-1 once you’re safely outside. Go to the neighbor’s house to call if you don’t have a phone on you. And don’t go back into the house for any reason.

Finally, call the parents who have hired you once the firefighters and emergency responders have arrived. Follow these directions even if it’s just a little kitchen fire or if you think you smell smoke, but you can’t tell where it’s coming from. It’s always better to stay safe.