Your Questions Answered

Babysitting is hard work, and no matter how experienced you are, new situations always pop up.

I collected some of the most common questions I get and answered them for you. For example, I answer babysitting questions about what to take to a job, handling behavior such as biting, as well as what to do if the family forgets to pay you.

Today we’re taking questions from you, hard-working babysitters. Let’s get started.

Emma from Georgia asks, “What is the most important thing to take to a babysitting job?”

Your phone, girl! I know, I know! It’s true that I said to stay off your phone while you were on a babysitting job, but you need your phone in case of an emergency. So, have it handy, but stay off it until the kids are in bed. Then, you can Netflix the rest of the night.

Cameron from Indiana asks, “The little boy I babysit, bites me sometimes. What should I do?”

Ouch! That’s rough, Cameron. So, here’s the deal. Little kids sometimes bite. Sometimes they do out of frustration and sometimes they do it to get a reaction. Your job is to stay calm and tell them firmly, “No biting. Biting hurts.” Never bite a child back to show them how it feels. For one thing, it doesn’t work. Toddlers are not known for their empathy. For another, you could get in big trouble for hurting a child. Finally, if you’re babysitting a child that consistently bites you, you might want to start turning that job down. Nowhere does it say you have to babysit Chuckie!

Martina from Texas asked, “I babysit for a family that never pays me when they come home at the end of the night. They tell me that they’re out of cash and they’ll have to give it to me later. But, sometimes they forget.”

Oh, that is so not okay! You’re right that’s not okay. If you babysit for this family a lot and they’re great to work for except for not having cash at the end of the night, maybe you can set up a mobile transfer like Venmo or Chase Pay. That way they can pay you via their phone and they won’t need cash. And if that’s not an option or you’re just done with the family, you can tell them that you’re not available the next time they call.

Isabel from California asks, “The family I babysit for is great. I love the kids. But, the parents never come home on time. They often text me to tell me they’re gonna be late, sometimes more than an hour.”

Wow, parents! Way to be inconsiderate. There are two ways to deal with employers that are not respectful of your time. First, try to talk to them before you accept the next job. You could say something like, “I love babysitting for your family, but you often come home late. I can only accept this job if you’ll be home on time.” And, if you need some adult backup support, you could say, “My parents will only let me babysit for you if you’ll be home on time.” The second option is to decline any future jobs and say, “I’m sorry, I’m not available to babysit for you.” If they ask why, be honest and tell them that they come home too late or that you cannot depend on them to be home on time.

Last question.

James from Pennsylvania asks, “I babysit for my younger cousins but my aunt just had a baby. I’m afraid the baby is gonna cry while I’m babysitting and I won’t know what to do.”

Great question, James. First, only babysit newborns if you already have a couple years of babysitting experience. Newborns are a lot of work. It’s also true that they can cry a lot, too. Infants cry to tell you that they’re hungry, cold, hot, lonely. They pretty much cry to communicate everything. If you’re babysitting an infant and they won’t stop crying, check to see if they need to be fed, burped, held, or rocked to sleep. If nothing seems to help and
they cry for more than 20 minutes, it’s best to call the parents for help.

Great questions, you guys! If you have a question we didn’t get to, post it in the comments below and we’ll try to include it in a future episode. And don’t forget to check out babysitterboss.com for more tips or to find a Safe Sitter® class near you.