You'd think babysitting toddlers is easy. There's nothing to it. You wish! Reality is that it's a lot easier said than done. You need some practical tips for babysitting toddlers; not just for the sake of your sanity but for the sake of safety.
The truth is, babysitting toddlers is no joke at all. As cute as they are, you need all the patience in the world. As a matter of fact, you might even need some superpowers to get you through a day with a toddler.
A day with a toddler could get pretty tough. Don't worry. You'll survive it. Hence, you shouldn't worry so much about babysitting toddlers. As long as you follow these 5 safety tips for babysitting toddlers, you'll be fine. Here are the 5 safety tips for babysitting toddlers.
1. Never Ever Take Your Eyes Off Them
According to iparentinglife.com, there's a reason why most moms of toddlers seek professional sitters. They want someone who can keep a close eye on their toddler. That means a sitter who never takes her eyes off their toddler. If she could glue her eyes on the toddler, the better.
Toddlers are toddlers. Nothing compares to their antics and energy. They will run and run and run. That's not all because they will talk and talk and talk. They're going to drain you.
You're going to get so tired that you might end up closing your eyes for just one second. Don't ever make that crucial mistake of closing your eyes, even for one brief second. A brief second with a toddler is like a lifetime. It's that long and anything can happen. So as one of the safety tips for babysitting toddlers, don't ever take your eyes off them.
2. Be Prepared For Any Kind Of Emergency
The reason why you should never take your eyes off the little one is because of the fact that accidents can happen. Toddlers and accidents go hand in hand. They're actually inseparable. Where there's a toddler, there's an accident. As a babysitter, you should always be prepared for any kind of emergency. Hence, you should be cautious. Always.
3. Know The Rules And Take Them Seriously
One of the safety tips for babysitting toddlers might sound pretty simple to you. After all, knowing the rules is pretty much a standard for any babysitter.
It's not enough to know the rules if you babysit toddlers. You need to internalize them to keep the toddlers safe at all times.
Parents will have their own set of rules. If you babysit for various families, you would have to know and internalize various house rules. Sleeping time, screen time, and playtime may differ from one family to another. Nonetheless, you would have to comply strictly.
So knowing and internalizing the different house rules can set you apart from the other babysitters out there. While you would have to exert extra effort, you just have to do it. As a babysitter who prioritizes safety, it really isn't enough to just know the rules.
4. Keep The Communication Line Open
Just as soon as the parents leave their toddler with you, you need to make sure that the communication line is open. Keep in mind that the parents will call anytime. Don't give them the chance to worry by not picking up.
Be responsible enough to answer all their calls. At the same time, balance your time and attention between your smartphone and keeping a close eye on the toddler.
At some point, the safety tips for babysitting toddlers will overlap. Learn how to balance them so that safety prevails.
5. Make It A Habit To Provide Feedback
Most babysitters ignore this. Once they're pretty close to the parents, they don't bother to spare some time to give feedback.
As a professional babysitter, you need to make it a habit to provide feedback to the parents. Spend a couple of minutes with the parents before leaving. Tell them what you did. Tell them what their toddler did. You would probably have one funny story to tell.
If there's anything serious that they should know, tell them right away. Don't leave the house without giving them feedback. This is for your protection as well.
As much as babysitting toddlers is fun, you always have to keep it safe for both yourself and the toddler. You cannot afford to overlook a simple thing, more so take anything for granted.
With toddlers, you need to be alert at all times. You need to give them your hundred percent attention. No less than that.
Yes, it does sound overwhelming but you just have to be. These 5 safety tips for babysitting toddlers will help keep you alert all the time.