Being a babysitter for 22 families, I have a fair amount of experience and knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. Here are some tips to make the experience a little bit better:

• Don’t be a babysitter if you’re not a patient person
  • This is my number one tip. Lots of my friends are babysitters but cannot handle the kids if they become rowdy or upset. Don’t do it to yourself but more importantly, don’t do it to the kids.
• Bring games and crafts!
  • Every time I babysit kids aged three and older I run to the dollar tree before and buy games and/or crafts. If I’m short on cash, I’ll bring toys, games, and art supplies from when I was little. You’ll be sure to please the kids and impress the parents!
• Don’t yell
  • This may sound silly and easy to do, but it’s harder than you might think. Yelling when you’re angry not only upsets the child, but sets you back as a sitter. When you become frustrated, take a deep breath and talk in an even more calm voice than usual, trying to problem solve with the child. This will leave a positive impact on the child and help to calm them down more quickly.
• Stick to the normal schedule as much as possible, but it’s okay to mess up a little
  • Often when I babysit, the kids go to bed 10-30 minutes later than the parents initially say. Although this probably sounds bad, it’s not that big of a deal. Things are destined to be different when the kids are off of their typical schedule, sometimes having a hard time knowing that they have to go to bed without their parents. It’s okay, not a big deal, that just means 10-30 more minutes of sleep for the parents!
• Get Training
  • My favorite line when parents are apprehensive about leaving their kids with a new sitter for the first time is, “Just to let you know, I’m also CPR certified.” It gives parents bundles of comfort knowing that their sitter is not only committed to being a good sitter, but is knowledgeable with keeping their kids, their most prized possessions, safe. Carry your certification card with you, it could do wonders.
  
  Good luck, have fun!