Skip to main content

Babysitter's Handbook

I used to babysit - a lot. And I remember showing up, following the parents around listening to a mouthful of instructions, rules, and suggestions of what I needed to do that night. Then they would leave and I would forget half of it. It would have been so helpful to have a little handbook to refer to if I wasn't sure I remembered what they told me. So I decided when I was a parent, I'd make one for my babysitters.


Justin and I left Harvey with my mom for 4 days while we went to Bear Lake with his family. I printed up my handbook just in time for our trip. I have a tendency is to kind of overdo things. But I figure for something like this, I'd rather have too much info than not enough, you know??

Here are the things I included:

Emergency Info:
- our cell numbers & work numbers
- our home address with directions from the nearest intersection
- info about Harvey: age, height, weight, SSN, allergies, birth date
- Emergency Contacts
- poison control phone number
- doctor and dentist names, numbers and addresses
- where to find the first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and a flashlight
- a copy of our insurance card (front and back)

Schedule:
- just a sample of how our day usually runs

Resources:
- a phonetic guide to words Harvey says. For example: "dee-uh wah" = drink of water. I can understand him, but it would be super frustrating for a babysitter and for Harvey if he couldn't communicate with him/her!
- Potty Time: where everything is located, as well as extra diapers/wipes, and where to put the dirty diapers
- Food/Eating: how to open/close the highchair, where to find foods, ideas for different meals, and where to find plates, cups and silverware.
- Nap Routine
- Bedtime Routine
- Discipline: how we do time outs, and other examples of how we do things

Let's Play!:
- a list and explanation of things to do outside
- where to find other things to do inside
- how to turn on recorded shows on our DVR

Rules:
- things that are off limits to Harvey
- tips on getting him to follow the rules

And finally, a Babysitter's Emergency Contact Form.
Labels:

Comments

  1. JamieAugust 26, 2010 at 9:16 AM

    What an awesome idea! I may just need to copy it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. WendyAugust 26, 2010 at 11:24 AM

    What a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  3. RachAugust 31, 2010 at 2:00 PM

    I really need to do this. I can't count how many times I've had a babysitter over, and I'm giving her instructions, and she has this completely blank look on her face . . .

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This Much Card and a Kid Canvas

Father's Day ideas continued... I decided to show you the things Harvey and I made to give to Justin. First up... "I Love You This Much Card": It's super easy... 1. Trace your child's hand, then cut out two copies. My paper was double sided so I made sure that when the thumbs match up - the yellow side would be inside, and the blue side would be outside. 2. Cut out a strip of paper and fold it accordion style. Use letter rub-ons or stickers to add the words "I Love You" on the outside, and "This Much" on the strip of paper.  3. Glue the ends of your accordion strip on the insides of the hands and your card is done. :) Kid Canvas: Then Harvey and I made a little canvas (4 inches x 4 inches) to hang on the wall in Justin's office at work. I purchased small ones so we could add to them each year and hang them in one grouping. I prepainted the canvas in green, then set Harvey in the bathtub with blue paint and
763 comments
Read more

Thinkin' About Dad

So.. Father's Day is in 10 days. Yeah - already. Here are a few ideas for you... Shirt Card: All you need are two papers, and two buttons. 1. Cut one paper into a piece 4 inches by 11 inches. Fold it in half so you have a card base that opens "up" and measures about 4 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall. 2. Measure one inch from the fold and draw a line 3/4 inches toward the center on both sides of your card.  Use scissors to cut through both papers at the marks. 3. Fold these pieces in to the center of the card, so the top corners meet in the middle. 4. Download this tie pattern... Here is an alternate link to download the file: Shirt Card Template ...and use it to trace and cut a tie out of your second paper. Glue your tie in the center of the card. 5. Add buttons to the collar to make it more realistic. (Or, if you want to do it digitally, go here to download an awesome template from ScrapMatters.com) Here are some clutter-free Father's Day gif
30 comments
Read more

Cough Remedy

Our entire family has been sick. It's been awful. Harvey got it first, and he had a nasty little cough that would keep him from getting a good nap, or sleeping through the night. I remembered an e-mail I received about a month ago with a cough remedy using Vicks VapoRub, so I found it, tried it, and discovered it's amazing-ness! After both the hubby and myself contracted the nasty cough, we tried it - and it worked for us as well. Just in case you haven't got the e-mail... here is the new way to use Vicks VapoRub:
41 comments
Read more