8 Things Your Babysitter Wishes You Knew


Get the inside scoop on how to make leaving your kids for a night easier for everyone.

It's date night — finally! Your hair is done up, your makeup looks good, your date is looking dapper and you can almost taste dinner at that fancy restaurant. You meet the babysitter at the door and you're eager to rush out before the kids have even noticed you left.

But not so fast! There are a few things to do before you bolt out the door and your babysitter is secretly hoping you will.


Invite the babysitter to get better acquainted with you (and your kids). After you've met your babysitter at the door, given her the 5-minute tour and a run-down of house rules, you're tempted to run out the door, right? Babysitters would prefer you have them get to your house at least 45 minutes before you have to leave the home. During this time, don't rush through the details. Take the time to tell her about your kids' favorite foods, where the emergency contact list it, which toothpaste they use and when they should get ready for bed time. These little details are important to your babysitter. Another reason why you should invite the babysitter over early is so the kids can meet her. This is simple, but kids deserve to feel safe and secure with the person who will be watching them when you leave.

Establish the house rules. Babysitters hate it when a house has no rules or when the kids try and take advantage of them because they don't know the rules. So be clear with your babysitter about the rules as well as the consequences for them being broken. Your babysitter doesn't want to be the bad guy telling the kids not to jump on the couch like they do in gymnastics, if that's the norm in your household. (Yes, some parents are okay with this.) Keep reading ...

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