Sunday, October 7, 2012

Babysitting Manners & Etiquette for Young Ladies


We recently had a "Manners & Etiquette" class for the 12 & 13 year old girls (Beehives) in our church youth group.  I was asked to do a segment on Babysitting Manners & Etiquette for them.  In order to make my presentation more complete, I asked my Facebook friends for contributions... and boy, did it get people fired up!  As it turns out, many of the experiences my friends had with their babysitters weren't isolated incidents.  They were shared.  [Apparently, babysitters these days need a little training!]  I was able to fit each suggestion into one of three categories: "Do," "Don't Do" and "Know."


DO: 



  • For an infant, keep a log of when they ate and how much, when they were changed, etc for the parents.
  • Do any chores the parents asked you to do (like rinse off dishes).
  • Put the kids to bed on time (not too early, not late) and in their pajamas, not their clothes/shoes, and with teeth brushed.
  • Close curtains/blinds and turn on the front porch light when it gets dark.  Keep the front door locked at all times.
  • Clean up after yourself and the kids -- leave the house cleaner than you found it.
  • Give the kids your full attention at all times -- play with them!
  • Bring your own snacks/sack lunch if you'll be there a while.
  • Change diapers, especially poopy ones!  If you aren't willing to change diapers, don't babysit kids in diapers. 
  • Be kind to house pets or leave them alone.
  • At least rinse dishes and stack them neatly in the sink -- even better, load them into the dishwasher.




DO NOT:


  • Do not go into the parent's bedroom (unless the crib is in there).
  • Do not talk on the phone/text/play iPod or video games (ok once kids are asleep and house is tidy).
  • Do not yell or raise your voice to the kids.
  • Do not invite anyone over without prior approval from the parents -- NO BOYS, PERIOD.
  • Do not open the door for anyone.
  • Do not eat anything unless the parents offer it for you to have while you are there (ok to eat what the kids are eating).
  • Do not watch movies/TV unless the parents said it was okay, and never the whole time.
  • Do not use the computer/internet while babysitting.
  • Do not put the kids to bed with snacks (sticky/crumbs in bed - yuck!)
  • Do not take the kids anywhere, even if the park is close by.


KNOW:


  • Know where the address and parents' phone numbers are written in case of an emergency.
  • Know basic child development: infant, toddler, preschooler -- for instance, know how to calm a fussy baby (do not ignore the baby!)
  • Know basic first aid/choking/CPR
  • Know where the parents will be if you can't get a hold of them in an emergency on their cell phone.
  • Know that kids tell their parents everything... and often ask for a specific sitter they like.  Behave accordingly!
  • Know if the kids have any allergies or restrictions on what they can eat or do.
  • Know what the expectations/rules are for the kids and let the parents know if there were any problems.
  • Know basic safety (don't leave kids unattended in the tub, don't leave knives within reach of kids, supervise kids when eating,etc.)
  • Know some fun games to play with the kids to keep them entertained (however, hide and seek is not necessarily a good idea)
  • Know what your fee will be when people ask.  Know what a fair asking price is for babysitters in your area.  (When you are paid, don't count your money in front of the parents.)


As a follow up to this segment, and because of the responses I received from friends, we have decided to teach a babysitting series of classes ranging from first aid/CPR to child development and ending with putting together a babysitting kit with things and ideas to keep kids entertained.  [For those who are LDS, if you teach a full series that takes 10 or more hours to complete, the girls who participate in all the activities can count it for a Personal Progress Value Project for Knowledge.]  

Interestingly enough, we determined that in many instances, parents who are hiring babysitters need a few tips on etiquette and manners as well.  Such as: leave the babysitter with a basically tidy/clean house, pay a little extra if the babysitter goes above and beyond, arrange a babysitter ahead of time (like 24 hours, at least) and not wait till the last minute, commit to a time you'll be home and call if you're running late, etc.  These came from the girls doing the babysitting.  :)

Feel free to comment with additional ideas for babysitting manners & etiquette you would add to this list for the benefit of other readers.  We just expect that many of our young ladies simply know how to babysit and care for children, but when we educate them, they can become much better and more valuable babysitters for our children and our communities!
  


sig4blog

If you're reading this on a feed reader or on Facebook, check out the blog homepage at cleverhomemaking.blogspot.com and follow me on twitter @cleverhomeblog

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Chore Charts & Kid Bucks

I've had many requests lately for my Chore Charts and Kid Bucks System in the pre-assembled/shipped format, so I've added that listing again to my Etsy Shop.  Check it out!  :)

sig4blog

If you're reading this on a feed reader or on Facebook, check out the blog homepage at cleverhomemaking.blogspot.com and follow me on twitter @cleverhomeblog

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Motherhood...

My new favorite quote! :)

If you're reading this on a feed reader or on Facebook, check out the blog homepage at cleverhomemaking.blogspot.com and follow me on twitter @cleverhomeblog

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Homemade Frozen Cookie Dough

Is there anything better than warm, just-out-of-the-oven cookies?  Have you ever purchased one of those tubs of frozen cookie dough from your child's school fundraiser and wished you could have the convenience of the ready-to-bake dough without paying an arm and a leg for it?  ;)

Making cookie dough to keep in your freezer is really easy and it is an awesome thing to have on hand.  A neighbor's birthday is today?  Take them cookies.  A friend just had her baby?  Take her cookies.  Someone went out of their way to help you out?  Take them cookies.

I like to double my cookie dough recipes when I make cookie dough for the freezer.  It takes me 30 minutes or so and I've got 7-8 dozen cookies that can be hot and gooey in a matter of a few minutes' notice.

1.  Make up a batch (double it) of your favorite cookie dough.  We've done chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and oatmeal raisin and they've all turned out beautifully.

2.  Roll the dough into 1-inch balls.  (For snickerdoodles, also roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.)  Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet or tray that will fit in your freezer.  Place them fairly close together, just not touching each other.

3.  Let them freeze for a minimum of 30-60 minutes, until they are solid on the outside and won't stick together.

4.  Put the frozen dough balls into a gallon-size freezer zip bag.  Label the bag with what type of cookie is in it, and the temperature called for in the recipe.  For the baking time, add 2 minutes. No need to defrost ahead of time.



Enjoy!

sig4blog

If you're reading this on a feed reader or on Facebook, check out the blog homepage at cleverhomemaking.blogspot.com and follow me on twitter @cleverhomeblog