11 things your babysitter wishes you wouldn't do
Booked a babysitter to look after your child while you have a night out? Then you might want to read this before they arrive ...
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From coming home MUCH later than agreed through to leaving out a pile of ironing or dirty dishes as a (not so) subtle hint for them, there are certain things guaranteed to annoy your babysitter.
Here, Samantha – who works with babysitting app Bubble – reveals the 11 things your babysitter wishes you wouldn’t do.
1 Don't leave your babysitter without food
This is one of the top complaints from babysitters, especially if you book them from the afternoon and into the evening.
Samantha says, ‘If I’m booked at 7.30pm I’ll eat before or bring dinner with me. But if I’m booked from 3pm until 11pm for example, I expect parents to provide a meal. Even if it’s just an extra portion of what the kids are having.
Instead parents will often say, “help yourselves to anything in the fridge". But when you open it, it’s empty.’
2 Don't forget to mention if your child is ill
If your child is poorly, it’s a good idea to tell your babysitter in advance.
‘I once turned up to babysit and the child had chickenpox … which I then caught,' Samantha says.
'Ideally parents will tell you if their child is ill before you arrive. If nothing else, that gives you time to prepare for them being out of sorts and cranky if they have a fever.’
3 Don't leave out the dirty dishes ...
... or the ironing. In fact, trying to get your babysitter to do any extra household chores while they are there is a big no-no.
Samantha says, ‘I babysat for one family and did their washing up as they hadn’t had time to do it before going out.
'Next time I babysat for them, there was about two days' worth of dirty dishes on the side waiting for me!’
4 Don't haggle over the fee
Your babysitter has sat with your child all evening. So when you arrive home, the last thing they want to do is haggle over how much you’ll pay them.
Samantha says, ‘It can get really awkward if parents start trying to negotiate how much to pay you. Or if they turn up at 11.10pm and try and round the payment down to 11pm.
'It makes babysitters not want to sit for you again.’
5 Don't try and sneak in extra children
A survey of babysitters by Bubble revealed some parents try and ‘smuggle in’ friends' kids for them to look after … with no extra fee. Eek.
Samantha says, ‘I’ve heard of this happening. I always find out exactly who I am babysitting for – and how many children – before I arrive.’
6 Don't forget to mention if you've got a pet
You’ve told your babysitter all about the children they are looking after. But you’ve failed to mention another beloved family member … your pet.
‘Sometimes parents don’t mention that they’ve got a dog or cat – which is usually fine, unless your babysitter is allergic or terrified of animals,' Samantha points out.
7 Don't cancel last minute
It might be that your child is poorly, or you’re too tired for a night out. But try and give your babysitter as much notice as you can if you need to cancel.
‘Your babysitter will probably have turned down other bookings to sit for you, so if you cancel last-minute, that can be quite frustrating,' explains Samantha.
'As a rule of thumb I’d say 36 hours notice is the minimum, if possible.’
8 Don't come home later than you’d agreed
Whoop, you’re on a rare night out … and you’re having a great time.
Which is brilliant. But not if you roll home hours later than you agreed with your babysitter.
‘As long as you keep in touch with your babysitter it’s usually not a problem.' says Samantha.
'But I’ve had some parents say they’d be home at 10pm and then not turn up till after midnight. Not only that, they didn’t respond to any texts from me asking if they were okay and what time they’d be back.’
9 Don't leave your babysitter stranded
If your babysitter doesn’t have a car, it’s good etiquette to make sure they can get home. Especially if it’s late at night.
‘I had one parent who came home later than agreed – after midnight – and then started haggling over the cost of a taxi for me to get home, saying they’d go halves,' says Samantha. 'It made me not want to sit for them again.’
10 Don't lock the babysitter – and your kids – in your house
It’s all very well being security conscious and double-locking your front door. But not so great if you don’t let your babysitter know how to open it in case of an emergency.
‘Some properties have quite complicated security set-ups on the door,' Samantha explains. 'If there was an emergency, your sitter would probably have no idea how to get out.
'So always show them how to get out of the house with your kids if there is a fire or other emergency.’
11 Don't use a babysitter if you don't trust them
Some parents will phone every five minutes to ‘check in’ while others will hang around when the babysitter is trying to put the kids to bed.
Samantha says, ‘Your kids will always behave differently for a stranger than they will for you. They won’t go to bed while you’re there so I’d always encourage parents to go out and leave it to your babysitter.’
And remember, when using a babysitting service, make sure your babysitter has been recently checked for references, DBS, proof of identity, is first aid trained and ideally has some level of child experience or qualifications.
How often do you have a night out, without the kids? Why not join the chat in our Coffeehouse forum, below.
