Equipping Caregivers For Rough Days
By Caitlin Bootsma
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs
When you have a babysitter, either for occasional date nights or on a regular basis, it usually is (or should be!) someone you trust to take good care of your children. At the same time, though, no one knows your children as well as you. To avoid situations that might cause a caregiver to get overly frustrated or even out-of-control, consider leaving them a few important tips about your children.
Here are just a few things to let a babysitter know ahead of time:
- Routines: Most children thrive on structure. Be sure to let caregivers know naptimes, meal times or any other normal event built into your day.
- Comfort Objects: Do your kids have a special blanket, stuffed animal or pacifier? Locate these items so that the babysitter knows where to find them.
- Effective Means of Helping Your Children Calm Down: You may know that one of your children responds well to time alone in order to calm down when upset, while the other child does better talking things out. This may be valuable information for your babysitter.
- Changes in a Child's Life: Is your child teething? Is your son upset because his best friend moved away? Is your daughter struggling with homework? Giving a babysitter a heads up will help him or her better understand what may be bothering your kids if they are acting up, which may also help them to have more patience.
- New Interests: Be sure to tell the babysitter about positive things too! Have your kids developed a new love of playing hide and seek? Is there a favorite book they just got from the library? It's so helpful to be able to suggest activities with kids that you know they'll happily engage in.
These are just a few suggestions to keep your babysitter in the loop. With this knowledge they will be better equipped to care for your children, and may be more patient if children are naughty.
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