Here are some tips about everything you need to know about babysitting!

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1 Here are some tips about everything you need to know about babysitting! What to Charge The average pay these days is $5.00 to $7.00 an hour depending on the going rate in the area where the sitter is babysitting. Never go below $5.00 an hour. Don't Charge Per Child - Per Hour Don't put that you'll charge $1 a child on your flier, because if you go to a babysitting job with one child for two hours and come back with $2, you really should have $10 to $14. When it adds up, it will be a big gap in the amount of money. Charging any amount per child isn't such a great idea. The best thing to do is settle on one price per hour. Don't charge per child. $5 to $7 is the best, but no lower than $5.00. Not $5.00 per kid per hour, just $5.00 an hour (at least. I recommend $6.00 an hour). Find Out What The Pay Is In Your Neighborhood Parents in some neighborhoods, particularly wealthy neighborhoods, pay babysitters up to $10 an hour. Find out what the going rate is in your neighborhood by talking to other babysitters if you can. If they say that they're charging less than $5.00 an hour, then don't go with their information. If a parent gives you up to $10 an hour and they already know the amount that you're charging, then accept the money. They must think that you're a great babysitter and well worth the money. How to talk to the Parents This strategy can be a bit confusing, but it works for me. If they're paying you $3 an hour or less, talk to them about paying you more. The best time is to talk to them before they even leave, or right when you get the next request to sit. Tell them you think that $3 is too low, and you'd like to go up to $5, but say you normally accept $5 or $6 (or whatever you normally accept). Set a limit you think is good. I say I normally charge $6, but $5 is my limit. One family varied in their pay, but they asked me to sit about 3 to 5 times a week, so I didn't mind. But they didn't go lower than $5.00, and sometimes they even went above $5.00, which made up for the times that they didn't pay me the right amount. Make it clear, but don't be nervous. The family you sit for works, too. They understand the limits you have to have. Good luck! Age Has Nothing to Do With It I have been advised to say that the amount you charge should have to do

2 with how old you are. I very much disagree. Like my mother says, 12 to 15 year olds are the most reliable babysitters because they have not gotten into the busy life of high school yet. Therefore, they deserve minimum wage at the very least. Even Mother's Helpers should charge what a babysitter would charge, because they're working just as hard, even though the mother of the children is in the house with them. As I say above, $5.00 is probably the minimum amount you should ask for, and that's below minimum wage. Anything less is ridiculous and the parents you're sitting for know it, and unless you speak up and tell them that what you're getting is wrong, it will continue and most likely they will not respect you for the excellent babysitter you are. Think about it. You're taking time out to sit for their children. If they pay you $1.50 an hour, then they obviously aren't thinking about how valuable their children's lives are to them, and how much you are responsible for keeping their children safe while they're gone. You deserve at least $5.00 an hour, if not minimum wage. What to Charge When Babysitting for Large Groups of Children When you're babysitting for 4 or more children, you should really have another babysitter to help you. If that is the case, than both of you should be paid the same amount of money ($6 an hour at least for each of you). However, if you are babysitting for 4 or more children by yourself, you should up the price at least a couple of dollars an hour, from $6 an hour to $8 or $9 an hour. Never baby sit for more than 5 children by yourself, no matter how old the children are. Advertising is a lot easier than some people think it is. One of the best ways to advertise is to make up a flyer. Use bright colors and a cool font, so that it will attract attention. Start out by mentioning your name, phone number, and any prior babysitting experiences you may have had. You should also include information about any babysitting classes that you may have taken. Red Cross babysitting classes, CPR classes or anything similar would be excellent to mention. Then roll up your flyers with the colorful side showing, and deliver to your soon-to-be clients. Only deliver to people that you KNOW have kids. Don't deliver to total strangers. When you're delivering your flyers, ask one of your parents to go along with you. If they can't, then ask your brother, sister, or friend to go with you. Be sure that you don't go alone. Before you deliver a flyer to anyone, tell your parents exactly who you're delivering the flyers to, and where their houses are located. Don't enter the house of the people. Just hand the flyer to them, or put it in their mailbox or front door handle. If you want to hand the flyer to them face-to-face, be sure to hand it to one of the parents, not to one of the children. Then you can talk to the parents. Just say, "Hi! I'm a babysitter. This flier has my information on it. Please keep me in mind the

3 next time you need a babysitter." This is a basic diagram of a flyer: Hi! My name is (your name) and I'm a babysitter. I've taken CPR classes and the Safe Sitter babysitting course* (put this there if you have taken these classes). I've been babysitting for 3 years (or however many years you've been babysitting. If you're just starting, then don't mention this) and have tons of experience! Please keep me in mind the next time you need a babysitter. (Put your phone number here.) Another great way to advertise is by business cards. You can make these with special business card paper available in office supply stores. You can design your card on a Publisher computer program. Add the same information that is suggested above for fliers. Another cool effect would be to include your picture on the business card. You can do this by scanning in a picture of yours and including it on the make-up of the business card. To make magnetic business cards, you can buy Baumgarten's Business Card Magnets at Office Depot for $6.29 for a pack of 25. This pack includes the adhesive to print on, and the magnets to attach the adhesive to. Magnetic business cards are a really good idea, since your babysitting clients can have your business card on their refrigerator at all times. You can include the business cards in your flyers. IMPORTANT SAFETY ADVICE! My main advice is to not post an ad in a place where anyone can see it. Ask one of your parents to come with you when you deliver the flyers. Don't deliver them by yourself. Tell your parents whom you're delivering the flyers to and where their houses are located. When you're dropping off flyers, if you are invited in the house don't go in, not even just for a minute or just in the foyer. If they invite you in, just say, "No thanks, I'd better be going." When you get a babysitting job, even if you know the family pretty well, arrange a fifteen minute meeting for a couple of days before your first babysitting job with that family. Ask one of your parents to go with you. This meeting will allow you and one of your parents to get to know the family a little bit, and for you to decide if the family is all right to sit for. If you don't feel comfortable babysitting for them, then don't. You should always go with your feelings. I hope that this information helps you get many babysitting jobs. Questions To ask the parents

4 There are many safety things each babysitter should know about the family they're babysitting. A great idea is to bring along a list with you the first time you baby sit for a family and ask one of the parents to fill out the form (don't have a child fill it out, no matter what age. They might not know all the details). The questions in green are only applicable to certain ages, but be sure to include all of the questions on a form, because you're never sure what information the parents might want you to know that you don't think is appropriate for the age you're babysitting. When you hand the form to the parents say, "this is a form that has safety and other important questions." After the family fills the checklist out, be sure to bring it with you every time you baby-sit for that family, even if you think that you have it memorized. Below is my suggestion for a babysitting Safety Checklist: *Cell phone numbers of both parents. Safety Checklist *Are the children allergic to anything? *Do the children have any medical conditions I should be aware of (asthma, epilepsy, hemophilia, etc)? *Are the children taking any medications? *What is the children's bedtime? *Do the children have any special routines before bedtime? *Are the children allowed to have friends over? *Where are the first aid items (Band-Aids, Neosporin, etc)? *Where can I locate a flashlight? Do you know of any other items I may need in case of a power outage in an electrical storm? *Do the children have a naptime? If so, when is that, and how long do the children normally sleep? *Is there anything else I should know? *Is it OK if I use the stove or the oven to make a recipe? If you're planning on making a recipe, make a list of the things you'll need to make the recipe (including not only things like flour, but other items such as bowls and especially the stove or oven). Show the list to the

5 parents of the children you're babysitting and ask them if you're allowed to use any/all of the items on the list. If you need to use the stove or oven, MAKE SURE that you get permission from the parents first. And of course, only make a recipe if the parents are 100% okay with it. Getting Up In The Morning If the parents leave you at 7:30 in the morning, expecting you to get the kids fed breakfast, dressed and ready for soccer practice by 8:30 and outside, waiting by 8:45, when the kids aren't even out of bed at 7:30, that can be a problem. Normally the kids wake up at the right time since they're used to their schedule, but if they're showing no sign of waking up soon, set a strategy. Think exactly how you want to pace yourself, so as not to be rushing at the last moment. Wake the kids up, allow ten to fifteen minutes for breakfast, allow ten to fifteen minutes to dress (especially if it's a really little kid) then make sure that all soccer equipment is by the door, ready to go by 8:45. The bottom line is, think about what you're doing before you do it. Babysitting Movies Movies are great to bring on babysitting jobs. Different movies are appropriate for different ages and likes. When you are planning on bringing a movie to a babysitting job, be sure to tell the parents of the children you are sitting for what movie you are planning on bringing, to make sure that they are okay with it. Remember to never bring a movie that is rated PG-13 or R! Babysitting Games! Remember! Always set rules before you play a game. If you're playing outside, make sure that all the children stick to the backyard and as far away from all streets as possible. If you're playing inside, make sure that all of the children stay inside and that they stay out of all off-limits rooms, such as their parent's room. If you're playing with a child younger than 4, stay with that child while you're playing a game, and be aware of where the child is the entire time you're babysitting.

6 These are classic games that children ages 1-5 will enjoy playing. London Bridge is Falling Down Duck Duck Goose Place: Outside or Inside Ring Around the Rosie Ages: 3 and up If you have three (maybe even two!) kids to baby sit, have them make a skit for you to watch. This is a good thing to get them to plan while you prepare lunch, or change a baby's diaper, or put a little one to bed. They really enjoy it! (Even if it's extremely boring, look like you're having fun! Most of the time, though, the kids come up with some great ones.) Before you leave the kids alone, make it clear that they can only stick to a certain area (like the playroom or a bedroom) so that they aren't looking for prop ideas in other rooms and that should prevent the children from getting into mischief. Place: Inside Ages: All! What you need: Movie (of course!) Paper and a pen/pencil/marker Popcorn (optional! :-)) Pick a movie appropriate for the age group you're babysitting. Pop some popcorn and put the popcorn in individual bowls for each child (only use this idea for children 4 and up, to avoid having to clean up a mess. And don't forget the bowl for you!) Give each child a ticket awhile before the movie. Be the ticket-taker at the door to the room, and give each child a bowl of popcorn. Then turn off the lights and start the movie! Place: Inside Ages: All! Make a tent! Use chairs and big blankets. Fill the inside with pillows and blankets. After it's made, you can tell (or read!) stories. If it's possible, make it over a TV, so the TV is inside, and you have a movie theater! If the children are 4 or older (and less likely to make a mess), pop some popcorn to get the great movie atmosphere! Place: Outside or Inside What you need: Music Ages: 2 and up

7 Play Freeze Dance! Take turns being the person in charge of the music, and turn it on and off. When it's off, stop. When it comes back on, dance! You can also play this just moving, if you don't want to dance. Place: Inside or Outside Ages: All! Pick one person to be "It". Everyone else moves around (dancing, jumping, or just walking) and when "It" says "Statues!" everyone freezes in whatever position they were in (if someone's arm is up, it stays up, or if someone's in a running position, they stay in that position). "It" walks around trying to make one person after another laugh. Whoever laughs first is "It" next! Place: Outside or Inside People: 3 or more Ages: 2 and up Make sure that you stay with children 4 years old and younger. Sardines is the opposite of hide-and-go-seek. "It" hides in a space big enough all the children playing to hide, while the rest of the children count. When everyone is finished counting they all look for "It". When someone finds "It", they join him/her in hiding. The last person who finds "It" is "It" next! I find this to be a good version of hide-and-go-seek because whether someone's "It" or not, they'll have fun! *If you're playing with a child 4 years old or younger, always have the child with you. If you or the child is "It", have the child hide with you. When you're looking for "It", look with the young child. * Place: Outside, on a driveway (or some open place where the chalk you use can be washed away by the rain. Not on a covered porch or similar place.) What You'll Need: *Sidewalk chalk (available at Toys R Us, other toy stores, and some grocery stores) *A stick or small rock People: 2 or more

8 Ages: 3 and up How to play: Using the chalk, make a snail shape on the ground like the one to the right (the snail head is optional). Give each player a different color piece of chalk. The first player takes the stick or small rock and throws it onto a square of the snail. That player then walks on all of the squares of the snail starting at the snail's head and going around until they get into the middle of the snail's body, but the player jumps over the square with the stick/rock on it. If the player steps on all of the squares without losing her balance and without stepping on a line, she gets to write the first letter of her name in any one of the squares that she chooses. Then its the next player's turn, only now that player has to skip the square with the rock/stick in it and also the square with the first player's initial in it. Every time a player gets around the entire snail without stepping on the square with the stick in it, without stepping on a line, and without stepping in squares with their opponent's initials, they get to pick a square to put their initial in. Players are allowed to step in squares that have their initial, but not in squares that have an opponent's initial. The game continues until all of the squares are filled up. The player with the most amount of squares filled with her initial wins. SUGGESTION To make the game a bit easier, change the rules so a person can write their first initial in a square if they make it around the snail without losing their balance and without stepping on a square with an opponent's initial (instead of without losing their balance, without stepping on a square with an opponent's initial, AND without stepping on a line). Place: Inside Ages: 3 and up What You'll Need: Paper Colored construction paper (or) markers, crayons, or some other coloring device (construction paper is the easiest) Create a menu for your shop. Make one on your computer or just hand write one. Mine had different cone types, different flavors of ice cream, and toppings. Most of the flavors and toppings I used were things like chocolate and strawberry, but I added some fun things like Pickle flavored ice cream! Take the colored construction paper and cut out the cones, scoops of ice cream and toppings. I cut about 2 of everything. Make fake money and give an equal amount to each child. When you play the game, ask the children what kind of ice cream they want, how many scoops, etc. Then take turns being the Ice Cream Man! Suggestion: Use a computer instead of construction paper to make the ice cream and toppings. Make sundae dishes for the ice cream in addition to ice cream cones. Use a

9 marker to color in chocolate chips for ice cream with chocolate chips in it (Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, etc.) Place: Outside What you need: A room that the children can run in, like a playroom or bedroom. Get enough chairs or pillows for each player. Take one and put it in the middle of the room and put the rest of the chairs/pillows around the room. Ages: 2 and up Have one child go to the pillow or chair in the center of the room to play the "Daddy" and close their eyes. Everyone else goes to the center of the room and everyone say together "Don't wake Daddy!" After they shout all the players walk around "Daddy" in a circle not making a noise. When "Daddy" hears someone make a noise, he/she says "Bring bring bring" then he/she counts to 5 out loud. When "Daddy" starts saying "bring bring bring", the other children all run to their pillows around the room and pretend to be asleep. Once the "Daddy" is done counting to 5 he/she opens their eyes to see if anyone is still running to a pillow or not looking like they are asleep. If someone is not doing what he or she should be doing ("sleeping" on a pillow) then the "Daddy" calls their name and they are the new "Daddy". FOOD SAFETY TIPS! READ BEFORE USING ANY RECIPES! Remember to ask the parents if it's all right if you can make a recipe. Ask them this before they leave. Make a list of the things you'll need to make the recipe (including not only things like flour, but other items such as bowls and especially the stove or oven). Show the list to the parents of the children you're babysitting and ask them if you're allowed to use any/all of the times on the list. If you need to use the stove or oven, MAKE SURE that you get permission from the parents first. Let the parents of the children know what time you plan on making the recipe. Ask them if the kids are allergic to any foods. If they are, write it down to keep with you in case you forget any time when you baby sit. If the parents tell you that they don't want you to make something, write that down, too. Take that information with you every time you sit for that family. Only make a recipe if the parents are 100% okay with it. Remember to keep children away from a hot stove at all times. If you are cooking on the stove or with the oven, keep the children in your eye view, but make sure that they are several feet away from the stove or oven.

10 When you are serving children something that is hot, check it before you give it to them to make sure that it is not too hot. Touching it with a clean hand or trying a bit for yourself is great. Remember never to feed kids hotdogs or hard candies, since they tend to choke on these foods easily. Peanut butter sandwiches can be dangerous, too. Make sure that you watch the kids while they are eating! And, of course, check to make sure that you have all the ingredients for the recipe you're making available before you tell the kids you're going to make it. A good idea is to try the recipe that you're planning on making at home first. That way you can see exactly how much you need of each ingredient, what appliances you may need to use (refrigerator, stove, oven, beaters, etc.), and you can also taste the recipe yourself to see if it's good. What you need FOR EACH CHILD: *2 or 3 Twizzlers (this is licorice. Strawberry flavored is the best choice since many children aren't fond of regular licorice) *2 grapes or raisins *1 baby carrot *A handful of goldfish *2 orange slices *1 plate for each child (paper plates are the best) Give each child a plate and the items above. Cut the Twizzlers in two and use them for the clown's hair. Use, the grapes/raisins for eyes (you might want to cut a little bit off the end of the grapes so they won't slide around on the plates). Put the baby carrot in the middle of the face for the clown's nose, make a smile with the goldfish, and use the orange slices for ears. There's the clown! Use your imagination and different food items if you want. Remember to watch the children closely while they're doing this. Tea Party Sandwiches

11 What You Need: *Lunch meat (any kind the kids like) *Bread *Cheese *A Mustard, Mayo, or any other condiments *Cookie Cutters Take the bread, lunch meat, cheese, and condiments and make a sandwich. Then take the cookie cutters and cut the sandwiches with them and you'll have fun shaped tea party sandwiches! I usually use this when I am babysitting little girls; you can set up little tea parties for them! Perky Apple Faces WARNING! Choking hazard! Contains peanut butter! Watch children carefully while they're eating! What You Need: * Apple *Peanut butter (if children aren't allergic!) *Chocolate chips Take the apple and cut it in half, then spread peanut butter on the flat side. The kids can stick the chocolate chips on the peanut butter and make funny faces! If you haven't any peanut butter, you can use icing. Liz's suggestion: Homemade icing tastes better than store-bought icing, and it's cheaper! To make your own homemade icing, you'll need: *1/2 cup powdered sugar *VERY LITTLE Milk It takes a very little amount of milk to make the icing. Put the powdered sugar in a bowl and add 1/2-teaspoon milk. Stir. If the icing's not a good consistency, add another 1/2-teaspoon milk and stir. Keep adding milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you achieve icing.

12 Bedtime Bedtime is one of the hardest times of the babysitting day. The kids normally don't want to go to bed, are whiny, or are hungry. These are some great tips for bedtime. The best thing is not to get them wired up before they go to bed. This is the schedule you should keep: *Get dressed for bed *Watch some TV *Give the kids a glass of milk (it really helps them sleep) but make sure that they aren't allergic! If so, give the other child some juice or water. A really great idea is to give children warm milk. To do this put some milk in a microwave-safe mug and heat up for 10 seconds. Check to make sure it's not too hot before you give it to the child! When serving hot food to a child always check it before you give it to them. If it's a liquid, mix it up with a spoon and then try it with the spoon yourself. *Read them a story before they go to bed. To avoid fights, let each child pick one or two books (depending on how much time you have to read) each. *Put both the kids to bed. The best thing is to put them both to bed at the same time, but if one child is allowed to stay up later than the other, make sure that the child who's staying up later is far away from the other child, watching TV or reading a book, so that the child who has to go to bed is not upset by seeing the older child up and doing something. But if it's at all possible, try to get both the kids in bed at the same time. After all kids are in bed, go to the family room or living room and work on homework or read a book, because the kids feel as if we're having a party as soon as they're in bed. Check on them every once in a while until you're sure they're asleep before you turn on the TV or a movie. What you need: *A good smelling dream spray *Wrapping paper

13 This is a great bedtime helper. Take the wrapping paper and place it over the label and write "Dream Spray" on the paper. The next time you baby-sit at night, take the Dream Spray with you. If you have a child who has trouble falling asleep or if a child wakes up from a bad dream, spray the Dream Spray once in their room and tell him/her that the spray keeps away bad dreams and/or monsters and brings only good dreams. When you are changing a baby's diaper on a changing table or counter, make sure that you have everything (baby wipes, diapers, baby powder, etc.) within reach so that you won't have to walk away to get anything. Don't leave the child for even a second, because in that second they could roll off of the table. Even if the table has sides, they could hurt themselves. So stay with the child the entire time, and get the child off of the table as soon as possible. To prevent a child choking on an object, remember to keep these two things in mind: Look at the object and think "is this small enough to fit in a toilet paper roll?" If it is, then it's small enough to choke on and don't let the child play with it. Look at the child and the object. If the object is small enough to fit in the child's hand, than it's small enough for the child to choke on. Why Fun Kits Are a Great Idea! *Children new and different things, as well as old and familiar things, all of which are included in a Fun Kit. *Fun Kits are great icebreakers. Just take an item out of the Fun Kit, and the children warm up to you in no time. *Parents are thrilled when they see how you keep their children happy with new ideas! What You Need: (Both of these can be bought at craft stores)

14 a canvas bag (for about $5) Paints (for about $1 or $2) Take the canvas bag and trace a pattern onto the bag with a pencil. Paint over the pattern with different paints. This makes a great bag to hold your Fun Kit items in! Here are some great items to include in your Fun Kit! Scarves Kids' scissors Colorful band-aids Small toys (trucks, dolls, etc.) Small jigsaw puzzle Stuffed animal Old sock or pot holder for puppet Bubbles Small ball Stickers Elmer's glue or glue stick Board game Playing cards Children's books Old catalogs or magazine Night-light Paper and envelopes Coloring books and crayons Children s videos and tapes Mini First Aid kit Bag of Magic Tricks Story books that you loved when you were little (a trip to the local library is a good idea, too!) Dress up clothes Washable crayons Coloring books When you're serving lunch or dinner, set up the table like a restaurant. Act like a waitress, and "serve" the children. It's a great way to keep an eye on the children while they're eating, and you can assist them, too. While you're cleaning up, let the children play Movie Theatre. The children will be enjoying themselves while you're busy cleaning (remember, you should leave the place just as clean or cleaner than you found it! Don't go crazy vacuuming, unless the children made the mess while you were there. After a meal, put the dishes in the sink (in the dishwasher if you're sure it's full of dirty dishes!), put away leftovers, wipe off the table, but don't wash any pots and pans if you don't want to. A lot of children are scared of monsters at night. If you have trouble with the children, tell them, "I know a secret. It always works with me. It's a secret word

15 that makes all monsters go away." Then suggest that the children say something like Pooh Pa Ja, or something that sounds funny. Say, "Let's say it together." Say it with the child, then offer to check in their closet, under their bed, behind curtains, and any other place a monster may be hiding. Be sure to tell the child before you leave that you've checked and there are no monsters in their room, but the secret word will make all monsters stay away for good now. Make sure that you ask the parents if the child is allergic to anything. If he/she is, and is at a young age, make sure that whatever it is is put in such a spot so that the child cannot reach it. A good idea is not to feed the child you're watching hotdogs, hard candies or anything with peanut butter in it while you're sitting for him/her. These foods can more easily be choked on. Any other foods that you consider a hazard, feel free to put it in a high spot to keep it away from the child. It is a good idea to keep the children you're watching in a certain particular area, so that you can make sure everyone's safe. If there are older children you are watching, keep them limited to the house, or if you're outside, to the backyard. Smaller children should stay where you can see them at all times. All children should be kept as far away from a street as possible. Make sure that before the parents leave that you've found out if any children need to be given medicine. If you see any cleaning fluids left out, put them away right away. If you're watching a toddler, keep all doors leading to basement stairs closed, and all bathroom doors closed. If you're giving a child a bath, don't leave him/her alone for even two seconds. Make sure that you have all necessary bathing equipment in the bathroom before you put the child in the bathtub. If you are watching a young child, and there are dogs, keep the child away from the dog. If at all possible, keep the dog in a separate room or outside.

16 A mother's helper is a babysitter who baby-sits the children while the children's mother is at home. There are many benefits to a Mother's Helper: *In case of an emergency, or if you have a question, the children's mother is right there to help you. *Being a Mother's Helper is a great idea for babysitters who have parents that are reluctant to let them baby sit. It's a great way of showing how great of a babysitter they are, because they're not totally on your own, so their parents aren't worried about that, but they're still babysitting, so they can still show how great they are at babysitting. *If a babysitter includes that they're a Mother's Helper on their flyer, it's a great plus! Mother's Helpers should charge the same amount that a babysitter would charge. When making a flyer use bright colors and a cool font, so that it will attract attention. Start out by mentioning your name, phone number, and any prior babysitting experiences you may have had (if you haven't had any, don't worry. There's always a first time!) Then roll up your flyers with the colorful side showing, and deliver to your soon-to-be clients. Only deliver to people that you KNOW have kids. Don't deliver to total strangers. A Mother's Helper flyer should say: Hi! My name is (your name) and I'm a Mother's Helper. A Mother's Helper is a babysitter that watches children while the children's mother is at home. If you ever need to get work done at home, or want some time to yourself, a Mother's Helper can come and watch the children. If you ever need a Mother's Helper, please keep me in mind! (Put your phone number here.) If you've taken a babysitting class and/or if you have prior babysitting experience (for example, if you've babysat for 3 years or so), it's a good idea to mention these qualities on your flyer, too. IMPORTANT SAFETY ADVICE!

17 My main advice is to not post an ad in a place where anyone can see it. Ask one of your parents to come with you when you deliver the flyers. Don't deliver them by yourself. Tell your parents whom you're delivering the flyers to and where their houses are located. When you're dropping off flyers, if you are invited in the house don't go in, not even just for a minute or just in the foyer. If they invite you in, just say, "No thanks, I'd better be going." When you get a Mother's Helper or babysitting job, even if you know the family pretty well but they aren't family or close friends, arrange a fifteen minute meeting for a couple of days before your first babysitting job with that family. Ask one of your parents to go with you. This meeting will allow you and one of your parents to get to know the family a little bit, and for you to decide if the family is all right to sit for. If you don't feel comfortable babysitting for them, then don't. You should always go with your feelings. Q: I don't live near any children and my Mom's friends don't have children. How can I advertise? A: Try advertising in another neighborhood that has more children. Try asking your mother if she could drive you to another neighborhood on a Saturday, and then you could deliver flyers to houses in that neighborhood. Wherever you give flyers, be sure to tell your parents whom you're giving the flyers to, and point out the houses where you're planning on dropping off flyers. Parents should always be kept in the loop. Business card magnets would be a good thing to include in the flier. My main advice is to not post an ad in a place where anyone can see it, like a store or in a newspaper. This is way too dangerous. When you get a babysitting job, even if you know the family pretty well, arrange a fifteen minute meeting for a couple of days before your first babysitting job with that family. Ask one of your parents to go with you. This meeting will allow you and one of your parents to get to know the family a little bit, and for you to decide if the family is all right to sit for. If you don't feel comfortable babysitting for them, then don't. You should always go with your feelings. Q: I really like children, and I really want to babysit, but I'm shy. I can talk to adults and children, but I just feel shy sometimes. There's this one family I would really like to baby sit, but I don't know how to drop off the flyer. How can I advertise if I feel shy? A: You can drop off a flyer without having to talk to the parents. You can make up a roll it up with the colorful side showing, and stick it in the handles of the front doors of people that you know have children. The reason that I normally advise babysitters to drop off flyers personally is because this allows the family to see your personality. If you want to advertise this way, just ring the family's doorbell, and when you hand your flyer to one of the parents say "Hi! My name is (your name) and I'm a babysitter. This flyer has all of my information on it. Please keep me in mind the next time you need a babysitter." Say this with a smile and everything will go okay. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, than sticking the flyer in their doorknob is just as good. If you do hand flyers to the family, be sure

18 to never give a flyer to one of the children, since it may never reach a parent. If you're giving the flyer in person, give the flyer to one of the parents. Q: My friend and I are making up some flyers and we were wondering where we should post them and whom we should give them to. We're also stuck as to what to put on the flyers. A: My advice is not to post ads in any public place, like stores or in newspapers, as it's unsafe to have people that are complete strangers calling you. Any weirdo could see the ad. It's a different thing to drop off flyers in your neighborhood to people that you know have children. Only give flyers to people in your neighborhood that have children, and you could ask your parents to give flyer to their friends and co-workers that have children. Whenever you get a job from someone that you don't know, ask if you can meet them a couple of days before that first job at their house for about fifteen minutes. This will allow you to decide if you really want to baby sit the children, if the family's okay, and it will allow the children to at least be able to see what you look like, so they don't feel totally shy when you baby sit for them. Be sure to bring one of your parents with you. It's very important that you bring a parent, and not a friend or sibling since an adult will be able to help you if it turns out the family is weird, and also they can let you know what they think after the meeting, which will help you decide whether or not to baby sit for that family. If you don't feel comfortable babysitting for them, then don't. You should always go with your feelings. You should have one of these meetings with any family that you don't know too well, including friends or co-workers of your parents. If the children and the parents don't know you too well, this meeting will be a great opportunity for you to break the ice. Q: My friend and I are both 12. We delivered flyers about a month ago and we haven't heard from anyone. Is it because of our age or do people just not need babysitters right now? Is there a better way to advertise? A: You've done a great advertising job! It's not because of your age that you haven't gotten calls but probably because they don't need babysitters right now. I wouldn't advise a different way of advertising, as your way is the safest way. Advertising in public places like stores or in newspapers is not a good thing at all, as it's too dangerous. You could try advertising in another neighborhood. Ask your parents if they would take you and your friend into another neighborhood some Saturday to advertise. Always let your parents and your friend's parents know whom you're giving flyers to! Parents should always be kept in the loop. If you can't advertise in another neighborhood, my advice is just to be patient. After a few months, try sending out the fliers again. Q: What is the best age to start babysitting? A: The best age is 12, but some parents hire babysitters at the age of and 13 are the best ages as babysitters these ages haven't gotten too busy with high school yet, and have more free time. 10 is considered too young, but at this age you can start babysitting by being a mother s helper (someone who baby-sits the children while the children's mother is home). Q: Do you think 10 is an ok age to baby sit? I need money!!!! A: 10 is considered young for a babysitter. Under some state laws, 10 years old is the youngest age a child can be to stay home alone. Most people don't start hiring people to baby sit until they're 12, youngest 11. But you could be a mother s helper, since mother's helpers don't stay home alone and the mother of the children you're watching is always in the house or nearby. When you get to be 11, you could advertise to be both a babysitter and a mother's helper. Charge the same amount for both. I suggest charging $6.00 an hour ($5.00 at the lowest). Many babysitters are getting paid more. It depends on your neighborhood and where you live. If you can, find out how much babysitters in your neighborhood or area are charging and go with that (if it's not lower than $5.00 an hour!)

19 Don't charge per child or per child per hour, as pay that way varies too greatly and setting a flat fee per hour is easier to do. Make sure that you don't go below $5.00 an hour! Q: Do I need a babysitting license to baby sit? If so, where could I go to get one? A: You don't have to take a babysitting class. It looks really good on a flier, but to tell you the truth, I've never taken one, and I haven't had any trouble getting babysitting jobs. If you want to take a babysitting class, I know of three different places: You can get information on Red Cross's babysitting classes from this web page: And you can get information on Safe Sitter's courses here: Online babysitting courses are available from these three web sites: Q: I baby sit a five year old, and I have tried to get her to bed at the time her parents told me to, but I am having trouble. They are in the cities and can't be reached and she always comes out and says she can't get to bed. I have tried everything. We don't have any kid books so I just make up stories for her, I give her warm milk, play soft music, tell stories, and I've even tried getting her worn out before bed but she always comes back out five minutes after I leave and says that she can't fall asleep. I am running out of ideas. Please help me. A: It sounds like you've been doing a great job! Ask her parents for advice. Tell them the ideas that you've tried and ask them if they have any advice for getting her to fall asleep. It's not a good idea to get the child worn out before bed, because it just gets the children wired up, and not really worn out. Another idea you could try is to get her ready for bed completely, then turn on a movie. With luck, she might fall asleep on the couch. Turn off the lights to get a "movie theatre" atmosphere. When her parents come home, if they seem surprised that she's asleep on the couch and not in her bedroom, just say that she said she couldn't sleep so you turned on a movie and she fell asleep on the couch. Q: I babysat for a six year old and a four year old. When I babysat for them everything went well until bedtime. The older child was calm and willing to go to sleep, but the younger one would not. After I read book after book she finally started crying for her mom. To get her to bed I allowed the younger one to quietly watch TV. An hour and a half later she was asleep, but how can I get her to bed on time without tears?" A: The next time you have to baby sit the child, try asking her parents before they leave for advice on getting her to bed on time. Tell them the trouble you had last time, and ask them if she has any special bedtime routines, then try their advice out. If they don't have any advice, or if it doesn't work, try giving the child some warm milk (if she's not allergic! Ask her parents this before they leave. If you forget to ask, then don't try this until you find out from her parents if she's allergic or not). You can give her sister some, too. Then try reading some books, or let her watch a bit of TV. The milk might help. Worse comes to worse, use the TV idea again. If her parents come home before she's asleep, just tell them the truth: you tried many different ways to get her to go to sleep (you can list them, if you want) and none worked. Q: Are the holidays the best time for babysitting, when the parents have to go shopping for their presents? A: The holidays are a great time to baby sit. During Christmas time, the parents like to go shopping without their children, and I've babysat before when the parents are going to a Halloween party. Q: I have a neighbor who wants me to baby sit and if I say sorry I can't she won't hang up

20 on the phone until I say yes. She has a son who is only 1 and a half-year younger than me. A: Try calling this lady before she calls you. Call her and say, "Hi. I'm calling to say that I appreciate you asking me to baby sit in the past, but I don't feel comfortable babysitting for someone only a year and a half younger than I am." It's important to explain why you would rather not baby sit for that family. Q: What would you do if you wanted to start babysitting and everyone wanted to join with you? My friends would like to come with me babysitting. What should I do? A: You shouldn't have friends come over when you are babysitting, unless you and your friend(s) are both babysitting and you're both being paid to baby sit (click here for what to charge when babysitting with a friend: $). The next time a friend comes over to the house you're babysitting in, don't let them in. Just say, "I'm not allowed to have friends over while I'm babysitting." And stick to it! Q: Is it OK to baby sit with a friend? A: It is all right to bring a friend babysitting with you as long as the parents of the children you're watching know and your friend will be paid, too. They should be coming to help baby sit and the parents should know that they're coming to help, not just to be with you Q: I'm taking classes with my friend. Is it okay if I babysat with her? A: It is all right to baby sit with a friend as long as the parents of the children you're watching know and your friend will be paid, too. You and your friend should make it clear to the parents that you both are coming to baby sit and therefore you both should be paid. If the parents are hiring both of you, then you both should be paid $6.00 an hour (at least $5.00 an hour). The only time that you should only charge $6.00 an hour and split it with your friend is if the parents have hired only one of you and you are bringing your friend. If both of you have been hired, then both of you should be paid $6.00 an hour (at least $5.00 an hour). It's great to baby sit with a friend when you're babysitting for 4 or more children, since it will be easier for the two of you to take care of them. It's a good idea to not baby sit for more than 3 children by yourself. Q: I was wondering what types of fast foods you would recommend feeding a 2 year old. The parents told me that I would need to order dinner for the child and myself but I was thinking of just buying a happy meal for the child instead. Do you think this is a good idea? A: I think that a Happy Meal is a great idea. Make sure that the child is sitting down and not acting silly when he's eating. You could also cut the hamburger up in halves or quarters and let the child eat the hamburger one piece at a time, to lower to chances of the child choking. If a babysitter ever wants to bring a certain food to a babysitting job, be sure to ask the parents before you bring it. You don't want to show up with the food and then the parents say that the children can't have it, because by then the children have seen it and they've gotten excited about it. * Q: If you accept a babysitting job for $6/hour and they want you to do housekeeping too, how much more do you charge if you accept the request? A: I would suggest, since you are going to be doing housework, too, that you add half of what you normally charge to your normal rate. I normally charge $6.00 an hour, so if I was doing housework in addition to babysitting, I would charge $9.00 per hour.

21 * When babysitting, make sure that you leave the house as clean or cleaner than when you found it. But don't go overboard! If the children had dinner while you were babysitting or right before you got there, put their dishes in the sink. Have the kids put away their toys before going to bed. You should help them, but make sure that you're not doing all of the work, because they'll depend on you to clean up all the time if you do. A good idea is to sing a song while cleaning, or make cleaning a game. If it's a contest, have all the children get a prize at the end. One winner can be a problem. A good clean-up song is the Barney clean-up song that goes like this: "Clean up, clean up. Everybody everywhere! Clean up, clean up. Everybody do their share." The only time you should vacuum or do something like that is if you've been asked to, and you're getting paid to do it, or if the children made the mess while you were babysitting. Q: I have to baby-sit my brothers and sisters almost everyday, and they absolutely do not listen to me. Nothing works, no matter what I've tried. I have no idea what I should do. I've tried time outs and other punishments. They just don't work. Help me please! A: Try explaining things to your mom and asking her for help in getting your brothers and sisters to listen to you. The next time one of your brothers or sisters doesn't listen to you, don't punish them. Work around what they've done, unless it's hurting someone else, themselves, or something [like an object]. If they have hurt something like this, call your mom. Otherwise, just continue playing. Try playing a group game. Otherwise, let the your siblings do what they want. Make sure that they are all inside the house or outside the house at the same time. Q: What if a child is stubborn what should you do? Should you ground him/send him to his room or let him keep doing it? A: You shouldn't discipline a child when you're babysitting him/her other than telling them to stop what they're doing. Grounding the child or sending him/her to their room shouldn't be necessary. If you're having this much trouble with a child, you should call their parents. If it happens at more than one babysitting job, you should refuse to baby-sit the child. The next time the parent of the child calls, say, "I've been having trouble with (the child's name)." Then say what he/she's been doing, and close the conversation with "I'd rather not baby-sit for (the child's name) while he/she is continuing to act like that." Q: One of the children I baby-sit (in a family of three children) makes it his duty to contradict everything I do and disobey me. He's 8 years old. I hope it's just a stage, but in the meantime, I need some tips on what to do to gain control without turning me into bossy-babysitter. A: I suggest that you try this form of discipline the next time you have a problem with the 8 year old contradicting you or disobeying you: make eye contact with the child and say to him, "I've made this decision because it's the best one for everyone" or to get his attention look in his eyes, and say "Michael (or whatever the child's name is), listen to me." Then say what you want to say, like don't do whatever, etc. By making eye contact with the child, it focuses the child's attention on you and what you're asking. If you continue to have trouble with the child, talk to his parents when they get home and explain what trouble you're having with Michael. If he is causing injury or putting himself, another child, or you in danger or hurting someone or something while you're babysitting him, that's a perfect reason to call his parents right away and tell them what's going on. If he's not hurting himself or someone else, but he's still disobeying you, tell his parents when they get home. If babysitting for this child gets to be too much (and I certainly don't blame you if it does!) then you might want to consider not babysitting for this family anymore. If it comes to this, just say the next time the parents ask you to baby-sit, "I've been having trouble with Michael lately. I'd rather not baby-sit for him while he's acting like this." This