Childcare is somewhat challenging for parents who are professionally committed or want to spend quality time with friends, family, or each other. Thus the need for a babysitter has made the life of parents more easy and comfortable. It sounds simple to handle kids, toddlers, infants, and even teens, but it’s not in reality.
As babysitter comes with temporary care for children on behalf of their guardians and parents, they are not around or busy. Every child has their own needs and habits, and for a babysitter keeping all aspects prior to comfort, safeguard, and care for children is prior. Of course, it’s not a charity, yet a profession to get paid for it.
In this blog post, we will help you with some great ways to make a positive impression as a babysitter on parents/guardians and children. Let’s roll on below and know more about babysitter.
Babysitting For Beginners – Get Ready Tips
Your Dressing Sense Is Important
Unlike other job interviews and introductory meetings, babysitting also needs a dressing sense to make your impression, that lasts on kids and their guardians.
Thus keep your dressing casually cool, appropriate and comfortable. You can go for a casual pair of jeans, with a shirt. Try to look more sporty with kids to impress parents and kids at the same time.
However, your outfit won’t ensure a babysitting job for sure, but it’s crucial to take your profession seriously. Cool hoodie, sweatpants, can be avoided. They are comfortable but can be easily torn, ripped, or stained, keeping your dress modest, simple, comfortable and stylish simultaneously.
Keep It Comfortable
Don’t style too much with makeup, accessories, and all to make kids feel relaxed and friendly. Say goodbye to tension as your comfortable behaviour will help children to be easy with you. So make sure your dressing should be convenient within your comfort priorly, and it will ensure the maximum of cordial with kids.
Keep Clothing Practical
As you are into babysitting profession, plan your dress while keeping everything in mind. You should wear clothing convenient while you play with kids or allow you to comfortably sit on the floor, with less fuss on mess, stain and dirt. You have to care and be around active participants, so think of comfort and convenience together.
What To Carry?
Some great things are there you need to bring to the meeting with kids and their guardians.
To-Do List
Keep all listed activities, and craft/drawing drafted. It is precise to be prepared to indulge kids into something more active and creative to enjoy with you. This is the best way to go easy and friendly with kids, encourage them, give them new hints to think newly. It will help them in to be more creative and thoughtful. However, keep activities focused on the age-appropriate spectrum, of course. You can even talk help of their parents as they can tell you what is the interest of their children so that your plan won’t get fail at any cost. Simple questions to ask are as follow:
- Do their kids love and enjoy art and craft? Is yes, what kind of materials do they prefer to play with?
- What they prefer the most indoor activities or outdoor pastime?
- What are their major sports interest?
Carry Some Books Is A Good Idea
Parents know their kids better, thus if they told you once on their kids’ interest in books. Then go for it. You can carry few (2-3 books) books with yourself, on different genres to enjoy by kids. However, you need to keep age recommendation in mind while picking the best book form any local library or book store.
The Final Face-to-Face Meeting
When it comes to children and babysitter, the interaction should be casual, polite and friendly. As you have to talk to kids, greet them in the best and humble way that shows respect, love and care. Your regular Hi needs to be little soft with introductory lines like
Hi, (their name). I am (your name).
On the first meeting, you can easily notice if the children are outgoing or shy in personality. This will help you to have the next gesture of interaction with them accordingly. Some kids enjoy to meet new people and immediately get comfortable, talk on their interests, friends name, school etc.
However, few can go easy with time. If the children are outgoing, you can ask a few questions if you want to know more about them like
- What kinds of arts and crafts do they enjoy or wanted to do?
- What sports activities they are fond of playing in school and during pastime.
- What kinds of cartoon shows are their favourite?
- What subjects and activities they enjoy at school.
If you think the child is bit standoffish and reserved or hesitate to talk with you. Keep your approach humble and friendly. Here are tips you can consider to interact with shy children.
Earn Trust
Keep approaching the kid, as for first are scary as you are stranger for them and vice versa. So keep it polite to know the child’s perspective. It child take time to talk to you, it’s okay, you can’t be practical and judgemental every time.
Patience Is The Key
Stay positive, calm and relaxed. Your behaviour and attitude will is the only way to know the kid better and quickly. The more you are comfortable, you can make children comfortable too. It may be not pretty quick and easy, but you can and have to do as a babysitter.
Them Time and Space
Shy kids take more time and space to talk, play and interact so, let them free. Don’t push them outside their comfort zone. If they take time to let them wander over you with easy-peasy gestures, talks, smile, handshakes, etc. Motivate and encourage them to have friendly interaction, if still you fail, keep yourself relax and don’t discourage them. Some children take a while more than normal to feel comfortable in the presence of the stranger.
For such challenges, talk to their guardians/parents to know more about them. Ask:
- If they can do anything to make children comfortable and friendly?
- What technique do they apply when their friends and family visits at home?
- If there any activity or game that will help to have better interaction and comfort between both?
Final Verdict
To make a good impression remarkable is of course not easy for babysitters, as they need to tackle many difficulties. If you are dedicated to being into this profession, your personal experience will help you better assist kids. The tips mentioned above will help you make a smoother, comfortable, and humble relationship with kids to understand them better.