Your Questions About Baby Care

The Expert answers:

Go around and talk to people.

The Expert answers:

I let my 13 yo babysit sometimes, but I am always at home to make sure that she has a backup, or if I cannot be home I ask another adult in the neighborhood that I trust to be a back up for her – that way if there are any disciplinary problems or emergencies she is not on her own. My daughter put together a ‘babysitter’s bag, it contains crayons, coloring books a couple of different age level storybooks, a movie, a couple of hand puppets, a game and a toy- things that a child might already have but someone else’s is always neater- she pulls these out when boredom sets in or a change is needed- if you babysit for the same people a lot, you might want to change the items in your bag every once in a while. (always get parental approval for any movie you might bring, no matter the rating before letting the child watch it)
American Girl has a great book / kit for babysitters- it gives a lot of good information and tips.

It is great that you are taking a first aid class- this is essential and many young girls desire to babysit but don’t think about the importance of this.
Always remember to keep yourself safe- it is better to get your parents to drive you to and from the home where you are babysitting unless it is someone you have spent time with and know and trust. You should also never answer the phone or door if you are babysitting in another’s home.
You will probably hear all of these tips at your class.

The Expert answers:

Yes! I started babysitting when I was 11 years of age so I had a big jump start. I went to my local hospitable and ask if they had a babysitting course that I could take, most Baptist Hospitable do. And trained me to do cpr, first aid, and everything that I need and needed to know. From there I started with my church family and just slowly moved to a wide spread of people. One of the families that I worked for told one of there friends who in turn told one of there friends and than so forth. As for price, I charge number of children plus a dollar. So if there are 4 kids I get $5 per hour. I’m cheap because I feel that this world is becoming to pricey and they always give me a tip which is a nice surprise, but I don’t se why not charging $2 per hour per child which for 4 kids would be $8 and hour. The only downside the sitting so young is getting you to and from a jobsite. I normally ask the people to pick me up if I know them if not than an parent will take me and meet the new family. Always have a safety word if you don’tfeel safe and NEVER stay at a site if you feel that you can’t handle the kids.

PS. At out age it is very stupid to put adds up everywhere…men and people are not very nice to young weak girls.

The Expert answers:

Yes, I do recommend giving out flyers to either neighbors or parents you see at school. On the flyer you could put:
name
phonenumber
email
age
rates
experiences with kids

My Rates

1-2 kids ~ $5.00/hour
Each additional child ~ $1.25/hour

*When you are babysitting a baby under 10 months old, you should ask to be paid a bit more than your regular charge, since you must give more attention, change the baby, feed the baby, and put the baby to bed.

The Expert answers:

Make sure you have all the contact numbers readily available!