Make Your New Babysitter a Success

Leaving your children alone with a new babysitter for the first time can be nerve wrecking for both you and your children, not to mention the babysitter.  However, with a little bit of planning and communication you can make your kids' first night with a new sitter fun for them and less worrying for you.

Plan a simple activity

During the week leading up to your night out, talk to your kids about the new babysitter. If you tell them the babysitter is going to be fun and they are going to have a good time, it is more likely to happen. Ask for their ideas of what they would like to do while you are out for the evening. Having a simple activity to do will help the time pass more quickly for your children and will keep them from thinking about how you are not at home. The activity can be as simple as renting a movie and ordering a pizza or making popcorn.

Knowing what to expect during the evening will help ease any anxiety the children have about spending time alone with a new adult. And, if they have a fun evening to look forward to, they willl be less likely to be upset that mom and dad are having a good time without them.

Let the babysitter in on your plan

Unless you are dealing with a babysitting service and cannot contact the babysitter directly, call the babysitter one or two days before your night out and let him or her know what you and the kids have planned. Knowing whether to eat before arriving, an approximate time to expect you home and what the children will be expecting to do will help your babysitter be prepared. The more confident and at ease the babysitter is, the more secure your children will feel being left with this new person.

Write down important information ahead of time

Take a moment to write down your cell phone number, any allergies your children have or medications they take during the day before you begin getting ready to go out. Leaving this task to the last minute makes it more likely that you will forget something important. The more information you leave for the babysitter the more likely he or she will be prepared to handle different situations that may come up.