Babysitting Tips: Preparing Your Child for a New Babysitter

These babysitting tips can help your child adjust to the arrival of a new sitter. Whether you've moved to a new home, lost your old sitter to college or simply need a replacement for a night when your regular sitter is busy, you need to recognize that this can be source of anxiety and fear for your child. The new sitter is a stranger, and your child could be confused about how to behave. Preparing your child ahead of time is the best way to ensure everything goes smoothly.

• Information: Children do not like to feel left out, so being surprised by the arrival of the babysitter can make them upset. Be up front with your child about when you are going out and how long you expect to be gone. It is essential to be upbeat about their upcoming "adventure" with the babysitter.
• Time: Some children are slow to warm up to people or just plain shy. In order to make the transition to the new sitter a smooth one, it's good to arrange to have your babysitter spend some time with your child while you are still home. If your sitter cannot come over for a separate visit, have her arrive at least a half an hour before you leave so your child can interact with her while you are still home. This will allow both your child and the sitter to get comfortable with each other.
• Involvement: Have your child help prepare for the sitter's visit. Your child can select special toys or games to play with the sitter. It is also fun to have your child help shop for special snacks for their time with the babysitter. If kids are older, they can help prepare emergency contact information. Older children can also plan activities to do with the sitter, like watching a movie, playing a game or a craft project.
• Organization: The transition will go much smoother if your sitter has everything she needs to engage your child. The sitter should know where the toys and games are kept, and she should know your child's favorite snacks, stories and bedtime routines.

Be sure to tell the sitter how to work your television and DVD player. Nothing will frustrate your child and the sitter more then if they cannot watch a promised video.

Does Your Child Like the Sitter?
Even with these babysitting tips, sometimes, despite everyone's best efforts, your child and babysitter just do not get along. For example, the sitter may be too loud or stern for your child, or your child maybe too rambunctious for the sitter. Whatever the reason, occasionally child and sitter do not click.

It is not always apparent when a child is unhappy with a sitter. Here are a few things to look for to tell if you child is not comfortable with your sitter.

• Excessive Crying: If your child is truly comfortable with the sitter, he should not be all that sad to see you go
• Illness: If your child comes down with a tummy ache right before the sitter arrives, it could be a sign that the sitter is unpopular.
• Defiance or Tricks: If your child is openly defiant of the sitter or plays mean "jokes" on the sitter, the relationship is on the rocks. 

Talking to your child about his fears or concerns may help if you notice these signs. Sometimes it's a simple misunderstanding, but sometimes it signals a severe clash of personalities that can only be fixed by finding someone else to sit.