Being a babysitter is a hard side hustle; it takes a lot of patience and care. You need to know what you can do, how to keep the child entertained, and how to take care of the child in an emergency. Sara Ayoub, a student at the Community College of Denver, babysat for four years because she loves kids and loves taking care of them. She started her babysitting journey by watching her little cousins and never felt like it was work, it was more of a creative fun experience.
However, when it came to making plans for the kids, she often had a hard time coming up with a backup plan in case of need. With babysitting, you must be able to think on your feet. Kids can be stubborn and sometimes they do not want to go to the park, or they do not want to color. It is helpful if you have multiple plans in case others do not go well.
Due to changes in her living situation, Ayoub stopped babysitting after four years. However, she had many great things to say about her experience. An advice she gives to anyone looking to get into babysitting is to “Always keep an open door for communication, be prepared for almost everything because suddenly things will come up, organization is key and lastly have fun.”
And with planning and organization, babysitting can be very fulfilling and enjoyable. Whether you are looking for a hustle in babysitting or it is your first time watching a child, here is how to babysit. The way to get started is to first get CPR and first aid certified. In case of an emergency, you want to be prepared. The next thing you want to do is work on a set schedule for when you are available to babysit. Once you set the days you’re available, it makes it easy for your clients and yourself to schedule a shift.
After preparing, you should market yourself. You need to let people know when you are available. Word of mouth is often the easiest way to land this job. Start babysitting for people you know. Ask friends who are babysitters and if they know anybody that needs assistance. Another way you can market yourself is through babysitting websites. The only problem with marketing through websites, however, might be age, because many of them have age limits for sign up access.
With any new job, you need to prepare. Some ways to do that is: getting parents’ and child’s information, finding out what activities are okay, and figuring out the child’s schedule. This step is important because every parent teaches and nurtures their children in different styles. Another thing you need to know is their usual diet. Kids are very sneaky, and they might try to sneak something into their diet that they do not normally eat (like candy). When the kids try to misbehave, you need to establish with the parents, what they typically do for small misbehaviors. You do not want to punish them too little or too much.
After you prepare for the job, you are now in the phase of watching the kids. You want to spend time getting to know them, growing a relationship with the child will get them to like you and listen to you. Being creative and active with them is vital. You want to know what they like to keep them engaged. Telling stories and creating fun projects for you guys to do once a week will make them excited to see you. Parents are paying you to watch their kid, try to stay off screens. You are paid to be an entertainer for them and to keep them safe.
Throughout the day, it is important to check in with them. Kids do not have a sense of time as adults, and they usually forget to perform basic bodily necessities. Check every hour to see if they need to go to the bathroom, drink water, eat or even just rest. They will most likely not tell you these things on their own, so always be sure to ask.
Avoiding mistakes is also vital while watching kids. Do not leave the children in your care alone. As a babysitter, you are there to watch the children in their home and under no circumstances should you leave them. You should not have people coming over to spend time with you while working. Only allow people over if the parents have agreed to it. And with electronics more prevalent now than ever, you have urges to be on your phone or scrolling through social media. Like other jobs, your electronics should only be used for emergencies.
A major part of babysitting is cleaning up after the children. This part is often forgotten; because you are constantly on the go with kids, but it is important. The parents are probably coming home from work and will appreciate coming home to a clean house. A way to get the kids into cleaning up after themselves is to play cleaning games with them. Say whoever picks up the quickest wins or sing the clean-up song. When you give them an incentive, it will most likely get them excited.
Babysitting can be a hard job at times, but it can also be very rewarding. The child’s safety is the number one priority. If you babysit for a while, you will realize that it teaches you skills you never noticed at the time. You learn communication and relationship building, multi-tasking, time management and organization skills, and negotiation. This will help you with many other occupations and are fully transferable. It makes you confident, you can become a well-rounded person who is not afraid of a challenge.
Becoming a babysitter is a big deal. Parents are leaving you in charge of the most important people in their lives, their children. So, it is important to take the task seriously and do it responsibly. With this, you are now able to start hustling as a babysitter.