How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting - Essay Example

How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting Every teenage girl in America knows that baby sitting the neighborhood kids is one of the easiest ways to make pocket money during a week-end or long summer vacation. However, not every teenage girl realizes the adult responsibilities and preparations involved in the task. Baby sitting requires more than just sitting in the neighbor's house watching the kids. It requires cunning, skill, and a lot of imagination to survive what has now become a right of passage for every teenage girl.

To begin with, the baby sitter to be must know the family of the child very well in order to be able to plan the correct, child friendly, and parent approved games and activities for the child. This means meeting the parents a day or so before your services are required and presenting a care plan to the parents in order to show them that you know what it is you are doing. Babies and toddlers are the true test of skill for any baby sitter and is therefore, not the type of activity for anybody weak in the heart.

The parents can take the time during the meeting to inform the baby sitter to be about the activities and food that the child is allowed to have. Most importantly, the meeting tells you what time the child is to be put to bed for the night. (Lioutas, “How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”). This will give the baby sitter to be an idea of what to bring in her Mary Poppins bag of activities during the night itself. On the night itself, the baby sitter must make sure that she is wearing the right clothes for the job.

A comfortable outfit such as jogging pants and rubber shoes should do the trick. It is important to wear breathable clothes and sneakers or athletic gear that will allow you to chase after the child around the house or play in the yard without having to worry about your outfit. This is not a night around town girls, we are talking tumbling in the grass, getting down in the sandbox dirty here. Kids love to play and get dirt all over themselves, so don't be a fun killer, just go with the flow. (JeZz, “Ten Tips to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”).

Remember, if the child sees you as a big child, the baby will be more cooperative and remember you as the best baby sitter she or he has ever had. Fun is the order of the night when baby sitting and your job as the baby sitter, is to make sure that you morph into Mary Poppins complete with a bottomless bag of activities to keep the child occupied. Remember that toddlers are hyper active and easily lose interest in their current activities. Make sure that the child is involved in mental boosting board games or activities in order to keep them occupied for hours on end.

Although it would seem easier to pop in a Disney cartoon DVD like it was a marathon on steroids, keeping them in front of the idiot box is not exactly what a parent would call responsible baby sitting. (meh10, “How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”) So what arsenal should your bag of magic tricks contain? Some coloring books, markers, and board games should do the trick. If you are trusted enough by the parents of the child to get them ready for bed, turn the activity into another adventure.

Bath time can turn into a “cave search” where the child can go on a scavenger hunt for toys as he or she gets cleaned up. Tooth brushing can be a contest to see who brushes their teeth faster (hint: Let the child win) with a prize at the end, possibly a bedtime story of the child's choice. Bedtime usually becomes a battle of wills between the baby sitter and the baby. This is when tears and pleas of “Not sleepy! No go bed!” are usually heard. A wise and experienced sitter would know that a child needs to be tired out physically at least 2 hours before his bedtime in order to make him or her go to bed without any protest when bedtime finally rolls around.

This is accomplished by taking the child out for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood or around the local park (with prior permission from the parents of the child of course). Don't forget to bring your mobile phone in case the parents call to check on the child (JeZz, “Ten Tips to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”). Once the child is safely tucked away in bed, it is now time for the baby sitter to take a long deep breath of relief. But hold on! Your job isn't done yet. The house is now a mess because of all the activities that the two of you had on the floor, in the kitchen, and anywhere else on the premises.

You guessed it, clean up time! Make sure the house is exactly as the parents left it before the parents get home. This shows that you are a mature and responsible baby sitter who knows what is expected of her and conducts herself in a professional manner. Do that and you can bet the child's parents will have you on their speed dial for next time. Finally, sit back and relax. Take out a notepad and make notes of the activities that you and the child did for the night. Prepare a full verbal report for the parents once they arrive in order to assure them that the child was never in any danger of any sort under your care.

Make sure to highlight any new activities that the child enjoyed such as drawing or handicrafts. It will please the parents no end to learn that the baby sitter is a teacher for their child as well. Thereby making your baby sitting fee money well spent by them. (meh10, “How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”). As you walk out the door at the end of the night, your baby sitting fee safely tucked away in your wallet, know that you did a very good job and that made a good impression on the parents.

Most importantly, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done. You just survived a night of baby sitting! Works Cited JeZz. “Re: Ten Tips to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting (A Doll Article)”. Celebrity Gossip. The Doll Palace, 22 Jan. 2008. Web 29 Mar. 2012. Lioutas, Dawn. “How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”. Children. Bukisa. 7 Jan 2011. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. meh10. “Re: How to Survive a Night of Baby Sitting”. Personal Experience. Teen Ink. n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.