Babysitting horror stories....

Question

One time I was babysitting four children with my sister. It was horrible!!!! One of the kids was nearly three, and we asked the mother if she would need ANY help in the bathroom. We were told she wouldn't but the little girl ended up making a huge mess because it turned out she was still using a training potty and she tried to clean it out herself when she went in the restroom by herself. Two of the other girls were six year olds who repeatedly tackled me and my sister and were the brattiest children we've ever met. They threatened to sneak out, to call their parents when we wouldn't let them have their way, and cry at the drop of a hat. To top it all off, they snuck up on me, and kissed me!!! It was on the cheek, but I think one of them was trying to kiss me on the lips! It was so disturbing. No matter what we tried, we couldn't get them to go to sleep, or even stay in their room! They ended up being awake and out of bed when their parents came home at nearly one in the morning. To top it all off, their parents weren't even surprised to hear about how badly their children behaved! The kids had told us throughout the evening about several different babysitters they've had, and its not wonder no one sticks around after one night with them. So do you have any babysitting horror stories to share?

Answer 1

I had massive problems with getting my 3 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Paul into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!

Answer 2

My husband asked his cousin (13 years old) to babysit for our then 18 month old daughter.  So his cousin and her friend came over to babysit and as we were walking out the door, his cousin yelled after us (jokingly, but still), "Don't be surprised if she's dead when you get back!".  Ugh.  So anyways, we made our supper out very short - less than an hour and a half.  We got home at 6:30 and the girls who were babysitting were sitting on the couch drinking pop out of our good wine glasses, eating popcorn, talking, watching a movie and our daughter was screaming in her crib (at 6:30 they had her in her crib, her bedtime is 8:30 - they had put her in there as soon as my husband and I left and shut the door and they were out there partying it up), she wasn't dressed, she was soaked, her crib was soaked and she was scared and screaming.  The girls went home and upon further inspection of the house, we found one of our wine glasses broken and thrown in the trash.  It was awful.  That was almost a year and  a half ago and neither of the 2 girls has been allowed to babysit since then, nor will they.  I now hardly trust anyone to watch my daughters.

Answer 3

I asked a question about what to do with a kid that I babysat quite awhile ago...I'll try to find it and then I'll post the story.

EDIT: I've got two different things about different kids I've babysat...it was horrible!

"I'm going to a neighbor's house tonight to babysit their child. The problem is, the kid runs crazy. He's okay around his parents, but when they're not home, he throws a fit. He's almost 5 but he still will throw himself on the ground and scream or he will run around the house destroying everything. The last time I was over there, I was doing my AP Biology homework and he was watching TV and he noticed that I was doing something he wasn't. He got mad, came over, and ripped 3 pages out of my book (it cost $112!) and started beating on the keyboard (I was typing an essay), demanding that he wanted to play on MY computer. When I told him no, he started shrieking like a banshee and ran around his house trying to break everything. When his parents got home, I told them what happened and they didn't care. They said that he was just expressing himself and wouldn't punish him or offer to help me replace my textbook. The only reason I'm babysitting again is because I need the money. I  was doing my homework right there with him, he was busy watching movies and playing Xbox. I asked his parents if I could do my homework if I was right there with him and they said yes. The kid is a pottymouth and won't listen to anything. I have to put him to bed many times and he tries to escape each time. The only reason I signed on to babysit him again tonight is because I'm the only babysitter he hasn't scared away. His parents pay well and I desperately need the money (exams are coming up and someone stole my History book--another $95)."

Here's the second:

"Well, tomorrow is expected to be a snowday in my area. We're supposed to get 14 to 16 inches tonight. If I do have the day off tomorrow, I am supposed to babysit the kid down the street--he goes to daycare but he'll be off too. Both of his parents work days so they wouldn't be able to watch him, so they're begging me to do it. The problem is that the kid is a monster. He's 4 and he already knows all the swears. He hits, bites, screams, and punches. He wants everything IMMEDIATELY and if he has to wait even a minute or two he throws a tantrum. He is still in diapers, too--his parents say he isn't ready to be potty trained yet, which I think is garbage. When he messes his diaper he expects me to change it. Sorry, but he's 4, he's capable of throwing away a diaper. He throws tantrums at EVERYTHING. Last time I was over there, he drew with a Sharpie marker all over the new carpet because I didn't order pizza (his mom already made a meal). What can I do to keep from going crazy? He won't listen to me. When I tell him he can't do something, he'll yell. I told him to turn off his Xbox, he had been playing it for a long time. He said "No, you're a f*ggy face and I don't have to listen to sh*theads like you". He throws stuff and bites. He destroys things. My policy for discipline is warning him that what he is doing is naughty. Then if it progresses he gets timeout, which gets progressively longer if the behavior continues. He won't stay in his room. It's bad enough that sometimes I have to lock him in his room to keep him there, at which point he will start screaming like he's being beaten (but he's not). I am ONLY babysitting him because I desperately need money--someone ran into my car a few days ago and then drove off, and I've got a lot of damage that needs repair. His parents pay very well--for 6 hours, they paid me $150. That;s the ONLY reason I sit for them... How can I keep the kid in line without going insane?"

Both kids were absolutely ridiculous to babysit for and I have since quit.

Answer 4

I was babysitting a kid I know quite well and his friend. The kid I know is very well-behaved... when it's just him! When he was with the other kid, they absolutely lost it.

They trashed the house, screamed and yelled, and wouldn't do anything I asked them to. They got popsicle juice all over the kitchen and I had to clean it up. Their dog was insane, and she ran around the house and bit me 3 times until I managed to get her outside in the backyard.

To top it all off, the parents came home an hour and a half late! I was supposed to be home by then!

And of course they ripped me off and only paid me $13!

Needless to say, I will never babysit for them again. Period.

Good question!

:)