How to be a good babysitter?

Question

i'm new and I need to know how to keep the kids entertained and under control.

Answer 1

be creative and allow them to be creative

with wild little boys especially, this works:

when going outside have them pretend to be astronauts and put on their space suits (jackets, shoes) and exit the portal (door) and explore the planets (swings, trees, other landmarks) they'll have a lot of fun "floating" around and it gets the outside playing even if you don't have a lot of stuff to play with, and you never have to go far

this works great on rainy days:

put a blanket over a table or between STURDY chairs, high enough for you and the kids to crawl under, one at a time

tell them it is a "transforming machine" and when they enter they are themselves and when they exit they are an animal and can only make those animal noises and movements. You can have the other kids guess what they are or interact with eachother with their animal voices

the key in any activity is to participate and have fun. this is going to keep the entertained and is more likely to make them behave.

i also have this theory that anytime a child acts up it is because they need to p**p, to eat, to sleep, to be played with. so if a kid acts up, follow the parent's guidelines (timeouts, etc) and then have them p**p/pee, have a snack, play a game, or take a nap

Answer 2

Ahh this is a good one!  First off, make sure you know the rules (or create guidelines)- let the kids know that you are aware of the rules- like go over them.  (Typically they will try to figure out what they can get away with based on your ignorance. :) )  Let them know from the beginning, but nicely  what the rules are and what the consequences are (ie. time out, or you will have to tell their parents, etc.) so that they have clear boundaries.  Then, have fun!  Kids usually just want attention, so follow their lead- if they want to put on a puppet show for you, let them.  If they want you to play dress up with them, go for it!  

I would suggest choosing activities that either do not make a mess, or are easily cleaned up before the parents come home because no parent wants to come home and have to clean up after the baby-sitter.  Oh, and reading them a book or something just before the parents come home is a great idea- don't do anything super high energy late night so the parents are stuck having to calm them down.

Also, avoid putting them in front of a dvd for 2 hours- they probably do a lot of that as it is, so even if you are just coloring and asking about their day, they will probably appreciate the attention.  And kids like things that are new, too, so it might pay off to spend $5 before you go and buy a coloring book or some stickers or something- just so it is different than what they already have and are used to.

If you are feeling unsure about how to know the rules, what the routine is in that house, etc. just ask.  The parents will thank you for being concerned and know that you do not intend to just sit on the couch texting all night while their kids run wild. :) Some good starter questions with the parents might be:

1. What are your rules for snacks/ sugar/ times for meals, etc?

2. Is there a specific time you would like for them to be in bed by?  Is there a routine for putting them to bed?

3. What are their comfort toys?  If one gets upset that you are not here, is there a doll or blanket or something that will make them feel better?

4. Do you have rules and/or emergency numbers listed on the refrigerator or anything?

Hope this helps!  Oh, and the Red Cross offers a pretty cool babysitting course that teaches you fun games, tricks and cpr for kids, too in case of an emergency!

Answer 3

First of all when you get there lay down the basic rules that will be followed.(no hitting, biting ,Etc.) Then try being understanding when problems arise don't yell until you know what happened. Then give the kids the choice of what to do (if there is more then one take turns) Never force them to do something that only you want to do ( watch tv,  talk on the phone) ANd the number one rule is DO NOT EVER CALL YOUR FRIENDS WHILE BABYSITTING!!