Child Safety Trends Your Babysitter Should Be Aware Of

If you are entrusting your kids to a babysitter while you are away, you will want to make sure you are fully equipping your babysitter to watch over your child’s safety when you are unable to. Depending on your babysitter, whether they are an experienced nanny or a younger college student looking for a part-time gig, they may have varied knowledge of what child safety is and the things they should be doing to make sure your child is perfectly ok. Set your babysitter up for success by educating them on current child safety. Keep reading for child safety trends your babysitter should be aware of.

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Make sure your babysitter is aware of your childproofing endeavors

Depending on how young your children are, you may rely heavily on successfully childproofing your home to make sure that your child can stay safe. This can mean blocking off certain entryways or the stairs with a small gate to block a child from entering an area they can get into trouble. Or, it can mean extra locking mechanisms on certain cabinets to keep curious toddlers out of drawers when they get away from supervision or outlet covers on electric sockets.

According to their 2022 Annual Childproofing Report, Safe Home states that 4 out of 10 parents believed a child’s injury could have been avoided had they taken proper childproofing precautions in and around the home. You can take all the necessary steps to childproof around your home, but it will not be helpful if your babysitter is completely unaware of what is childproofed and why it’s childproofed. They may not think twice about an extra lock on a cabinet and leave it unlocked after use, not thinking of it as a childproof lock. Make sure that your babysitter is aware of the childproofing precautions in effect throughout your home, from where they are to how to unlock and lock them if they interact with them.

Guide your babysitter through any tech you may be using around the house

Part of your routine of child safety within your home may involve some form of technology, whether it be a baby monitor or security camera set-up. Whatever the case may be, you want to make sure your babysitter knows how to use any tech and why they would use it if needed.

For example, your baby monitor or security camera may only be used during set times, such as during nap time. Letting your babysitter know of your current practices can help them make use of your current routine even while you are away from your children and home.

Let your babysitter know what you are in the process of teaching your kids

While your job is to parent your child, you can also ask your babysitter to supplement whatever you are currently teaching your child. You can be doing your very best to teach your child certain behaviors on a daily basis, but if your babysitter is not on the same page and not reinforcing those teachings (or worse, contradicting them), all your effort may be getting wasted.

For example, if you are in the process of teaching your child to ask for help with certain tasks or retrieving certain items rather than attempting to go through it themselves, let your babysitter know what you are doing so they are on the same page and making an effort to make sure your child is carrying out what is learned while they are babysitting them.

Make your babysitter aware of any “red flags” or behaviors to watch out for

Is your child prone to getting on top of furniture whenever the chance arises? Are they the type to stuff just about anything in their mouth, making anything a choking hazard? If you know your child has certain behaviors that pose a risk to their safety, make sure your babysitter is fully aware of them so they can keep an active eye out for them.

Yes, you can be working on these in your own time but if you know that your child has trouble with certain things, you want to make sure your babysitter is fully prepared to handle them, or in this case, prevent your child from endangering themselves.

This may be your babysitter’s first time babysitting, or their first time babysitting a kid of your child’s age. They may be unfamiliar with certain behaviors that are typical of your child’s age.

Child safety is not something to be taken lightly. Regardless of how experienced your babysitter is when it comes to taking care of children, you want to have a babysitter that has child safety at the front of their mind while on the job. Help yourself and your babysitter out by letting them know what they should keep in mind when it comes to child safety.