What To Do If Your Babysitter Falls Asleep

When you hire a babysitter, it is normal for you as a parent to establish rules and expectations for your babysitter. While many parents have similar rules, one rule that tends to be debated is whether or not a babysitter can sleep on the job. What should you do if your sitter falls asleep while watching your kids? Are there circumstances when it is okay and when it is not? There are several things that go into this decision, but ultimately, it is whatever is best for you and your family.

The arguments

Some parents say that it is okay for their babysitter to sleep on the job. This is especially true of parents who have multiple kids. They say as long as certain expectations are fulfilled and the child is safe, they let their babysitter sleep while they are there. For example, if a family has a sound monitor, it needs to be turned on and kept nearby.

Other parents say that babysitters should not sleep while “on the clock.” This thinking tends to come from first-time parents or parents of children with specific medical needs that need to be monitored. Parents of infants worry that if the baby was sleeping, they would wake up crying and if the babysitter was asleep, they would not hear the baby and be able to take care of them. A parent is able to wake up quickly if their baby starts crying, but the babysitter may not hear the baby crying at all if they fall asleep, and if they do hear the crying, it may take a bit for them to wake up. Some parents argue that they are paying the babysitter to supervise the household, which cannot be done if the babysitter is asleep.

Circumstances may allow

Depending on the circumstances, your babysitter may be able to sleep on the job more so than other babysitters. This is especially true if you are paying them to babysit overnight or are taking them on vacation with you. In these cases, make sure you set expectations for what you want the sitter to do should your child wake up in the middle of the night. You may want to handle it yourself, or you may decide to have your sitter take care of the child if you are on vacation. Ensure that your babysitter is aware of whatever you decide on so they can act accordingly.

Safety first

The main priority of your babysitter should always be your child’s safety. You may be okay with your babysitter falling asleep when your children are asleep because they are not up, running around outside, or playing inside. However, if you know that your children tend to not settle down easily and have a high chance of waking up before you come home, it may be better to not allow your babysitter to sleep on the job. If your child has medical conditions or allergies your babysitter needs to look out for, they should be awake during their scheduled time, even if the child is asleep. They need to keep an eye are the child to ensure their health and well-being are taken care of.

If you will allow your sitter to sleep…

Set clear rules and expectations. Have your sitter make sure every other obligation is done and your child is asleep before they fall asleep. If you have a sound monitor for your baby or young child, make sure your sitter has it on and nearby so they can hear it. Also, make sure the sitter’s ringtone is turned on so they can hear their phone in case you need to contact them. Tell your sitter to make sure the doors are locked and all animals are inside before they fall asleep.

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If it happens and you are not okay with it…

If you have a camera in your house where you can see if your babysitter is asleep and they are, try your best to call them or text them. This may only be successful if the sitter has their phone on and the phone is not on vibrate or silent. Unfortunately, if your sitter is a deep sleeper, they may not wake up, even if the ringtone is on and is loud. The ringtone may also wake your sleeping child if they are asleep as well. While it may be frustrating that it happened, no one is perfect. Give them a warning and reinforce the rules and expectations you have in place.

Set clear rules and expectations

As mentioned above, it is crucial that you have clear expectations in place, whether you allow your babysitter to fall asleep on the job or not. If the babysitter does fall asleep and you do not allow this, start them off with a warning and go from there. Lay out what kinds of consequences will ensue after the warning should they continue to fall asleep. If you allow your babysitter to sleep on the job, you still need to be sure it is done in a way where your child is safe.

Whether or not you allow your sitter to fall asleep on the job is up to you. Ultimately, it comes down to your child’s safety and your own personal preferences.