Safety Tips: Babysitting

Babysitting can stir up a wide range of emotions in both parents and potential babysitters. Here are some safety tips for parents and for babysitters, but both parties should read both sets to understand each other’s responsibilities.

The American Red Cross website offers excellent babysitting materials resources that are available online for parents and babysitters. You can also register for CPR training to learn how to save someone in emergency situations, when every second counts. For additional information, call the American Red Cross of Greater Miami at 305-644-1200.

Additionally, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue offers free Health Emergency Life Protection (HELP) interactive, two-hour life-saving workshops that teach participants how to recognize the most common life-threatening emergencies and begin medical care until more advanced care providers arrive, including how to perform pediatric and adult hands-only CPR.

- Plan ahead. Begin your search for the right sitter and prepare your household for putting an outsider (possibly a teenager) in charge. This process will also involve childproofing your home and establishing a list of willing emergency contacts with people who can help the sitter if you can’t be reached
- Don’t rule out a teenager, especially for short outings. A responsible teenager can be just as reliable as an adult and often do a better job engaging children in activities
- Begin your search for a sitter from the inside, out. Start with family members and then proceed to close friends and neighbors, followed by members of your faith or community-based organizations
- Interview with all potential sitters. Ask about their experience, training and how they would handle emergencies. A friendly personality isn’t enough—they must recognize hazards and act quickly in an emergency
- If your preferred sitter isn’t certified, encourage them to take a course through organizations like the American Red Cross on infant and child CPR. During the interview, set clear expectations. Explain household rules, emergency procedures (like your home fire escape plan) and your child’s needs so the sitter fully understands the job
- Begin your babysitting career in the homes of families that you know well, such as your own family, neighbors and close family friends
- Sign-up for a babysitters training course. These are periodically offered locally at hospitals, community centers and churches. If you cannot find one, speak to an adult in your neighborhood or your school about contacting your local American Red Cross and bringing one to your area
- Only take jobs that you are sure you can handle and in an environment where you feel safe. Make sure your parents know where you are
- Ask the parents to leave you an emergency contact list with their cell phone numbers, several names and numbers of other responsible adults, and a list of rules, instructions and areas that are off-limits
- While on the job: NEVER open the door to strangers. Don’t tell strangers on the phone that you are the babysitter and never go outside to check on something unusual, like a strange noise
- NEVER leave a child unattended – even for one second – especially in the kitchen, bathroom or around water
- If there is an emergency, call 911 first, so help is on the way, then contact the parents

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