How to find a Babysitter?
Most parents would agree that they feel most assured if they could have the grandparents look after their baby. However, it may not always be possible as they may be too elderly. Finding a good babysitter in Singapore can be a daunting task. However, there are various ways to find a qualified and experienced caregiver to care for your child. Some good strategies include putting the word out to your social network, searching online for service providers, placing and responding to advertisements on newspapers and online forum that connect babysitters and parents. Call Innovon Services, the most established babysitting referral agency @ 9487-5408 to locate a nanny that is nearest to your home or work place.
How do I choose a Babysitter?
How you choose a babysitter would depend very much on your needs. If you are leaving your child alone with the sitter, you will need someone who is old and matured enough to do the job. I would not advocate choosing someone who is in their teens to babysit unless it is just for an extra pair of hands while you are busy at home and if your child is not an infant.
Age should not be the only factor that you consider when choosing a babysitter. The sitter you are considering should be someone with previous child minding experience and you should be comfortable with her personality. The sitter must come across to you as someone who is capable of following instructions but not blindly, with initiatives to act sensibly should a situation arises. Although not always available, you should always ask all potential sitters to provide you with references. When you call these references, you should ask detailed questions about how long the sitter has been with them, the ages of the children that the sitter cared for and the responsibilities involved while the sitter was at the job.
Choosing a caregiver for a toddler would be quite different from choosing a caregiver for an infant. If your child is an infant, be sure your babysitter is experienced caring for very young children. It would be an added advantage if the sitter is trained in infant CPR and first aid. You should make sure the sitter knows she should never, never shake the baby.
At the interview you would also want to set down some ground rules to make sure the sitter respects your house and possessions. Issues such as whether watching TV is okay? Do you expect her to do the dishes after dinner? must be clearly agreed upon. Some other issues which you should insist would be that she should not have her friends (male or female) over without your permission. She should not smoke or drink while child minding. The potential sitter you choose should be one who is agreeable to all the ground rules you set.
Before you walk out of the door and leave your child to the babysitter, you want to feel sure that the sitter is someone you can trust. The sitter should be matured enough to handle any emergency. Please read our other articles below which shows the signs to look out for in a good babysitter and the important information you should leave with your babysitter to ensure she is able to keep your child safe while you are out.
SIGNS OF A GOOD BABYSITTER versus SIGNS OF A BAD BABYSITTER
Finally, after your rounds of interviews, checking of references, you feel confident to hire a babysitter or nanny to take care of your child. However, you will always wonder if your caregiver is doing a good job while you are out. With today's advance technology, you could always install surveillance camera to capture all the activities while babysitter is looking after your child. However, as a parent you should be able to rely on your intuition to know if you have left your baby in the hands of a good caregiver. Here are the signs to look out for….I have attempted to put the signs of a good babysitter in blue and conversely the signs of a bad babysitter in Red below.
Baby is happy to see Nanny. Your baby warms up to nanny though it may take 2 or 3 sessions to be certain. The nanny can never replace the parents but if things are working well, baby should feel happy to be carried and cuddled by nanny and even looks forward to the arrival of the nanny at each session. You will also notice that nanny is genuinely happy to see baby. Nanny plays with your child readily and both of them enjoy their time with each other. If baby is withdrawn at the sight of the nanny (especially even after a few sessions) then perhaps there is a lack of chemistry between the 2 and it might be a good idea to look for a new caregiver. However, if a normally happy and independent child exhibit a vast behavioral change and wails at the sight of the nanny or becomes clingy then you should be more concerned as it could signify some form of child abuse.
Nanny keeps you informed of what she and your child did during the time you were away. A good Nanny is not evasive when you ask her how the day went and her story always adds up. If she usually leaves before you return, a good nanny will leave notes or fill out daily reports to keep you posted of the day's activities. Good nannies volunteer information about your child and will not feel offended when you check with her things pertaining to your child. On the reverse, a bad nanny will be evasive and secretive when asked how time was spent when you were out and her story usually doesn't add up.
Accidents involving your baby are infrequent. Although occasional bumps can be expected especially when baby learns to crawl, your baby should not be involved in too many accidents that could have been easily avoided. Through your observation a good nanny must be naturally mindful of safety regardless of whether she is in the house or at the playground. A good nanny pays full attention to the child at all times and put the safety and welfare of your child as her priority. A bad nanny may engross herself watching TV or talking on the phone. She may come to work looking lethargic and your child is having too many minor accidents that could have been easily avoided.
Nanny follows your instructions and requests but also uses her own initiatives and comes up with creative solutions. Although you might think you know your child best but your babysitter may have observed something different during their time together. A good caregiver would not blindly follow your instructions but checks back with you on things concerning your child to come up with the best possible care for your child. On the other hand, a bad caregiver does not follow your instructions and you noticed that many items on the activity sheet have not been followed through.
Your baby is always clean and nice smelling. A good nanny changes your child's clothes dirtied during meals or play time. Your child's hands and face are frequently wiped clean. This shows the nanny is putting in full efforts towards caring for your child and is conscientious. A bad caregiver does not pay much attention to the overall appearance of your child.
Nanny respects your time and do not take unnecessary leave which might affect your work. A good nanny will arrive 10 to 15 minutes earlier than the stipulated time for you to brief her before leaving your child to her care. A good and responsible caregiver will call you if she is unexpectedly held up so as to ensure you have ample time to make alternative child care arrangements. A bad caregiver will usually arrive late and ask for time off frequently. Worst of all she may call you last minute or not turning up for the job without informing you, thus leaving you in the lurch.
Essential Information & Instructions For Your Babysitter
Babysitters and nannies should always be 15 minutes early so that you could brief them and give them the necessary information before leaving your child to her care. This will ensure the caregiver will know how to handle any emergency and that your child will be in safe hands while you are away. In order for you to leave your child safely with the babysitter, it is important you let the nanny or babysitter have the following:-
Contact numbers for you and your spouse. This should include home number, work phone numbers and extensions, and cell phone numbers. If you are attending a function at a restaurant or friend's house, it would also be wise to leave the telephone numbers of these places.
Tell your sitter not to open the door to anyone she's not expecting, and warn her if anyone will be stopping by or calling. Tell her that it is okay to call you and check with you anything she is not completely sure. Although you might be inconvenienced slightly if she does call, but it is always better not to leave things to chances.
Emergency contact numbers - A comprehensive list of numbers including fire, police, family doctor, and hospital numbers should be drawn up and displayed at a prominent place. There must also be a backup list of one or two designated relatives, neighbors or friends whom your caregiver can turn to should you or your spouse cannot be reached. Make sure your babysitter has their names, numbers, and addresses.
Fire escape and other contingency - Your babysitter should know where to find the fire extinguisher and first aid kit in the house. In case of a power outage, she should know where the circuit breaker is and where she could find torch lights and candles in case of a power failure. Most importantly, all possible fire escape routes must be clearly made known to her in case of crisis that requires hasty evacuation.
Medical information of your child - Inform your nanny of any medical conditions such as asthma or allergy in advance. If your child is currently under medication, remember to draw up a schedule that the nanny must follow. Other non medical information such as tendency to spit up food at meal times and how you usually handle the situation should be made known to the nanny.
Feeding Times - Ensure the babysitter has a schedule for feeding your child. If your child is currently still on milk feeds, ensure the babysitter knows how to prepare formula or warm up expressed breast milk. If your child is on solids, ensure nanny knows what foods she can and cannot give your child to avoid choking and allergy.
Daily Activity schedule - A child may not feel completely at ease when mummy or daddy is not around. You could minimize this anxiety by ensuring that your child sticks to his usual routine such as meal times, bedtimes etc. Any specific habits such as a special toy that will calm baby down or a special song that you sing at bedtimes must be made known to nanny. Ensure your caregiver has an activity schedule and inform her to stick to the schedule. She should fill up the sheet so that upon return you will be able to know how your child has spent the day and whether he has eaten and how much or how long was his nap etc. without having to rely on the memory of the caregiver.
Signs of a Colicky Baby - Warnings & Tips
Your new bundle of joy is finally home from the hospital. On one hand you are so happy to be a mother but there are many things which may at times make you wonder if you are really up to motherhood.
Sometimes you might even feel a sense of despair especially if your baby keeps crying no matter what you do to try to soothe her. It is really heartbreaking to watch your baby crying for so long and nothing seems to help much. You start to wonder if you are a bad parent because your baby just won't stop crying. (Remember, this is not true. You are the best parent your child could have) . You and your spouse may feel fleeting bouts of impatience at the constant crying. You seem to be living in a nightmare and wondering how long this will go on since nothing seems to help and it all seems so hopeless.
Don't be despair. Your child might just be colicky. It has nothing to do with whether you are a good mother or not.
But first, let us be sure it is colic we are talking about. Look out for these signs..
Sign #1 Your baby cries for 3 or more hours each day
Sign #2 Your baby cries at about the same time everyday
Sign #3 You have great difficulty comforting your baby and have tried everything anybody advised
Sign #4 Your baby still cries even after being changed and fed and even cuddled till you are worn out
Sign #5 Your baby is obviously in pain when crying. This is evident when you see the knees drawn up, faced red and very distressed
So What Must You do?
• Be sure to discuss your baby's behavior with your doctor. There may be a serious health condition such as acid reflux or other health conditions that need medical attention.
• If you feel yourself losing it, please call a friend, neighbor or family member for help and support. A colicky baby is very stressful for the parents and it might be worthwhile to engage a full time confinement nanny to help out. As confinement nannies or experienced babysitters they may have some special ways to help ease your baby's discomfort through their years of working with babies. Their presence may also give you some assurance that everything is under control.
• If you do not have the luxury of help from any experienced caregiver or grandparents and find it overwhelming dealing with a crying baby, put the baby in a safe place like the crib and walk away and take a breather for a few minutes.
• Nobody will think less of you as a parent. Many of us have been there before and understand exactly what you are going through. The important thing to remember is, no matter how bad it is, never shake your baby.
• And Daddy, please support your wife… take over the baby and let her have a rest. She needs all the care and understanding in this difficult phase of motherhood. The colicky phase WILL pass sooner than you think it could at the moment.
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