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Forum -> Working Women

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amother

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 10:29 pm

I am starting a babysitting group next year from my home and looking for any and all advice!
I have done preschool age before, but not babies (other than my own kids).
I really want to do a thorough and good job!
Please no negativity.

amother

Darkblue

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 10:30 pm

Please hug the babies as much as possible and dont keep them in their buggys all day. It breaks my heart dropping my newborn off and not knowing if she's held or getting any physical touch
I appreciate when the babysitter knows times of when baby ate, how much, when she napped etc.

amother

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 10:40 pm

amother Darkblue wrote:

I hope to! I am a very hands on mother and absolutely love babies!

amother

Dahlia

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 11:01 pm

Get helpers and don’t take too many kids. You can only be good if you’re not stretched too thin.

Teacher_EW

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 11:17 pm

When moms come pick up, mention a little something that tells them that you know their kid... babies are all yummy and unique. They have personalities and quirks... notice them, and tell moms.

ganmama

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 4:06 am

One thing I found the moms I worked for really appreciated was texts throughout the day with updates on how baby was doing- when they ate/slept/made a dirty- and some pictures too!
A lot of moms feel 1) worried about their sweet precious baby and 2) like they are missing out on a lot of really cut moments and developmental milestones. When they see baby is happy, and doing activities it can help calm a lot of those feelings.
Each woman should do what she feels is right but when I had infants I only took 4, so everyone could get individual attention and snuggles.
Make sure you schedule time off!! And someone who can sub in case you are sick or cvs have a family emergency…

amother

NeonGreen

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 5:08 am

We had an incredible babysitter for DS, some of the things I loved about her were:

- she had a slip of paper for each baby, with slots to fill in all the technical details about their day (ex when ate + how much, diapers, naps, etc). She gave it to me when I picked up, and I had it to refer to so I knew what he was up to.
- when he did something cute, she loved snapping pics of him and she'd send them to me or show them to me when I came to pick up. I could tell she really enjoyed him from the way she spoke about him and noticed all the little adorable things he did
- at the end of the year, she gave us a little album full of pictures of ds throughout the year, along with a beautiful personal note.
-she started the year with just 5 babies. when it was so calm and easy, she added slowly and ended up with 2 more. she never wanted to make it hectic. of course there will be moments when they all choose to scream at once, but she kept it at a pace where she wasn't overwhelmed and could stay carefully on top of every baby. (and she did this even though she is very experienced - she's been babysitting for 13 years and has 6 of her own kids ka'h. but she starts like this every year)
- she always offered that if I get a break from work or anything, I'm welcome to come pop in and visit ds any time. this made me feel much more comfortable.

The main thing that we loved is that it was so clear that she really, sincerely loved and cared about every single baby there. She hugged them and kissed them all the time, laughed at all their antics, she would call and check in if he didn't show up or if she knew he wasn't feeling well... it was obvious that she felt like the babies in the group were almost like her own children.

Wishing you much hatzlacha with your group! And lucky moms who will get to send to you, sounds like you'll be an amazing babysitter!

Brit in Israel

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 5:12 am

I give at the end of the morning a little paper which says
I ate...... /Bottle at ....
I slept from.... Until....
I diaper was wet (checkbox) dirty (checkbox)

I fill them up as the morning goes along and put them in the bags at the end of the morning so whoever fetches the child knows all the information, I don't have to try and remember for each child and if it isn't the parent fetching they will know everything when the are with the baby.

Babies should only be in the stroller to sleep, and if they take the bottle nicely in the stroller otherwise they should be on a big floor mat.(Do research for ones that are easy to put away at the end of the day and to clean)
If you are doing babies until a year get baby bouncers, I had 2 for 5-7 babies. Usually nearer to 1 year it's only for one or 2 kids. By one year I stopped using it all together.

I have 2 highchairs (the ones you put on a regular chair) so I can feed 2 babies at a time and once they get older they can eat the bread/snack on the floor in a designated area so that you can constantly check them eating and they aren't everywhere in the room making it harder to watch if a child is choking CvS.
Boil a kettle in the morning and pour it into a jug or something so that you have boiled water for bottles. I have the kettles that have a Shabbos mode so that I can have hot boiling water constantly and babies don't have to wait for the water to warm up.

Take out insurance! IYH you should never need it but better be safe than sorry. I add it on the contract as a separate fee, the parents will pay most of it but I will round it up that I don't have to ask for a strange amount.

The kids really enjoyed when the toys are not scattered. When the toddlers are sleeping and put them all back in the box or into a big pile in the middle of the room and they play so much nicer again (sometimes have to be done several times)
I've done for several ages each at a separate time so it depends what age you are doing, feel free to pm for more tips.

hitherefriend

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 5:18 am

The first day or two will be hectic but then iyH you will learn the babies schedules and figure out a routine. Keep a positive attitude and remember you are taking care of holy neshamos! And learn how to multitask I.e. feed baby a bottle on couch while pushing another baby in swing with your foot Smile

amother

Copper

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 6:33 am

hitherefriend wrote:

I will add to this and say the first WEEK or two might be hectic! Depends on how hard the kids you have are and/or if they are the personality or age that will take time to adjust to you. If you can, it might be really nice to have an assistant for the first week or two even just for part of the day (if this person can also be someone that can sub if needed, even better).

Make sure all the babies take bottles. If a mom wants to sign up and says her kid sort of takes the bottle, tell her that the baby must be taking a bottle consistently before they can come to the group. This should be worked on at home, it is not your job to teach a kid to take a bottle. Similar for babies that only contact nap or nurse to sleep - of course you can help "teach" new habits but the parents must be working with you, preferably before the year starts they should be working on it. It can be really hard to have a baby in a group that has never been put to sleep without nursing when you have x many other kids to take care of!

agree with brit in israel about hot water. If you don't have an urn, might be a wortwhile investement. Having to make hot water every time you need it gets old fast.

I find it helpful to have more than 1 sound machine. Expecially when you have kids on different schedules, it is great to be able to give the napping kids a sleep-friendly environment despite lots of other noises in your home.

Try to meet every mom and baby before the year, preferably before accepting them. Sounds not nice maybe, but I'm not saying reject people if you don't like their style, mostly it's more like knowing what you are getting yourself into before you accept. And yes if something really doesn't sit right with you for whatever reason you are entitled not to take people, you are a private group. Mostly, meeting them just helps you have realistic expectations which is always helpful.

Might have more to say but my babies are waking up from their naps so I'll stop here for now Smile

ima22

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 8:34 am

Have clear financial agreements and guidelines in place. Everything in writing, what happens if the baby is sick? What if you need to cancel? Will you have a sub? Kids get sick especially in their first year in a daycare setting, have clear, communicated expectations of when a baby should be kept home.

amother

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 8:50 am

ima22 wrote:

I really appreciate this aspect. Can anyone chime in any reasonable expectations?
I have never sent to a babysitter before and I am not sure what is normal.
I have 2 people who are avaliable to sub if I need it.

synthy

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 8:51 am

Teacher_EW wrote:

When moms come pick up, mention a little something that tells them that you know their kid... babies are all yummy and unique. They have personalities and quirks... notice them, and tell moms.

This. I’m not a babysitter but I send to one. I recently switched babysitters and one of the reasons was that she never shared anything about my baby. “She had a bottle and napped at one”. Now I send to someone who has more babies per sitter, but they coo over each baby and share with me all the cute stuff my baby did so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on their day. It makes such a huge difference!

ganmama

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 10:44 am

amother OP wrote:

I exclude for diarrhea, vomiting, or fever that doesn’t appear to be teething related. For 24 hours after last occurrence without medication.

It is normal to include in your contract that families have to replace themselves if they decide to leave mid year, or continue to pay the fee.

Some people prorate for the chagim and some do not.

DM me if you want to see what my contract for families looks like. I’m happy to offer any help/advice/etc

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