My daughter has recently asked me when would she be old enough to babysit other children. This got me thinking about baby sitting safety tips.
I practice many of these tips with my babysitter and plan on teaching them to my daughters when the time comes.
Here’s a Few Baby-Sitting Safety Tips:
1. Take your babysitting responsibility seriously. Part of that responsibility is protecting yourself as well as the children for whom you are caring.
2. Insure you have a (written) contact phone numbers for the parents.
3. Provide a trusted neighbors information and have them on “Stand BY” (written phone number)?
4. Know the emergency numbers for the area they’re in if not 911 (written down by the phone).
5. Know the address and phone number where you are.
6. Make sure there is pencil and paper near the telephone.
7. Know how to work the door and window locks.
8. Leave at least one outside light turned on.
9. Locate fire extinguishers, emergency exits, and smoke alarms – know how they work.
10. Locate the First-Aid supplies.
11. Don’t open the door to strangers. Don’t tell anyone who comes to the door that you are alone. Say you are visiting and will deliver a message.
12. Don’t go out to investigate suspicious noises or activities. Instead, turn on outside lights, and call the police. Be sure all windows and doors are locked.
13. If the phone rings, don’t tell the caller that you are alone. Say you are visiting and the residents can’t come to the phone. Offer to take a message. If the caller persists or gets rude, hang up.
14. If you leave the house during the day:
15. If you are in the back yard with the children, make sure the front door is locked. If you are in the front yard with the children, make sure the back door is locked.
16. If you take the children anywhere, make sure you have a house key with you when you leave. Double-check to be certain all doors and windows are locked before leaving.
17. Have the children go to the bathroom before you leave to help avoid having to use public restrooms.
18. When you are out with the children, don’t talk to strangers. If you suspect you are being followed at any time, go to a nearby home, store, or gas station and call the police.
19. When you get back to the children’s home, if anything seems unusual—a broken window, an open door, a strange car parked outside—don’t go in. Go to a neighbor’s house, and call the police.
Stay safe ~ concord carpenter