Purposeful Parenting
Don’t Forget! 5 Must-Haves for Drop Off at the Babysitter’s House
Dropping the kids off at the babysitter’s house might seem like a no-brainer. Drop them off with someone trustworthy, and go about your business. Your house is clean, your kids are thrilled to vacation at the babysitter’s home and life is good. Right?
It might seem simple in theory, but how many times have you reached the babysitter’s front door and realized that you forgot Mr. Bumble Bottom, your child’s most favorite item on the entire planet? Or in my case, that one tiny piece of paper they wrote 2 letters on, intending to cut it into a heart shape at the babysitter’s house and they’ll die if we don’t drive back?
Don’t worry, it has happened to all of us. We’ve all had that moment where we suddenly remember that one thing that we should have provided the sitter with. That one thing we reminded ourselves 100 times to not forget.
In order to minimize the chances of that happening in the future, here are 5 must have items for babysitter drop off! Make your babysitter’s life easier and give yourself peace of mind with these simple reminders.
Contact Information
While the sitter might have your phone number, does she have the phone number of another emergency contact to reach out to, in case you are unable to be reached? How about the place that you are going to? Does she have that phone number?
Be sure to provide your sitter with the necessary contact information in case of an emergency. Consider drafting up a little note card with all of the information she will need in case something happens. Phone numbers to include could be:
- Your phone number
- The phone number of the place where you are going (spa, restaurant, work, etc.)
- An emergency contact, such as your spouse, a family member, or other friend that can be relied upon to take action if necessary
- Primary care physician
- The poison control hotline (hey, you never know)
Consider making a few copies, and having them laminated. It never hurts to have an extra one to pass off to teachers, reliable neighbors, or close friends.
Medicine & Medical Information
Does your little one take medicine? Be sure to bring it along for the babysitter. Also, if your child suffers from any sort of illness or malady, be sure to front load your babysitter about this BEFORE you drop your kids off with them. The sitter might not be comfortable being responsible for what might happen while the kiddos are in her care, so be sure to discuss this with her ahead of time. Also, be sure to provide her with any allergies (gluten, peanut, pets, etc.) that your little one suffers from. Medicines or other treatments should come complete with clear, detailed instructions. Make sure you get a verbal confirmation to make sure the babysitter’s understanding mimics your directions.
Mr. Bumble Bottom
As discussed before, your child probably has that one toy (or piece of paper) that they NEVER leave home without. It’s name is probably something just as obnoxious as Mr. Bumble Bottom, or Terry Toots-A-Lot, Susie Sings-Too-Loud ,or piece of paper or something else horrible that was designed to make adults roll their eyes.
But, Terry Toots-A-Lot brings joy to your child, so you put up with it. For the love of God, do not leave that thing at home. Especially if the sitter you are dropping your kids off with is relatively unfamiliar to them. They will want something that helps them to feel comfortable, and for the time being, that is Terry Toots-A-Lot. Don’t forget him! Goodbyes can be hard enough when drop the kids at the babysitter’s house. Don’t open the door for the next epic tragedy that will come courtesy of your child’s dramatic interpretation of death without their must-have special friend by their side.
The Diaper Bag
Who forgets a diaper bag? Seriously? Yes. In the tizzy of trying to get everyone out of the door at a reasonable time, you will probably at some point forget the diaper bag. This is something you don’t want to leave your babysitter without. And don’t forget to replenish said diaper bag with wipes, diapers, pull-ups, formula, breast milk, bottles, snacks, juice boxes or water bottles, a few toys, and a book or two. Extra clothes are another must-have. Accidents happen and you’ll want your babysitter to be prepared with the same items you would want to have on hand. Are you kids past diaper age? Graduate to an activity pack and be sure to send sunscreen, extra clothes, a hat, water bottles and a favorite snack or toy.
Gratitude
One of the most important things you can give to your babysitter is gratitude. Be sure to thank her for everything that she does. After all, she is taking the kids off of your hands for a bit so you can do whatever it is that you need to do. That is something to be extremely grateful for. Thank her profusely for taking the kids for a few hours, and let her know that she is greatly appreciated. Even better, she let your kids in her house. That’s a miracle in and of itself. When you have a great babysitter, you want to keep them, right?
What items do you bring when you drop the kids off at the babysitters? Let me know in the comments below!
Duh, duh, duh….the dreaded meltdown. With one kid, this can bring the strongest mommy to her knees. With multiples, well…the word “epic” takes on a completely new meaning. In the worst possible way.
Moral of the story? A little organization and forethought can go a long way. Considering WHY my kids were throwing tantrums and then exploring what I could do to prevent them before they started has saved me a million tears. Like I said, it’s not a perfect system. But every little bit helps.
Every day I pick up my children from day care to hear “They are such great kids! They had a blast today and are some of the best listeners we’ve ever had. They’re so well-behaved!” Yay, Mama win! And then we go home and they act like total demon-infested, hell-raising psychos and won’t listen to a word I say. Weekends can be brutal and I sometimes find myself praising Jesus that I decided to keep working and not stay-at-home.
sweet kids from day care?
Best Thing I Ever Did: I went to pick the kids up one day and they were enjoying themselves, so I decided to just sit and watch for a bit and let them play. Funny thing happened. I started listening to how the day care teachers communicated with my children and how they responded. And the light bulb went off. I don’t know how to speak the language my kids understand.
I started listening harder. And then I came back the next day and did it again. Now, every time I drop off or pick up, I listen. How are they talking to my kids? What are they saying? How are the kids responding? And then I mimick it at home.
Major win!!! My kids are starting to see an extension of their daily routine back into the home and it’s making sense. I say certain words they’re used to hearing and like magic, they listen. Not every time (which I suspect also happens at day care), but the majority of time. Major improvement. We are starting to speak the same language.
Sometimes I forget (or refuse to admit) that I am not my children’s primary care provider. For those of us that work outside the home, most often our kids spend the majority of their time somewhere other than with us. Sometimes, being reminded of that hurts. A lot. But truth is, they develop routines, cues and references that we’re not familiar with. We need to learn the language they are used to hearing every day so that we can communicate our needs in a way they understand. I need to speak my children’s language.
Phrase Adjustments that Worked for Me:
- “Walk away please” instead of “No!” or “Don’t Touch!”
- “Are you using your listening ears?” instead of “Listen to me!”
- “I’m going to go to work for awhile, but Mommies always come back!” instead of “Say bye to Mommy. I have to go to work.”
If you’re just connecting with the Emily Speaks series, be sure to check out her first post, Cyber Bullying and Self-Harm, to catch up. Today, Emily will be sharing 11 alternatives to self harm to help those hurting to make healthier choices to cope with emotional struggles.
I know it can be hard not to self-harm if you’re being bullied, but you need to try to think of other ways to deal with the pain. Cutting leaves angry scars on your body. You should try to deal with your hurt in other ways. Here are 11 good examples that will hopefully help you out a little bit.
1. Try talking to somebody about what’s going on so that you can get it out of your system.
2. Go outside where nobody is around and just scream as loud as you can for as long as you want.
3. Take a rubber band and keep it on your wrist so whenever you feel like cutting you can just take that rubber band and snap it on your wrist (softly – not to where it harms you).
4. Get an old teddy bear or stuffed animal that you don’t want and take your anger out on that.
5. Go on a jog or go out and ride your bike or long board or whatever you have and just ride around to calm yourself down.
6. Go hang out with your friend(s) and get your mind off things that would make you want to cut or do anything else to harm yourself.
7. Sleep it out and take a long nap and see how you’re feeling when you wake up.
8. Go hang out with your family and just relax.
9. Listen to some music.
10. Read a book.
11. Get an art journal and draw out your feelings. You can paint, draw pictures, even just scribble hard.
These are some of the ways that I stop myself from cutting, because I do still think about it when things get rough. When that happens, I try to do these instead and it helps. It does! You need to do anything that would take your mind off of any bad thoughts you are having and make you want to hurt yourself. This might not be the best list of ideas, but if you take a chance and try them out, they might end up working for you. You’re not only helping yourself, but you’re helping everyone else around you by making a better choice to not self-harm.