Safe at Home: Babysitter Safety

You and your spouse bought tickets to the Broadway show months in advance. You made reservations at a five-star restaurant. As the event draws near, you look to hire a babysitter. Selection must be approached with the same forethought. After all, you’re asking a relatively young individual to assume the enormous responsibility of caring for your child.

Finding a Babysitter
Whenever possible, select a sitter that your children know and like. But sometimes you simply don't have the option of asking close friends and relatives. When you go outside your own circle, you need to take special care -- for your child’s sake and sitter's.

Your first responsibility is finding the right source for babysitting leads. Ask only people you know and trust for names. Sometimes, the local YMCA or other well-established and respected youth organizations can provide good leads.

Whatever your source, a sitter should come with high recommendations. Ask for references and then check those references. Your babysitter should have experience, especially if your child is quite young.

Is the Babysitter Qualified?
An experienced sitter is smart enough to balance how to make your children happy and how to keep them in line. Those sitters will be forceful enough to make your children behave and go to bed when told. At the same time, those sitters won't come across as strict authority figures. A good sitter knows how to keep children happy and entertained, how to comfort children when they're unhappy, and most importantly how to be level-headed in an emergency.

It's wise to choose a babysitter who is 16 or older. If your babysitter is younger, you could be charged with neglect if something would happen to the babysitter or your children while you are gone.

Laying Down the Rules
You should establish rules to make sure your child and the sitter stay safe. From the start, you should clearly define what your babysitter can or cannot do, like not allowing smoking or alcohol. You may want to make it understood that no boyfriends or girlfriends of the babysitter will be allowed in the house while you’re gone, and that the sitter's focus should only be on the children.

Make your phone-call policy clear. If you allow the sitter to use the phone, make sure you have call-waiting available and your sitter knows how to use it. You'll want to be able to get through if something important should arise.

In addition, communicate any restrictions about play, television viewing, and your sitter and your children are allowed to eat and drink. Let your children know that while you are gone, the sitter is in charge of everything.

Emergency Preparedness
Before you leave, take the sitter on a tour of the house, pointing out rooms, nightlights, phones, and any special equipment, like sterilizers for babies. For safety's sake, make sure the sitter knows about your home emergency exits, the smoke detectors, burglar alarm, first-aid supplies, flashlights and the fuse box.

Make sure that both sitter and your children know how to use the 9-1-1 system. Keep vital information close to the phone including:

• Your child's name, age, blood type and any other vital medical information (e.g., allergies)

• Address of and directions to your house

• Where you can be reached (all phone numbers)

• Phone numbers of friends, relatives and family physician

Before you leave for the evening, review with the sitter and your child what to do in emergency situations. Make sure both understand.

Caring for the Babysitter
Parental responsibility extends to the sitter as well as your child. After all, the babysitter is a young person -- someone else's child. Their safety is your legal and moral concern. If you're not taking them home yourself, make sure they're leaving in the care of a responsible adult