babysitting advice?

Deleted • 18 December 2013 at 12:50 AM

so one of my mom's clients asked me to babysit her kids this friday night after her original babysitter suddenly quit on her.
i've never done this before so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

like what should i expect from a 7 year old boy and 3 year old girl?
how do i get them to behave?
what if they don't want to go to sleep?
how do i survive 5 hours of babysitting?
and most importantly...what if they're brats?

boxofcrayons • 18 December 2013 at 4:02 AM

@hybridrainbow I've babysat more children than I can count. My best advice is simply to funnel lots and lots of energy into them. If you are interested in them they will repay that. Ask them what they want to do, and be responsive to them. Play pretend, run in circles, whatever they want. And, as an added and odd tidbit, if you know how to make paper airplanes, every child I have ever encountered is transfixed by them. Idk what it is, but it works. I once entertained 30 children for two hours by making them each paper airplanes.

Deleted • 18 December 2013 at 8:30 AM

@boxofcrayons
That's really helpful! Thank you!
I better make sure I have lots of energy before I go there.
And ok! Paper planes! Their mom's a teacher, so maybe they'll be well behaved, right?

Deleted • 19 December 2013 at 6:56 PM

@hybridrainbow if you like drawing you could also draw them things to colour 😃

bookw0rm • 19 December 2013 at 7:32 PM

@hybridrainbow
Just deal with it. I;m not a babysitter, but I have to watch my cousins at parties and stuff. Umm, try to not let them be hyper, be prepared by having a "kit" of fun stuff to do. Maybe it'll work.

luv • 19 December 2013 at 7:45 PM

@hybridrainbow
I have cousins, "brothers", "sisters"--- I'm practically a live-in babysitter.

*like what should i expect from a 7 year old boy and 3 year old girl?*
Honestly, the 3 year old will probably be easier in my experience. The girls normally like hanging out with us girls, and they're normally a bit quieter. As for the boys, well he is seven, so that means he can do some things himself. Don't try and do everything for him, he might want to try some stuff himself. Ask him if he wants to make dinner with you-- my little cousins get ecstatic over that. He might be bad, but it's probably just to get your attention. If you stay fun-loving and treat him like an equal, not a little kid, he'll probably be a lot better.

*how do i get them to behave?*
Normally stay nice. They won't want to misbehave if they're having a lot of fun, because then there's no point. If for some reason they start to misbehave, you have two options:
1) Count. This seems to work for me. Tell them you're going to count to 3, 5, 10, whatever, and they have to stop doing (insert offence here) by the time your done. Normally they stop before getting to the end.
2) Ignore. If they don't stop, then ignore them and play with the other one. It sounds harsh, but it's really not-- if you're having a great time with the other kid they'll want to join in, but tell them they can't join in your games unless they say sorry and promise to behave.

*what if they don't want to go to sleep?*
The seven year old will probably be easy enough, let him stay up a little past his bed-time and he'll be so excited that he got to be like a "big kid" that he'll probably be fine with going to bed because it's already late. The three year old could be a challenge. I recommend putting them to bed, reading them a few of their favourite books, and then just shutting the door. No matter how many times they get up, just keep walking them back to the room, tucking them in and shutting the door. Eventually they'll figure out that even if they keep getting up you won't play with them.

*how do i survive 5 hours of babysitting?*
I actually love babysitting! I bring a big bag (don't choose a plastic one, it's a hazard) that's opaque and hide a whole bunch of toys in it. Every time they're being really good they get to pull out a toy, and it's such a big treat for them that they'll try and be good. Plan little things too, like for instance if they pull out a map make sure you have a scavenger hunt set up. Just make sure the activities work for both kids and you'll be fine! The seven year old will probably do most things, so make sure you help the three year old so she feels like she's doing something anyway. Ex. If you're doing a scavenger hunt, point to where something is and quietly say to the girl: "Why don't you look over there?"

*and most importantly...what if they're brats?*
This fits into behaviour. So long as you're nice, they probably won't stay bratty, and if they do-- make sure they know you're in charge.
Hope I helped!

Deleted • 19 December 2013 at 8:26 PM

@eldnew @bookw0rm
Thanks so much 😊 I'll definitely let them draw or do some artsy stuff with them. Haha wish I could bring my dog with me...he'd keep them occupied alright 😉

@luv
Thanks so much for writing down so much advice for me!
Those are great suggestions! I remember what it was like being a little kid, but I was a bit of a tomboy so hopefully I can get along with both of them. And maybe improvise with the bag of toys... Dress up like its Halloween and play pretend instead? xD

That was a big help! I'll wing it at first I guess, and then fall back on your advice if things get crazy.