When you hire a babysitter, you want to feel secure that your sitter is confident and comfortable with the role, and you want your children cared for in the way you would do it. Cooking wholesome foods, knowing how to handle the bedtime routine, knowing what to do in an emergency — these are skills your sitter can learn by taking certain babysitting classes. In addition, babysitting classes teach sitters about how to engage kids in fun and meaningful activities instead of just “sitting.”
Knowing what babysitting class options exist can help you make a better decision about whom to hire. The next time you conduct an interview for sitters, find out if they’ve taken any of the following valuable classes.
You can ask your sitter what kinds of extra training, skills and certification she has or ask her specifically about the following classes:
- Infant and Child CPR and First Aid
Children can have accidents in the blink of an eye, which can feel especially frightening and confusing to an untrained babysitter. But training makes all the difference. Make sure your sitter has been trained in Infant and Child CPR and First Aid, which will allow her to understand in an instant what to do if your child suddenly chokes, stops breathing, falls off a bike and gets a scrape or has an allergic reaction to a food or to a bee sting. Ask where your sitter was certified and ask to see an up-to-date proof of certification (usually a digital certificate).
- Babysitting Training
Anyone can say they babysit children, but only someone who has completed the Red Cross’s Babysitting Basics Class can say they’re certified. In this class, potential sitters can learn about feeding babies and children, effective nap time strategies, basic safety instructions and how to put together safe and enjoyable activities appropriate for children at each stage of development. Ask to see proof of successful completion of this online course, usually in the form of a printable diploma.
- Driver’s Education
When someone else drives your little one around, you want to make sure she really knows how to follow the rules of the road. Driver’s education classes involve more than just getting a license. Your babysitter will learn how to drive offensively, safely and responsibly, and will also understand how to properly maintain the car. Some states now require driver’s education classes when getting a license. Ask where your sitter took this class, and ask to see proof of certification (which varies by state).
- Child Nutrition
You don’t want your children eating junk food all day! Hire a sitter who has taken some kind of nutrition or cooking classes and who really knows how to put wholesome, real food on the plate. When your children see their super-cool babysitter preparing colorful, delicious foods in a way that pleases a child’s eye, they’ll gobble it up! Find a sitter who has taken a cooking class and knows how to select healthy and appropriate recipes, prepare the foods and serve them in a way that children (and all people) will like and enjoy. These classes vary and might be taught at community colleges, local high schools, vocational/technical schools or culinary schools. Ask where your sitter took this class — and what she learned about.
- Lifeguard Training
When summer rolls around, your kids are going to want to spend time at the pool with their sitter. Although most pools have a lifeguard on duty during open swim, you still want to know that the person in charge of your children also knows how to save their lives if necessary. Babysitters can take Lifeguard Training Classes to know everything they need to know to keep your children safe around a pool, including how to rescue a drowning child if something should happen and how to perform CPR.
- Early Childhood Education
Some sitters have plenty of great ideas for entertaining your children and helping them to thrive. But imagine how great it would be if your babysitter also had taken courses in early childhood education! Find out if your sitter is currently enrolled in an early childhood program or has taken classes in the past, and where she’s taken these classes. You could also ask what her favorite topic was and how she’ll apply this education when she babysits your children.
For more babysitting class options, check out 8 Babysitters Training Courses.
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Kelly Sundstrom is an award-winning journalist, author, artist and national special needs spokesperson. As the mother of two twice-exceptional children, Sundstrom has been a guest speaker on Grassroots TV (now GrassRoots Community Network) in Aspen, Colorado. She offers her support and advocacy to families all over the country.
