Imagine yourself as an ultra-prepared Mary Poppins-type sitter. You arrive at every job with a magical babysitting bag filled with everything you need to keep things running smoothly. This isn’t a pie-in-the-sky-dream: you can make this level of preparedness a reality. Your bag might not exactly be bottomless, but if you stock it full of the right essentials, your babysitting kit will help you be the best babysitter you can be. Plus, you’re likely to impress your employer.
The key to assembling a great babysitting kit is having both items that will help you safely care for the children, and ones to help them have fun. Here are our top 12 babysitting kit must-haves.
1. First-aid kit
Have a good first-aid kit on hand. Cuts and scrapes are to be expected, and you should be able to treat them, as well as be equipped to handle more major injuries—just in case.
2. Babysitter checklist
Have a list of all the important information you need to do your job. This includes parents’ contact info, emergency phone numbers, house rules, kids’ allergies and medications, expected schedule, and suggested activities. Just the act of making this list—and asking the parents to help you fill in the blanks—can help you make sure you’re all on the same page about how the child should be cared for.
Always include the address of the home where you’re babysitting. It can be easily forgotten yet important to know if you’re calling 999 (or pizza delivery).
3. A favourite childhood book
Want to really break the ice with a kid you’re babysitting? Look at the age group of the child you’re working with. Think of your favourite book when you were that age, and bring it along. Maybe it’s something they haven’t come across yet.
4. Age-specific toys
A babysitting kit should have a range of age-appropriate items that can provide fun indoor and outdoor activities. A medium plastic bin with a lid (think laundry basket size) is a great way to house a ball for games such as football, basketball, or piggy in the middle.
5. Colouring pages
It’s a good idea to call the parents ahead of time and find out some things their kids like. It might be as simple as dinosaurs—so you could print out colouring pages of dinosaurs.
Free and affordable colouring pages can easily be found online and printed on a home computer printer. Don’t forget the colouring pencils!
6. DIY ingredients
Bring a recipe for playdough, for example, and do a special project with them. Having a DIY project to work on together can be a bonding experience, keep little hands busy, and be a lot of fun. Plus, at the end, there’s something new to play with together.
7. Torch
Hey, you never know when there could be a power cut or a blown fuse, and having a torch that’s more powerful than the one on your phone could really come in handy. You won’t have to spend time searching the home to try to figure out where the family keeps their torches, and you just might prevent a freak-out from a kid who’s scared of the dark.
8. Baby/toddler report sheets
Watching a baby or toddler? Parents will want to know when the child ate, had nappy changes, slept, and more. Imagine having a handy dandy report sheet where you can simply fill in the blanks and hand it to the parents at the end of the babysitting gig. They’ll be super thankful to have all the details and so happy they hired you.
9. Board games
Pack board games for various ages, like Snakes and Ladders, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and Monopoly, as this covers a wide age range. Memory is usually a no-fail choice for all age groups. It’s fun, and everyone seems to enjoy playing it.
10. Hand sanitiser and gloves
Kids touch everything, so you’re going to want to have some hand sanitiser available for yourself and possibly for them, especially if you’re going on outings to playgrounds, children’s museums, or other public spaces. Wearing gloves is a good idea for cleaning cuts and scrapes and for changing nappies.
11. Craft and activity ideas
Bust boredom by having some age-appropriate items on hand that will inspire kids to get creative. For children who enjoy crafts, supplies can include coloured paper, washable felt-tip pens, glue sticks, stickers, and other craft items. For children interested in building and creating structures, some ice lolly sticks and standard playing cards are a low-cost way to keep primary school-aged children engaged.
12. Dress-up supplies
Add a little pretend play to your options. A few gender-neutral costumes can be included in the kit. Combined with a blanket, these can be used for dramatic play and storytelling.
What not to bring
While you might think “the more the better” when it comes to stocking your babysitting kit, there are some items you should really avoid. These include:
- Balloons. They may seem like fun but are actually a choking hazard.
- Makeup and/or nail polish. Some parents are OK with these and some are not. It’s better to just skip them to avoid any controversy.
- Scissors or other sharp objects. Stick to craft projects that are already cut out for ease and safety.
- Items that can stain. These include non-washable pens, paints, and some types of clay. The last thing you want is for the family’s carpet or walls to get stained while you’re on watch.
- Anything against house rules. Whatever you’re bringing into the home should fit into the culture of how the parents parent. So, think ahead and ask if you’re unsure whether something might be a good idea to bring along.
