Here’s our Parent Panel mum Emma from Me, The Man & The Baby blog, with some great tips on how to make sure  your babysitter is well prepared for their time with your child.

Leaving your child with a babysitter, be it with family, a friend or a hired sitter,  can be quite daunting at first but once you get past that phase it can be a fantastic way of getting some space and much needed ‘you’ time.

I remember the first time I left my son with his Godmother for the night so that I could attend a birthday party one evening. I’ve never felt as sad and as lost as I felt the moment we drove away from her house after dropping him off. At first it felt like I was missing a limb, but after a bit of time this feeling faded.

There are some great resources online if you are looking for tips on how to find a good babysitter for your child. Here’s an article from babycentre.co.uk that you may find useful: 

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/workandchildcare/babysitterhowtochoose/

Once you’ve chosen your sitter here are some helpful tips to remember when you are leaving your child or children with a babysitter somewhere other than home overnight :

-When leaving your child over night make sure you plan ahead about where your child is going to sleep; will he/she need a travel cot, sleeping bag, duvet? Mine is still in his travel cot when he goes away from home so as well as taking that with us we pack a sheet , a spare sheet and his duvet. We also make sure he has his favourite cuddly toy, his security blanket and the mobile we pull to let off a soft lullaby as we leave the room at night. This helps give the room he’s staying in some familiarity which helps gets him off to sleep. Don’t forget a spare dummy if they are still at that stage.

-Is your child still in nappies? If so then make sure you pack enough nappies to see them through from the moment you leave to the moment you get back. If they’re currently going through potty training then make sure you take the potty with you and leave instructions with how to go about it to maintain consistency.

- Food: do they need a particular type that the babysitter won’t have in? When Oli was much younger we used to chuck a few different jars in the bag or some frozen readymade food if we had any in. Pack or tell the babysitter what kind of foods/snacks they like and if they have any allergies.

-The babysitter may have suitable entertainment lined up for them but why not give them a hand with it by packing suitable toys/dvds/craft supplies.

-Make sure you tell them everything they need to know about what to do if your little one cries; if there’s something in particular which settles baby then make sure you let the sitter know this. The same goes for what to do when disciplining older children; if this means using the naughty step for a few minutes or a corner of the room then let them know this so they can continue your routine without you around.

-Don’t forget to leave full contact numbers, give them as many numbers as you can. I usually make sure they have our home telephone number as well as my mobile number and whoever else is with me. I also tell the babysitter, when possible, where I’ll be and at what time so that, numbers failing, they will know where I am.

All of this applies for when the babysitter comes to you too but don’t forget to get in some food/drink for them. I remember the days when I used to babysit; I was quite happy to eat a pizza, drink a bottle of pop and chill with a film once the child was in bed. Of course back then I did the typical babysitter thing of running up huge phone bills but nowadays I guess the Internet is the way to communicate, so don’t forget to leave them the wi-fi password if they’ve bought their laptop with them.

Last but not least: remember to enjoy your time away, that is what you’ve gone to all this trouble for after all!

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