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Intro: |
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| Dress comfortably: You'll probably spend lots of time on the floor. Don't wear dangling or sharp jewelry around babies--they'll grab and yank it. It's a bad idea to invite your friends over or talk to them on the phone. Babysitting means being responsible for a family's house and children, not hosting a social hour in their living room. |
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Some parents (and children) don't mind if you park the kids in front of the television and let the Lion King do the sitting. However, it's much more fun for everyone if you interact with the kids, play games with them, read to them, or help them with their own projects. Playing is a great way to build rapport. Little kids look up to older kids--they want to spend time with you and get your attention and approval. They're also more likely to obey you if they see you're interested in them. Babies. Babies sleep a lot: You'll often find them in bed or nearly ready for it when you arrive. When they're awake, tiny babies (two months and under) mostly eat and digest; the world is still too new for them to understand playing. Older babies (three months to a year) are very curious about everything. They love colors, music, and human faces, and they like to grab things and put them in their mouths. Rock them, sing, talk, make silly faces, and give them simple colorful toys. Keep them away from sharp objects, and make sure not to give them anything smaller than their fist, or they might swallow it or choke. Toddlers. Little kids, ages one to three, move around fearlessly, so they can be quite a handful. They're starting to walk and run, and around age two they're talking (though you may not understand much of what they say). They often can't amuse themselves yet, so read and talk to them, draw and color, and do simple crafts like modeling clay or making paper hats (see 2torial #0599: Make a Paper Hat). Toddlers are known to say "no" a lot, and some throw tantrums. This is not "bad" behavior, they're just testing the limits of what they can do. To avoid getting into a power struggle with them, try not to ask yes or no questions (like, "Do you want to have dinner now?"). If they throw a tantrum, don't try to argue them out of it. Calmly play with something else nearby; they'll most likely stop crying fairly soon and come to see what you're doing. Older kids. Children ages four and up frequently have their own ideas about what they want to do. If you're caring for more than one child, they'll often amuse each other. Help them with their projects if they want; otherwise just stay nearby. If they want to play with you, try cards, board games, play acting, and books, or practice shooting baskets or throwing a baseball. Don't let kids play too rough, or otherwise do anything that seems dangerous to you. Play safe. Whatever you do, don't let the kids out of sight or earshot. Kids can hurt themselves in an instant, and small ones don't yet understand what's dangerous. It's your job to stay alert to their surroundings and keep them safe.
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Play with the kids
