Top three rainy day activities for the babysitter

Rainy days can be your worst nightmare. The kids get restless and start bouncing off the walls, literally.

Jimmy Kimmel's "I Gave My Kid a Terrible Present"

So mean! ;)

And if I was babysitting that last kid, he would get a serious time out.

Need a Christmas craft idea for babysitting later this week

I wanted to come up with my own Christmas craft idea to do with the kids later this week.

Funny kids on Christmas morning clips

Here are some crazy kids on Christmas morning!

How to promote yourself as a babysitter

When you are just starting out, it can be hard to get babysitting hours. Once you have references under your belt, it becomes much easier. Here are some ways you can let people in your community know that you're available to babysit in meantime.

DIY holiday gift ideas: From the babysitter to the kids

Most babysitters are going to school, which is why they're are babysitting. And if you are going to school and you're babysitting, chances are you don't have loads of extra cash to spend on the kids. Even so you probably want to give them something!

Babysitting tip #3

Bedtime incentives:

 If you know you're going to be putting the kids to bed and you know they are likely to give you trouble, bring a "surprise" book and put it in a manilla envelope. Tell them that once they've brushed teeth, put on their p.j.'s and are in bed, they can open the envelope to find out what book you brought. You can use your own books from when you were a kid or pick one up from the library. My favorite book for this time of year is The Jolly Christmas Postman. 
What is your favorite children's book? 
What are your bedtime tips?

Cat attacks the babysitter

This cat is nuts: 

Hmm ... I'm not sure what the lesson is here. But don't feel bad if you laughed a little. And we will talk about this nanny-cam thing in a later post. 

How to be a health conscious babysitter

Whether you are going to school or you have another job the last thing you need is to catch a cold when you’re babysitting. But it does happen. So here are some ways to avoid spreading germs.

Babysitting tip #2

Sharing:

When a sharing dispute is brewing, I recommend these:

1. Take a step back and let them work it out themselves. You can let them know that if they can’t work it out on their own, they will not be able to play with the toy at all. 

Babysitting activity: Owl s'mores

So I got this idea from pinterest to make an owl s'more. It looked fairly easy and super cute. So I decided to try this when I babysat last weekend. I was watching four boys.

Three snack tips and tricks

When you're babysitting it's inevitable that you will have some picky kids every now and then. When I first started babysitting, I never thought it was OK to make the kids a meal or snack other than what the parents had instructed me to give them. Growing up, if I didn't eat what I was given for dinner then my parents didn't make me anything else. So I either had to eat what I was given or be hungry. Knowing this I usually just ate my dinner whether I liked it or not.  

Anyway, after babysitting for a few months, I learned that this is not how all families work. For some families, the parents prefer their kids to eat something rather than nothing. Over time I've learned to get creative with picky eaters. Once you get to know the kids, whether the kids have food allergies or not and what the parents expectation are, you can get a little creative. Here are a few examples to start:

Ants on a log

This is a classic idea that I've had a lot of luck with. When I'm looking for an alternative meal or snack, it has to be something that will be fun, quick and simple. Kids usually love peanut butter and raisins. They might not like celery because it's a veggie, but once it's turned into "ants on a log," they could care less. All you need is peanut butter, celery and raisins.

Polka dot waffles

If the parents don't have the items you need for ants on a log or if the kids refuse to eat any veggie, you can try polka dot waffles. All you need to do toast a waffle or two. Then cut them in 1/2 inch-wide strips. Then spread some peanut butter on each one. Then take some fruit jam, like strawberry or raspberry and use a toothpick or fork to make dots on top of the peanut butter spread.

English muffin or tortilla pizza

Again, you have to work with what the family has stocked and be creative. You can really get the kids involved with this one and make it an activity. You can use an English muffin, a tortilla or even bread and make a pizza. Then use pasta sauce, pizza sauce, olives, cheese, canned pineapple, salami or even leftovers. Then keep it simple and use the microwave. 

Kids are more willing to eat their food when it looks fun or it was fun to make. It also helps if you learn how to quickly throw alternative meals and snacks together based on what they already have in the pantry and fridge. Just ask the parents what tips and tricks they can share with you. Be creative and patient!

Babysitting tip #1

Clean up:

When watching multiple kids, make cleaning up a race and participate in the clean-up race with the kids. At the end DON'T say one person is a winner. Just say everyone tied and give high fives.
What are your clean up tips?

Photo courtesy of Sharon Drummond via Flickr

Fun with Body Crayons!!

Last night I was babysitting a family of three super-cool boys that I have helped for a few years. I bought these body crayons a while back to use as a special activity when babysitting. It was Friday night, so I brought them with the intention of making turkey hands. But of course with kids, thing don't always go as planned. I was so excited to do do turkey hands, but my little seven-year-old buddy said he wanted an alligator instead. The two older boys didn't think this was cool, so they did their own thing. No problem! We had a lot of fun anyway. Here are the pics:

I don't remember how much this cost when I bought it about a year ago. I'm sure it was less than $15. Also the crayon comes off really easily with water and soap. 

Cute alligator hand!

Muscle man!

Kylie from Jimmy Fallon's Capital One commercial watching herself

This is 100% unrelated to babysitting, but if you love cute kids then you will think this is adorable.

Fun outdoor babysitting games

OK I'm not going to tell you to play hide and seek here... I'm going to tell you about a few babysitting games that I've found work for all ages and, I've found, interest most kids. Today I'm going to focus on outdoor babysitting games that have worked and, best of all, they don't require a bunch of toys.

What happens when parents tell their kids they ate all the Halloween candy

This video is cute if you haven't seen it yet. Also, I don't recommend that babysitters try this!

The best kids are at the end. Enjoy!

How to put together your own craft supply box

Sometime over the summer, when I was still putting in a lot of babysitting hours, I decided to put together an arts and crafts box. This might sound a little over-ambitious, especially if you are part time, but I promise it's easy and it has made my life easier more than a few times. 

How much to charge for babysitting

Babysitting rates can be figured out by keeping a few key factors in mind. Both parties, the babysitter and hiring parents should be comfortable with the rates and it should be discussed ahead of time. If you as a babysitter feel like you are being underpaid, then it is your responsibility to let the parents know what your rate is. Then if the parents are uncomfortable with your rate they can find someone else who charges within their means.

Halloween crafts and activities

It’s Halloween! I think this might be my favorite holiday. I love the cool crisp air of fall, and the excitement of Halloween and the holiday season approaching.

My worthwhile investment in stickers

Don’t underestimate the power of stickers. This past Saturday I had a babysitting job for a small church group meeting. There were six kids total, between the ages of 3 and 6 years-old. I brought some pumpkin cutouts, twist crayons and Halloween stickers.

I should have majored in babysitting

I have been sitting babies and kids for over three years now. I recently graduated from SJSU with a journalism degree, and that's why I'm here ... writing about my babysitting career.