How to Prepare for a Babysitter

Follow this advice to impart everything your sitter needs to know.

In Your House

Give a house tour. Arrange for the sitter to come early so you can give her a tour through every room in the house. As you do this, you’ll be reminded of idiosyncrasies that you didn’t think to write down. Show her how to work everything―circuit breakers, dishwasher, alarm, etc.

 

Create a grand central station. Designate a space in the kitchen where your sitter can keep school handouts, mail, calendars, phone messages, and the worksheets on the following pages. Hang a master map of your neighborhood here, indicating important points of interest. (Create one at mapquest.com.) The Grand Central Station is also a perfect spot to post the house rules for kids and pets (“No TV unless homework is done”; “Dog is not allowed on couch”).

 

Leave keys. For peace of mind, give a set of house keys to a neighbor so you won’t have to red-eye home to unlock the front door.