Going on a “Date” with Your Child
You have three children. It is a given that all of them are special to you, each in their own unique way. Or is it? Do your children know that you love them for their own unique natures? Or do your children feel grouped in “the children” . . . not being (or valued for [...]
Sitters–Read this Post (and Watch this Video) to Protect Yourself Against Online Scams
sitters–online scams are all around us…including in the caregiving world. It’s hard to tell sometimes that a person is not a real individual, but a scammer.
To make sure you’re being safe in 2010, watch sittercity’s video Silence of the Scams to remind yourself when to respond…and when to report. (And hey, [...]
Sitters–Are you Using Sittercity’s Free iPhone app?
Want to make 2010 your year of jobs? Check out sittercity’s free iPhone app for sitters. It allows you to easily get, view and reply to jobs from parents.
Do we have an application for parents yet? No. But it’s coming. Moms and dads, stay tuned for more apps from sittercity.com [...]
Dealing with Separation Issues
Whether you’re going on a date night with your spouse or you’re returning to work after staying home with your little one for some period of time, you may find your child is crying and acting unwilling to let you go. How do you help your child through this separation anxiety?
1. Choose a babysitter that [...]
Question–Do you Know the Top Three to Ask?
Do you know the top three questions to ask a potential new sitter?
Drumroll please…
1. Do you know First Aid, CPR and the Heimlich maneuver?
2. What are your theories on discipline?
3. What is your previous experience?
We’ve posted these before, but people keep asking, so we wanted to re-post. Make sure to ask these and your [...]
Parents of Special Needs Children: What special instructions do you need to give to your sitters that you typically don’t for your other children?
Finding the right babysitter for your child is tricky enough without adding special considerations into the mix. Once you’ve found the right babysitter for your special needs child, though, what special-needs-specific information do you need to communicate to the babysitter to help her relate with your child and keep your child safe? A brief list [...]
Dealing With Teething, Money, Playdates, Disagreements And Reading…Phew!
How can I help my teething child? Teething is one of those things that most first-time parents fear. A teething child will spend time going back and forth between cranky and miserable and this definitely takes a toll on both the child and the parents. To ease the pain of teething, consider giving your child a cold, wet washcloth to suck on. This will ease the pain and distract the child. Most pediatricians advise that you stay away from numbing agents, which can reduce the suckling instinct and reduce the amount that your child will eat while they are teething. If your child is running a fever, or has a runny nose, it is probably a sign that something else is happening because these are not signs of teething.
What should I do to teach my young child about money? Open a bank of your own! This gives you the ability to teach your children about money management without giving your child cash that they can spend frivolously or lose. The process is simple. Set up a spreadsheet on your computer that will serve as the bank register. Give your child an old checkbook, or make up some checks with the child’s name on them. When your child wants spending money, they will ‘withdraw’ it from their account. At the end of every week, you will ‘deposit’ your child’s allowance into the account instead of handing the child cash that can be lost or misplaced. This is a great way to keep track of your child’s spending habits and to ensure that your child isn’t losing money or spending it all on things that you would prefer they didn’t have. Read more in my article here:
http://www.childcareonly.com/parenting/dealing-with-teething-money-playdates-disagreements-and-readingphew/
Did You Know…? Letterman Loves Babysitters
Letterman once quipped on this show “Denise and I went out the other night and I jokingly told our daughters (7-year-old twins) that we were going to leave them alone without a <a href="http://www.babysitters2.com">babysitter. I was curious to see their nervous reaction. Dominique’s eyes widened and she said excitedly, “Great! We’re going to rock this place [...]
When Your Children Have Four Legs and Excess Body Hair
For many families, pets are people too. Pets love unconditionally, just as your toddler does. They depend on you for your care, just as your toddler does. They need to be supervised, praised and redirected by you in order to behave in the way that is consistent with your family’s expectations . . . just [...]
Using Family Members and Friends as Babysitters
There are advantages and disadvantages to using family members and friends as babysitters. Each situation is unique and must be evaluated individually. Below are the advantages and disadvantages that you should consider when deciding whether to use family members and friends as babysitters.
Advantages
No need to spend time interviewing babysitting candidates
No need to spend time and [...]
